4-5 stars! This was a very different read for me, as I don’t think I have read much in this genre, but I found it to be really intriguing. I thought this book was beautifully written, with a fantastic world building atmosphere, and amazingly developed characters. I got really engaged in the beginning and had a hard time putting it down, but toward the end it started dragging and I found myself not coming back to it very easily, which is why I gave it 4-5 stars instead of a plain 5 star. The whole sin eating concept was new to me, but also found it to be absolutely intriguing and intense! Highly recommend to historical fiction and even fantasy lovers!
Will make sure I buzz it up on all the different platforms!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book so Interesting and frustrating. I've read of Sin Eaters in other books, the ritual of eating foods in order to absolve one's sins. As a Catholic, I found this so interesting because of the different foods that must be eaten for various sins. This book was frustrating because of the manner in which a Sin eater was chosen and treated, but it works well for the story, so I won't give details to ruin the story.
We learn about May and her story of becoming the Sin eater but the story doesn't end there. She quickly gets involved in a mystery regarding murder. Well written and engrossing, this book will be interesting for those fans of thrillers, crime and murder mysteries as well as historical fiction.

This story drew me in at first because of that synopsis and I'm so glad it delivered. The setting is incredibly intriguing and the author managed to mix all the elements together to make the story work. Most of the time, I was just amazed at how everything was constructed and it was definitely my favorite part.

Fantastic historical fiction a unique wild ride of a read A book that drew me in had me racing through the pages totally involved highly recommend.#netgalley#sineater

What a truly unusual, unique book! Very dark with medieval tones, seemingly loosely based on characters that are reminiscent of historical figures - jealous queens, dedicated subjects and a gaping division between the have's and the have-nots. Religion is key to the story, and the kingdom has seen a tumultuous upheaval in faith. But it's not exactly a war between against Catholics and Protestants; the citizens prescribe to either the Maker faith or the Ainglish faith. It depends on who is on the throne as to which faith is followed. May is a young girl who was orphaned, but still lives in the same town she was raised. Out of desperation and great hunger she steals a loaf of bread and is caught. There is a delay in sentencing, but when it finds her, she is horrified to be branded a sin eater. She is fitted with a brass collar and her tongue is tattooed with an S, marking her for life. Her fate, now, is to be called to death beds; she hears the sins of the dying and must eat certain foods at their funeral in order to absolve them of their sins. In exchange she gets to live and not go hungry - but she carries the burden of societal sins. During a recitation and then eating at the castle, a mystery is uncovered; a deer heart is placed on the coffin, and May knows the dead citizen did not commit the sin that the heart represents.

The dark topic made it hard to read and understand at first, but as the mystery begins to untangle and deepen the story becomes more intriguing. Despite her troubled world, May makes her way and begins to thrive as she uncovers the mysteries in the castle and in her own life. It is full of darkness, hunger, sad lives of underfed impoverished souls, and at the same time, it is full of the glitz of the rich who seem to be as unhappy as the rest of the world. All are in fear of speaking out of turn, invoking the wrath of the Maker or the Queen. And someone is murdering those closest to the queen.

Extremely well written, darkly intense, and exceptionally creative - this is a really great book to get engrossed in!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard of the concept of a Sin Eater before, not entirely sure where, but I think maybe in the Appalachian region in the US? Nevertheless, I had never read anything about the idea, as it left me flummoxed. Being a Christian I've always believed Jesus is not our sin eater, but our sin bearer. However, when I saw this offered on NetGalley, I decided it was time to dive in.

So, this takes place in a slightly different earth. As far as I can tell, much of the history is parallel with ours until the time of King Henry VIII of England and his daughters (interestingly, it seems his son, Edward is not in this version). The "reformation" has taken place, with a different sort of religion in this world, not Christianity though I can see that the author is attempting similarities.

The story is very engaging and I really liked the main character, May, who becomes the Sin Eater. In brief, before you die, you recite your sins to the Sin Eater, and then when you die your sins are represented by foods which she then eats. This led to all kinds of internal discussion I had while reading. What if the sin eater is allergic to xyz? What if she couldn't finish the meal? Why is that it's only women who are sin eaters? It seems like you'd need a lot of sin eaters for a given area, wouldn't you?

Another aspect to being a sin eater, is once you become one you can only speak when your are with the person who is reciting their sins. This lead to some fascinating problem solving for our heroine. Good thing she was smart and inventive!

I really liked the book, and I hope that this is just the beginning. I'd gladly read a sequel. I think the world building was good and consistent and I don't believe I was ever drawn out of the story by anything that didn't fit. All in all, a good book and worth your time (especially in this time when books are more plentiful then reading time).

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi is the story of a young girl, who meets a fate worse than she could have imagined for the small crime of stealing bread.

May is a 14 year old girl, who lost both her parents and has been living alone ever since. She gets arrested for stealing a loaf of bread, and is sentenced to be a sin eater. Sin eaters are women, who listen to dying people's sins and absolve them after their death. They visit the dying's home and associate each of their sin with a food item, which they will ingest after their death. That way they transfer the sins to themselves, and make sure the dead person gets to go to heaven. Yet, the sin eater is a literal outcast, and is neither allowed to speak nor should be acknowledged by anyone around her.

Soon, May finds herself with an older sin eater, who sort of acts as her mentor. After being called to the castle, both women find a deer heart atop a royal governesses coffin. They both know this was not a sin the departed had listed prior to her demise. The older sin eater refuses to eat the heart, and therefore gets send to the dungeon and ultimately killed. Now, May finds herself alone yet again, and will do anything in her power to solve this mystery and avenge the other sin eater's death.

I usually don't read historic fiction, but after reading the synopsis of this novel, I knew this was for me. The author sets an extremely dark and gloomy tone, and I felt myself transported to the 16th century by her writing. The protagonist's story is both heartbreaking and horrifying. To imagine, what this child is going through is frighting. Seeing her grow from this orphaned girl, into a strong woman ready to overcome religious superstitions was an exhilarating journey.

From what I gathered, sin eaters were a real thing in the 18th and 19th century, but Campisi built her own world and traditions around it. The lore is extremely well done, and I can't wait to read more from her. This being her debut novel, it is very well written and I don't have anything negative to say about the entire novel.

WHOA! What a story! Ok, so at first I thought it a bit odd that there was such a close similarity to Henry XVIII's wives story, but reading on...I was flabbergasted at the story of May and how she became a Sin Eater..It made me squirm! I had no idea that these were real things that people did in Medieval Times.
This was a great story and I had to read on. I finished the book in a couple of days. I LOVED IT!
May is physically and mentally, a strong young lady. She is a true hero. I can see a series of books about her with different stories. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the perusal and especially to author Megan Campisi! BRAVO!

The whole concept of Sin Eaters is fascinating, and to have there be a mystery on top of it, well, it made this a really good read. There were a few moments where I felt the prose could have been sharper, or the descriptions richer, but overall, the story is solid, the main character is interesting, and it kept me interested. I would recommend to anyone looking for a good, intriguing tale.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Sin Eater is an enthralling debut set in an alternate 16th century England. The old faith has been replaced by a new religion, but the tradition of confessing one’s sins to a Sin Eater remains.

Fourteen-year-old May has lost her mother and her beloved father and though she continues her work as a washerwoman finds the poverty and resulting hunger unbearable. She commits the crime of stealing a loaf of bread and is unfortunately caught.

To her surprise, she isn’t sentenced to death, but perhaps to a fate worse than. Her punishment is to face the remainder of her days as a Sin Eater, or an untouchable who isn’t allowed to speak except when saying the holy words to a person confessing their sins. There is a food to correspond with each sin. The Sin Eater’s job is to eat this food once the person has passed on, thereby taking their sins from them. A Sin Eater is always a woman, of course.

May finds herself as an apprentice to an older Sin Eater who is sentenced to death after refusing to eat a deer heart, as the terrible crime it represents was not among the sins the deceased confessed to. May vows to avenge her mentor’s death and discover who placed the deer heart on the coffin and for what purpose.

This was a compelling story with a protagonist who is clever, resourceful, and so very human in the most heartbreakingly beautiful way. The language was vivid without being overly descriptive and luscious. I was utterly entranced by this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC to review.

I mistakenly posted a review for this book with content for another book. I edited this "review" to erase invalid content that referenced a different book.. I will update this review when I have read and reviewed this book.

This book was so unique and has a wonderfully developed story/ plot. The descriptions add so much to the story. If you enjoy historical fiction I would recommend.

Sin Eater is definitely an unusual book and though it didn't completely work for me, I think it was well written and very atmospheric! I don't want to give anything away as far as plot, but I did think the characters were well done and I always like a first person narration.

This was an interesting read. It was quite unique. I loved how dark and intriguing it was. I’ve never read anything like it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Young orphan May Owens-Daffrey has been caught stealing a loaf of bread and sent to jail. As punishment, she is to become a sin eater in her hometown—a woman who exonerates the sins of the soon-to-depart this world, eating representative foods for each sin committed. There is another sin eater in town, thus May goes to live with her and becomes her apprentice.

At the court of Queen Elizabeth I, there are rumors of witchcraft and murder. Two of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting have died in odd circumstances, and deer hearts, among other foods, have been left on their coffins for the sin eaters to feed upon. When the old sin eater refuses to eat the deer heart for not being recited as a sin, young May takes on the task, unknowingly condemning her protector to death. It is up to May to discover the strange goings on at court, without losing her life in the process.

Sin Eater is a fantastic gothic novel based in the court of Queen Elizabeth I that unfolds at its own pace. Enough time should be given to the story because the first 60% is a tad slow, after that it gains momentum. It is devoid of adorned prose, but that is not a bad thing, for the right focus is devoted to what surely makes the book shine that is the uniqueness of the story and the mysteries at its center. I guessed correctly at some of them, but that did not deprive me of enjoying the book, as it was nice to validate my answers and get the explanations I was much looking forward to.

Disclaimer: I received from the publisher a free e-book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

I was interested in this book due to its unique concept. I was happy to find some deep themes included, such as forgiveness. It pulls the reader in early on, and it's written in first=person POV. The writing was solid and the characters interesting. Fans of historical fiction will want to check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Campisi and Atria Books for this ARC.

When I read in the description of this book that it was "Handmaids Tale meets Alice in Wonderland", I was instantly interested. What a great story! A fantastic debut, and I can't wait to read more from Megan Campisi.

For the crime of stealing bread, orphaned fourteen-year-old May receives a life sentence: she must become a Sin Eater—a shunned and brutally marked woman. In this role, she will hear final confessions, eat ritual foods symbolizing sins and shoulder the people's transgressions to grant their souls access to heaven. Apprenticed to an older Sin Eater, May must navigate a dangerous and cruel world she does not understand.
Then one day, a deer heart appears on the coffin of a royal governess who did not confess to the dreadful sin it represents. The older Sin Eater refuses to eat it and is imprisoned, tortured and killed. To avenge her death and appease her guilt, May must find out who placed the deer heart on the coffin and why. Along the way, her life is threatened, and she discovers unlikely friends who help her achieve her goal.
While "Sin Eater" includes violence, profanity ("fug", etc) and too many characters to keep straight, it's an engaging book. The idea of a sin eater - an outcast from my neighborhood who is responsible to forgive sins - is foreign to me. Yet, this societal role did indeed exist at one time. It was fascinating to read about what life could have been like for a sin eater and the community.
May is an orphan, but she is strong, independent and smart. I like how she believed in herself and followed her own path both as a sin eater and an individual. I also appreciate how author Megan Campisi brings May to life.
With an unusual concept, "Sin Eater" introduces readers to concepts like forgiveness, community and friendship. It's an interesting book that's entertaining yet thoughtful.

This was a rather depressing but surprisingly engaging and extraordinarily well-written story. Yes, I know that's a LOT of descriptors, but the book warrants them. Campisi has crafted an exceptionally detailed world that riffs off of Elizabethan England but with just enough off-kilter-ness to keep you unbalanced - a position that suits the tale to a tee. The book is weighty and hardly a light-hearted romp - it's a heavy story, as solid as the eponymous original Sin Eater herself. I occasionally had to set it down and come back to it, despite the marvelous writing - or perhaps because of it... The descriptions were so evocative and spot-on that I fell utterly and completely (more descriptors) into this one, and it's not a cheerful tale. What it is, rather, is a gorgeous, lush mystery full of compelling characters and marvelous scene-setting. It wasn't an easy read but it was a delightful one, full of surprises and references that made it a rich and engaging read from start to finish. Megan Campisi is definitely on my watch list now!