Sin Eater is a historical fiction / semi-fantasy novel set in 16th century England. It is centered around a teenage girl named May who after getting caught for stealing is sentenced to a life as a "sin eater"

A sin eater is a woman (historically) who must hear the confessions of the dying and eat food that represents their sin. Because she eats their sins and makes it her own, the dying are free of those sins and can then go to heaven.

The sin eaters in this society are shunned and are to go among the people of the village as "unseen and unheard."

After May becomes the new sin eater, she goes to the woman who is the current sin eater and gets trained by her. During one of the funerals the older sin eater refuses to eat the deer heart that is found on the coffin of a governess and is killed for it. May seeks to avenge her death.

I really wanted to like and get into this book - I'm a huge fan of historically set novels and this book felt very escapist the premise was neat - I've never heard of a sin eater before.

I think it also, obviously, provided a lot of commentary of women and the caste system during these times which is a bit of a tough pill to swallow. At the beginning of the book the women who are caught transgressing definitely endure some brutal punishments which I don't think fit the crime.

I also felt like this book at the beginning gave off a lot of The Giver vibes and The Scarlet Letter especially in terms of being branded, etc.

However ultimately, the story just didn't suck me in enough and I was not as invested as I thought I would be/

Thank you to Atria books via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi is an imaginative and well written debut novel set in al alternative universe during 16th century England. A very creative story line about a woman whose job is sentenced to work as a 'Sin Eater, people who cannot be touched or spoken to and whose job is to hear the final confessions of the dying while eating foods symbolizing their sins so their souls can be admitted to heaven. I thought that the writing was superb and enthralling and as a debut novel this was truly an amazing read I highly recommend. It will make you think about the women's role at the time and the symbolism of the suffering of the sin eater, I highly recommend this book for its complex themes and characterization.

A sin eater gets prepared at a young age by an apprentice of an older sin eater. When someone is dying then the sin eater has to hear all of that person's sin and every sin has a certain food they must eat.
When 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. She is taken to prison, tortured, and killed. To avenge her death, May must find out who placed the deer heart on the coffin and why.
Things are not always as they seem and people you should trust, you can't . May also wants to find a way out of being a sin eater but can that really be done?
I received this ARC from NetGalley for review.

I really like historical fiction and the cover. I read good reviews. The formatting was messed up so was only able read parts of the book but liked the dialogue I could read.

Riveting — I couldn't put it down. May is both flawed and sympathetic, and historical recreation of the world is rich.

The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi // 📘📘📘📘 // This dark historical fiction novel tells the story of May, a girl who is condemned to be a Sin Eater. In case you’re not familiar, there was a tradition in England for a Sin Eater to hear deathbed confessions and eat foods associated with that person’s sins, thereby taking on their sins before they are judged in the afterlife. In this story, which seems to take place in the 1500s, May is an orphaned teenager who has committed a minor crime and sentenced to become a sin eater. Her tongue is marked with a tattooed “S” and her neck is ensconced with an iron collar, marking her forever as a sin eater. She is forbidden to speak and must live in the worst part of her village with the other Sin Eater, who cannot speak to her. As she takes on this lonely and dangerous life, May is stunned to realize that murders have taken place and the lies and cover ups extend all the way to the palace of the Queen. She must suss out the crimes, before the murderer finds her. She even uncovers secrets about her own history and forges a new kind of freedom for herself. // 📘📘📘📘 4/5 books // This unique alternate history was fascinating. May is a unique heroine, illiterate and full of street smarts, who chooses to make a new life for herself in a society where women were virtually powerless. The book started a little slowly but soon turned into a page turner as May tried to solve the crimes. May cannot read and the author did a good job of reminding the reader what it’s like to move through society without this basic skill. It made the early chapters a little confusing though as some details ran together but overall, it was a fascinating challenge for the main character. This dark and gritty book is unusual, and won’t be for every reader, but I loved it. If you like Handmaid’s Tale, I think this will appeal to you.

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I was incredibly interested in the premise of this book. Touted as the Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland, The Sin Eater is an alternative historical fiction novel that follows young orphan May who upon being caught stealing a morsel of food is sentenced to become a Sin Eater- someone who ritualistically imbibes the sins of those who confess them to her on their deathbeds.

Unfortunately I don’t think this was quite the right book for me, though lovers of gothic, gritty historical fiction would probably love it. I was expecting slightly more fantasy elements, and would absolutely agree with the foreward’s comparison to a Chaucer tale as at times it felt like more of a character study than a mystery.

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way the plot unfolded I definitely enjoyed the writing style and will be watching for more books by Megan Campisi.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was okay. It's just okay. If you get sick easily, or don't eat while reading this book. It is not for the weak stomach.

Alone in the world in Elizabethan times, May must find her place and adjust to her new identity after she is sentenced to eat the sins of others until her dying day, lest she be eternally damned. It is painful and beautiful to see May's desire for connection as she is no longer allowed to speak or even be looked at.
Despite the somewhat simplistic secondary mystery plot, Megan Campisi's Sin Eater was unique and enjoyable.

This was an interesting book to read. Using the concept of real sin eaters and placing them along with a reigning queen in an alternate Elizabethan setting, creating an environment of creativity which was demonstrated well in this story.

This is an interesting book. The topic is fascinating and it has the feel of a historical fiction with some fantastical overtones. The young protagonist, May is only 14-years-old and the story begins as she is being judged for her alleged crime. Many of the other girls are given severe punishment and some are released. May is assigned as a "Sin Eater" where she is marked as such and expected to follow specific rules, such as not speaking and then eating certain items after people confess their sins. She is generally shunned by others and in some ways she comes to the realization that this means she will be isolated but never hungry as she is called into tend to people on their deathbed to eat foods representing their sins.
The interaction she had with those who were dying and their families and friends was interesting. The characters were good and the story is compelling. My only negative is that this book had some pacing issues toward the middle section.
I enjoyed this and if this type of book suits you then this is a good one.
#Netgalley #SinEater #AtriaBooks

What an interesting concept! I really enjoyed the slight historical background, too. May is a great main character. The writing style was a little hard to follow at times --- with the "old english" type of feel, so I skimmed some of the more descriptive parts to get back to the main plot, but overall, an interesting and good read!

Such an interesting premise of confessing all of your sins before death, each correlating to a specific food, and when the sin eater eats those foods she assumes your sins. The beginning of this novel showed such promise with with lots of emotion, allusions to nursery rhymes, and interesting characters. It seemed it lost momentum about 3/4 of the way with a mystery that just didn't interest me. Still, considering originality, I enjoyed the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC to read and review.

"The Sin Eater walks among us, unseen, unheard
Sins of our flesh become sins of Hers
Following Her to the grave, unseen, unheard
The Sin Eater Walks Among Us."

Sin Eater is about May, a 14 year old girl whose parents have died and she is left to fend on her own. She steals some bread because she is starving and is placed in Jail because of it. Eventually, she is sentenced to be a Sin Eater. I had no idea what a Sin Eater was and I will not ruin it for you by telling you what a Sin Eater is either. Sorry, I don't like spoiling the premise.

This book is so much more than just “a Red Queen type of book” as I have heard it compared to. It's not the same and yet in some ways, it is. Like RQ it revolves around a village with a castle. There's a strong female who is also very naive and has a story that we know nothing about that is told over time and then there's the mystery, and so in some ways, it's like going down the rabbit hole because you don't know what is going to come next. In so many other ways it's very Handmaid’s Tale where most of the power comes from men and they're the only ones that are sentencing and judging everyone. Except for the Queen, the people around her are men who are calling the shots and so it's interesting to see the character world that Megan Campisi builds around this little girl and around the time that she's lived in.

There are fascinating characters. There are times where you just want to hold your nose and go that is just gross when it comes to some of the food the Sin Eater's eat, but then there are other times that you just fall in love with May and you're just like holy cow this girl should be something more than what she is. Eventually.... nope, never mind, you will have to read the book to find out what that eventually is. I really enjoyed the writing I think that as a Historical Fiction Fantasy it’s probably my favorite of the year so far and I've read a few other fantasy books but this one for the year 2020 is my favorite. It helped me escape from all the craziness that's happening right now. I was able to learn about Sin-Eaters, which I had no idea about; that there was such a girl, or other women like May back in Charlemagne's time and the Mystery is pretty good when there's a lot of danger there's murderer, there's some fun that happens to lighten the mood, and I really think that you if you like fantasy and you like historical fiction and you like Red Queen, and other fantasy worlds like that then you're going to enjoy sin eater.

thank you Netgalley, Megan Campisi, and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in lieu of my honest review.

I tried so hard to read and enjoy this book. Halfway through I just lost interest, nothing could stick enough to keep my attention for long.😣

3.5 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

This is a quiet, historical fiction mystery book about a young girl cruelly sentenced to a life of hearing the last confessions of dying people, "eating" their sins, and bearing their guilt so their souls will go to heaven.

Fourteen year old May is orphaned and friendless. When she is sentenced to be a Sin Eater for the rest of her life, she apprentices with an older Sin Eater to learn her duties. Unable to communicate with anyone, even her mentor, May must fumble her way through her new duties. When a deer heart appears on the coffin of a royal governess who did not confess to the sin it represents, May's mentor refuses to eat the heart and is killed. May vows to unravel the mystery of the mysterious heart and avenge the death of her mentor.

This is a much more quiet book than I usually read, but it was a nice change of pace. The story unfolds slowly, which helps build the underlying tension that May feels as she navigates her scary new world. There isn't a lot of world building, but it's adequate enough to let the reader understand the society in which May lives. The author does a good job of developing May's character, although none of the other peripheral characters are developed much beyond their interactions with May. That's ok, however, because this is May's story.

I found the idea of sin eating fascinating, and gross. I know this book is also marketed as a fantasy book, but I wouldn't necessarily call it one. It's more a historical fiction mystery, so don't let the "fantasy" label deter you from reading it.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5+ stars.
Dark and deeply affecting.

Bereft from the loss of her father, fourteen-year-old May is arrested for stealing bread, but instead of being hanged or tortured like her counterparts, she is sentenced to the torment of being a sin eater. In the liminal space between the living and the dead, she is called upon to hear people list their sins from their deathbed and consume those sins from the lid of their coffin, so the person can enter heaven unburdened. She is shunned and invisible to her community. When her fellow sin eater refuses to eat a deer’s heart, the representation of murder, they become embroiled in a palace intrigue that costs her life and leaves May determined to avenge her friend’s death.

Sin Eater is a dark exploration of the weight women bear for the sins of the world and the powerful ability of even the smallest of mercies to sustain a soul. The novel is set in an alternate version of 16th century England but, like the novels of Margaret Atwood, it resonates across genres.

Thank you to Atria Books for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Fourteen-year-old May is arrested for stealing bread. She receives a life sentence of becoming a Sin Eater, a person who eats ritual foods to symbolize the sins of those that are dying. May finds another Sin Eater who she learns from, but when they are called to a death in the castle, a deer heart sits on the coffin, although the deceased did not commit a murder. When the elder Sin Eater refuses to eat the heart, she is murdered. May eats the heart and vows to find out why it was placed on the coffin, who put it there, and to avenge the other Sin Eater’s death.

Let me start by saying that I had never heard of a Sin Eater before I read this book. It is such an interesting concept where one human must eat ritualistic foods that represent another person’s sins so they can go to heaven rather than hell. I liked May as a character and enjoyed her journey and growth throughout the book. She was forced to be something no one wants to be, but makes the best of it by trying to find out why people are being murdered and accused of crimes they did not commit. We have to remember that she is only 14-years-old and has to survive as an outcast while trying to learn the truth about what is going on in the castle.

There is an interesting cast of characters throughout this book, but at times, I found there were too many to keep track of. It was a bit confusing with so many characters including all of the royalty and past queens. I found myself struggling to remember who was who. The middle of the book moved slowly and although the pace picked up towards the end, I felt that the ending was rushed and things were left unanswered. I do not know if a sequel is planned, but maybe that is why not everything was figured out by the end. Overall, the story was interesting and it was definitely a cool concept, but I felt the book was a little long and confusing at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Historical Fiction? CHECK. Dark, wild premise that delivers? CHECK CHECK.

"The Unseen is now seen. The Unheard is now heard. The sins of your flesh becomes to sins of mine to be borne to my grave in silence."

When you read as much as I do, you start to notice similarities in books and therefore tend to see what the differences are now within the same kind of story regurgitated by a different author. But no. Campisi SHINES in this debut novel.

Could you imagine that your punishment is to eat the sins of the dying? No one can see or hear you (or at least pretend that they can't) unless you're uttering the words to allow them to and then you take on the task of eating their sins so they can meet the Maker basically cleansed. But who eats theirs? And when your job becomes a part of a basic conspiracy with the hoity toity... what do you do? How do you amend what is happening when you know it's wrong but YOU CANNOT BE SEEN OR HEARD.

WOW. Now I'll admit, I did find some lulls - for a while I was like - just how many times can I see her eat this terrible food, I mean sin, and listen to these confessions? How does one take on this responsibility without going insane? Listen, y'all. You'll have to read this and find out. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of this story. And if you like a dark historical fiction that is quite eccentric and one of a kind, you'll need to pick this one up.

I'm going to sit and think of what a Sin Eater might need to eat for me....

I heartily enjoyed this compelling ride through sideways-Elizabethan England. The details that diverge from history in subtle ways add to the very rich sense of place that Campisi creates. There was a thread or two that were wrapped up in a confusing or perfunctory way, but overall this story was deeply satisfying and a great read.