The Sin Eater is a friendless, silent woman condemned to eat the sins of the dead in the form of stylized foods. She takes on their sins so that they can go to heaven, but can never herself do so unless she follows the directions of the Maker completely. May is fourteen when she's condemned for the crime of stealing bread by becoming a Sin Eater, ultimately thrown out of her own home and cast adrift. She is essentially apprenticed to the Sin Eater of the town, a woman that can't speak to her to train her, and she lacks affection of others or even a sense of belonging. That is even further threatened when the senior Sin Eater refuses to eat a sin that wasn't confessed, leaving her alone in the town to fend for herself.

Sin Eater is a warped version of past history. Angland is a darker version of England, with Queen Bethany on the throne after her older sister died without heirs, and her father's six wives cast a pall over the religious wars of the country. Sin eating was a real tradition, but here it's codified as part of the Maker's plan, and the dark underworld of pain and misery is ruled by Eve. Women are at fault of everything, and the Sin Eaters here are always women. May is supposed to be silent and suffer for everyone else so that the people can die blameless and enter heaven's grace. She would be the one that observes and stands back, which is the way the men of the world in that period wanted women to be. That means that Queen Bethany on the throne is diametrically opposed to that traditional view, and there are people in her retinue that are willing to do anything to keep her there, even if innocents are trampled along the way.

May does feel connections in spite of the enforced silence and distance, and her ignorance of letters and rules of her vocation means she's able to push past what's expected of her. She wants to seek justice for her mentor, who is killed when she refuses to eat a sin that wasn't confessed, and that she is nearly killed for trying to voice that. When her voice is punished, May finds a way around that stricture to figure out why it happened, and she also discovers the truth about why the Sin Eaters in the town had even been selected. She finds strength even though she's outside the norm, and doesn't let the system defeat her, even when it's actively trying to. As much as May is limited in speech, this means she's driven by actions and finding the truth that is hidden from sight. She's not content being a victim, and I really like that about her. The universe seemed set on making her fail, but she wouldn't that happen. I'm a little disappointed that the truth isn't blasted out for all of society, but this makes sense as is. May knows the truth, and that gives her the confidence to move on.

Sin Eater is a unique story that, believe it or not, is based on a practice that took place in the 15th century and continued for years.

“Sin eaters existed in parts of Britain...they ate certain foods to absolve those who died of their sins, different foods for different sins”

This book got off to a great start, it’s a dark tale as a young girl is forced to be a sin eater. She is young, confused and her journey to acceptance is vividly written here.

Sin Eater has that fantasy feel with fictional characters but it isn’t hard for those familiar with Tudor England to recognize the landscape, characters and historical details which I thought was kinda neat.

Like I said it’s a dark tale but an addictive read. I wanted to know what was happened to poor May, the author made me care about her and feel the injustices taking place. As the story unfolded and the mystery grew I was in the mind set of 'just one more chapter'.

I believe this is the authors debut, so hats off to Megan Campisi for writing a unique story, I can’t wait to see what comes next.

My thanks to the published (via Netgalley) for an advanced digitize copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so glad I was invited to read Sin Eater, as it is a dark and amazing book! I had no idea it had a historical precedent but it made the book that much more fascinating! Fans of dark, gothic literature will eat this up and I will definitely be trying to handsell (well, online sell) this and when the library reopens, I will be holding a discussion group as this is absolutely worth talking about. Highly recommended!

I loved the dark goth vibes of this book along with a strong protagonist who I was cheering on throughout the book. I've never read anything or even heard about sin eaters before. Turns out it was a real thing. I researched online after reading the book (I'm still baffled this was a real thing). The premise is intriguing and the execution very good. It felt almost a bit too long for me though. I wished the ending was more wrapped up for me.

It pains me to say that this was a DNF read for me. The entire premise had so much potential and promise. However, I could not get into the main character or story line at all. I'm not sure if it is the author's writing style or perhaps I'm not in the right head space for this book. But I have been trying to finish it for weeks now and I think it's safe to say it's just not for me. I will try to revisit it in the future, because I truly am in love with the concept.

This was a historical fiction unlike any I have ever read. It was dark and full of intrigue. I learned about a little known aspect of Welsh history and the "sin-eater". While there isn't much dialogue in this book it is still a very entertaining one. This is a book that will stay with you. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Like so many others, I had never even heard of the role of a "Sin-Eater", a mostly Welsh custom that was first written about in the mid 1600's, and continued up until the early 1800's. A Sin-Eater is person who is chosen to ritualistically eat a meal representing all of the sins of the recently deceased in order to cleanse their souls for the afterlife.

My main complaint is truly not even the book's fault, as it was being touted as "The Handmaid's Tale" meets "Alice in Wonderland." While I can absolutely see certain themes that would nod towards Atwood's classic, there isn't much here that comes across as truly fantastical - and I do not mean that to come across as a bad thing in the least.

The character of May is incredibly complicated, and I adore her for that. At the age of 14, May has been sentenced to serve in the role of "Sin-Eater" after being arrested for stealing bread. What follows is a her story as she deals with being immediately cast out of proper society, and made to live "not seen, heard, or touched." Mix this already intriguing historical fiction plot with a dash of a murder mystery, and you have this truly unique tale that dives deep into the very real superstitions and mindsets of 17th century Wales.

Megan Campisi has written a wonderfully dark piece of historical fiction that is sure to capture the hearts of many.

I rate this one a solid 4.023 out of 5.

(Note: Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria books for access to this title in exchange for my honest review.)

The book is set in a fictional sort of Elizabethan England kinda world. I mean the queen is called Bethany and her predecessor Maris, a new religion has replaced the old one. You get the idea. I think I spent too much time thinking who this court lady is supposed to be in real life… The set up was interesting but weird. I had not heard of Sin Eaters before so I had to do some googling and apparently, the role existed but very little is known about it.

The story is told by May’s point of view as she tries to adjust to her new life as a Sin Eater and being shunned by everyone. And it’s such a dark and lonely life when you’re not allowed to even speak. Basically, all you do is hear people reciting their sins before they die and then you eat the food that symbolizes the confessed sins. And there’s court intrigue where May gets involved and needs to uncover.

It was a well-written and imaginative story. May was a likable character who was determined to uncover the mystery. Since she can’t talk and doesn’t know how to read, she has to learn all by herself which was interesting. I didn’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. And that’s in a good way.

What a great debut! I really enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to reading more from the author. And I think the cover is cool.

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi was pitched as "The Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland" but I feel that the description is a bit off the mark. This historical novel centered around a young sin eater (someone who eats the sins of another person with specific foods assigned for each sin) in 16th-century England. I had never heard of this transference ritual before so that was a unique and interesting angle but there is also a mystery surrounding several deaths within the royal court. I understand The Handmaid's Tale comparison since so much of Atwood's details are based on acts that have actually occurred in history, but the Alice In Wonderland analogy lends the impression that this novel will have elements of magic or the supernatural, which it does not. After finishing this book I think I wanted it to either be much longer or much shorter. There are so many characters that could have been more fully formed or totally eliminated. I did like the insight into the young protagonist's mind as she figured out clues to the conspiracy and began to question her village's religious acts and expectations. I won't give any spoilers but I also didn't like the ending. I didn't love this novel or hate it, and I am also not totally dismissing it with a *meh* rating. I feel like this is a warm-up for the author and that whatever she next produces will be stellar.⁠

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for the free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When a book is pitched as The Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland there’s no way I’m saying no! When I first started this book, I had a really hard time understanding what was going on and picking up on some of the (made up?) language used. I almost DNFed right away because of it. But I’m glad I stuck it out because it actually didn’t take long for me to determine what was going on. I think it would have been helpful to have a physical copy to easily flip back and reference the different foods/sins.

I could absolutely see the comparison to The Handmaid’s Tale, but Alice in Wonderland felt like more of a stretch to me. Although I guess maybe the queen of hearts? 🤔 I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on that one.

I was completely engrossed in the first 3/4 of the books, but had a harder time with the last quarter. However, I think it was mostly related to timing. For a good 3+ weeks I had such a hard time focusing on anything I tried to read so it took me a long time to finish this book. I didn’t want to take away from my overall rating just because my mind was all over the place. Overall it was a fascinating, unique and disturbing read.

I ended up liking the idea of this book much better than the reality of it. I loved the premise, and to be honest, I had forgotten about the role of sin eaters in history until I read the blurb for this book. The problem for me lay in the pacing. The pace moved back and forth, hitting on fast and gripping to moving at a snail's pace and everything in between. The result was that it ended up being distracting and well, rather irritating to me. I think this one could've done with a fair bit of tightening up, and maybe a bit more focus on the mystery, but as it is, it is just an okay read.

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi is a dark fantasy tale of fourteen-year-old May who receives the life sentence of becoming a sin eater for the crime of stealing bread. She is marked with and S on her tongue and a collar on her neck. Shunned by society, she is only spoken to on their on their dying death bed as she eats away their sins in their final hour. When a dear heart appears on the coffin of a royal governess who did not confess the dreadful sin it represents, May is found herself in a twisted world where someone is holding a big secret.
The premise of this story had me hooked from page one. It’s a dark twisty fantasy that takes place in Victorian London. I immediately hurt for poor May when she was shunned to be a sin eater. The life of a sin eater is sad, and she is placed with an apprentice that cannot speak to her. As the character of May develops, we see how truly pure her heart is. We see it when she’s accepted her sentence and we see it when she is set out to figure out who has been putting the dear hearts on the coffins.
The writing started out strong, with lyrical sentences and beautiful descriptions. It was witty and the characters were whimsical and intriguing. In fact, the whole novel was intriguing as we try to uncover the mystery. What ended up being a disappointment, for me at least, was the middle of the book. The book went into a state of eternal descriptions and added characters that at times confused me. I am not a fan books that add characters for the sake of adding characters. A book to be great doesn’t need to have a large cast of characters. The ending although thought out, was too intricate and involved more characters than I would like and left me unsatisfied.
Maybe I’m not the intended person for this type of book. Although this is a fantasy, this felt more like magical realism; a genre I am most def not a fan of. If you are a fan of lyrical writing, magical realism, Victorian London then you will absolutely love this book and I would highly recommend. If you are not a fan of either I’d say give it a try to fall in love with May. She was worth the read.
3/5

There is a promotional post of this book on my IG @books_and_stilettos
This review will be posted on my website www.booksandstilettos.com on 04/13/2020

Such a darkly creative and unique story. Amazing how gripping it could be even with so little dialogue. Definitely got Handmaid's Tale vibes.

The premise of this book was incredibly intriguing to me from the get go. The fact that this novel is rooted in some sense of accurate historical happenings is wild to me. I loved the overall story and I highly recommend to people who are interested in political intrigue, feminist theory, and historical fiction.

4 out of 5 stars

Honestly - what a concept - the burden of humanity's sins rests on the shoulders of select few women, who listen to the sinners' confessions and then eat the fruit symbolizing the sins of the transgressors. The book starts out with a usual apprentice trope but soon turns into a murder mystery of which the ending will SHOCK you - I mean it was BEYOND amazing! I highly recommend this title to anyone wanting to read great women's literature.

4.5 stars

This book has been receiving a ton advanced praise. It’s been talked about as one of the next big Indie Picks and many are characterizing it as a cross between The Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland.

When I heard all the praise and hype about this book, I was a little hesitant to read it because I worried that my expectations wouldn’t live up to the hype. However the summary sounded so promising that I didn’t feel like I could pass on it, nor did I want to.

The summary promised a dark and innovative novel with lots of imagination mixed with some historical fiction. I was so glad that I decided not to pass on this one because the story itself was absolutely incredible.

Summary
The Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland in this gripping and imaginative historical novel about a shunned orphan girl in 16th-century England who is ensnared in a deadly royal plot and must turn her subjugation into her power.

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.

For the crime of stealing bread, fourteen-year-old May receives a life sentence: she must become a Sin Eater—a shunned woman, brutally marked, whose fate is to hear the final confessions of the dying, eat ritual foods symbolizing their sins as a funeral rite, and thereby shoulder their transgressions to grant their souls access to heaven.

Orphaned and friendless, apprenticed to an older Sin Eater who cannot speak to her, May must make her way in a dangerous and cruel world she barely understands. 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. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
As you can see from the summary, there is a lot to unpack here. Ritual food, confessions, torture…..so much stuff. When I started reading I instantly had so many questions about the plot that I had to remind myself to be patient and wait for everything to be explained.

While this is a fictional fantasy-ish world, it has its roots firmly in historical fiction and court life. It is set in Tudor England but there are a ton of reworked elements that make this novel exciting and fresh for readers of historical fiction. Historical fiction fans like myself will recognize the landscape but the added reworked fantasy-ish elements make this novel truly unique, memorable, and a delight to read.

The author’s prose style did take a little bit for me to get used to and at times the pacing of the book was a little slower than I expected but only in places. Overall once I became accustom to the story telling style, I found it beautiful and as unique as the story itself.

This novel is darker than traditional historical fiction/fantasy but I had no problem with that. I thought it was so compelling and interesting that I loved every minute of it. The characters and the concept were memorable and will definitely continue to stand out for me long after I finished reading. I can see why there has been such a buzz about this book. Some might shy away from this one because it’s a little darker, but I think it’s a worthy buzz book that historical fiction lovers should definitely include on their list of hot books for spring!

Book Info and Rating
Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: April 7th 2020 by Atria Books
ISBN 1982124105 (ISBN13: 9781982124106)
Free review copy provided by, Atria Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: historical fiction, fantasy

Megan Campisi’s Sin Eater (2020) strikes a nice balance between historical fiction and fantasy with her alternate history novel set in Elizabethan England – or rather a fantastical Elizabethan England.

Likened to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, among other novels, Campisi builds an alternate Elizabethan England based on the obscure folk tradition – the “Sin Eater”. We follow May, a low class teen, from her sentencing to become a Sin Eater – after stealing bread – to her becoming a Sin Eater and shunned by society. There’s an interesting push-pull in the society that shuns the Sin Eater (always a woman) but simultaneously needs their labor to absolve them of sin. On top of this, there’s a mystery that May must uncover filled with political intrigue.

This is a weird book. Unsettling and cruel at times. But May is also an endearing character. Like several reviewers have noted, I think it’s a disservice to the book to compare it to some heavy-hitters like Atwood and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. I don’t think it critical enough to compare to Atwood and I don’t think it’s whimsical enough to be Alice in Wonderland. However, this is something highlighted by the publisher and should not reflect on the author. If you ignore these comparisons I think this is solid debut that is is dark, sometimes humorous, and thoroughly cruel.

I ended up getting sucked into her character development and the mystery, but was left wanting a bit more “tear down the patriarchy” from the ending. May grows from being a lost girl, to getting angry at the world for her lot, to embracing her position in society. There are moments of contemplation that I thought were particularly poignant. The mystery at times almost seemed unneeded because I was often enthralled with May’s circumstances as the society pariah. Yet I did enjoy the mystery and seeing how May leveraged her position into society to uncover the truth of the murders.

Overall, I think readers will find this completely unique and thought provoking!

A hungry girl, May, steals some bread so she doesn't starve to death. Society's punishment? She is to become a Sin Eater, a person who ferries the souls of the nearly deceased to the gates of heaven by hearing their confession and then eating the appropriate nullification food. Now shunned and mostly ignored by the rest of humanity, May accepts her cruel and unusual fate in misery, until another Sin Eater offers to take her under their wing and show her the tricks of the trade. Unfortunately, May's mentor doesn't last long when called to eat sins at the castle, only to find a nullification food waiting that does not match the confession. Refusing to eat it, the mentor is executed, and May is alone again. Why was a deer heart there at all if the person did not kill a baby? May is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and find closure in the death of her mentor. Only the truth is, the sins within these castle walls are far viler than she could have ever imagined...

Sin eaters are a real part of history, however in this story, artistic license is taken in order to enhance symbolism and intrigue. As for Sin Eater, May's story is rich with historical references of the era (approximately 16th century) and plenty of intrigue and mystery to stoke your interest. I was saddened for May and really wanted to find out why she had been placed into this predicament through no willful choice of her own. With echoes of Les Miserables, Snow White, and other classic stories merged with religious and historical elements, Sin Eater leaves the reader with plenty to chew on, but thankfully it's a lot tastier than an ill-begotten deer heart.

This story is part alternate history and part dark fairy tale. Sin Eaters. Women forced to listen to the confessions of dying people, then take on their sins by eating foods that symbolize the sins confessed. May is an orphan....alone and hungry. When she steals a loaf of bread, she is branded and shackled in a heavy collar. Forced to be a sin eater, she is a social pariah, living under the threat of hell if she fails in her duty. When her mentor is charged with treason and killed after refusing to eat a deer heart, May wants to know the truth of what happened. She finds herself dragged down into dark conspiracies and dangerous secrets.

This tale is dark, and so creative! I didn't like seeing it compared to other stories like The Handmaid's Tale. It's nothing like those other stories....it's a creative idea all its own. It does deal with the bleak aspects of class and sexism like The Handmaid's Tale and other stories have done before. But Campisi creates something new and different in this dark tale. At times, it was hard for me to continue reading as I felt such sympathy for the main character. Her life and situation are so bleak.....but the 16th century was a pretty bleak time for most people.

Interesting and mesmerizing read! I'm definitely looking foward to reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Atria Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The premise of this novel is quite unique—a young girl is forced to become a Sin Eater, one who eats foods that symbolize the sins committed by a dead person at their funeral (not my most eloquent explanation). A Sin Eater is meant to take on these sins, thus allowing the dead to go to Heaven. After May is forced into this occupation, she discovers a plot against the Queen amongst the royal household, and takes it upon herself to figure out what is going on.

I think I agree with some other reviewers who mentioned they enjoyed the first 80% more than the last 20%. In the first chunk of the book, we follow May and learn about the society she lives in and the variety of people she meets. I enjoyed Campisi's world building and was fascinated by the world she created for May to live in. We are also treated to May's thoughts and observations, since Sin Eaters are not allowed to speak, which gives May plenty of time for going over her memories. She is a really unique and thoughtful character, and I loved watching her grow as the story went on.

However, the mystery itself is what carries this book. The final 20% of the book focuses on May attempting to uncover who is behind all the mischief at the castle, and while it was exciting to read, I didn't find it as satisfying as the previous chunk of the book.

I also think that the focus on the mystery, and solving it, pushes any other thematic elements to the side. We see this book compared to The Handmaid's Tale, which I understand on the most basic level, but I don't think there is enough exploration of these ideas within the book itself. We are left with a basic grasp of how this religion subjugates women to eat the sins of the dead, and bear that weight, but the idea that women are even subjugated in this sense is barely brought up in the book itself. While you can draw some of these ideas from the reading, it is a much more plot-driven book, and lacks direct feminist overtones.

I wish these themes—feminism, religion, control—were more directly addressed or explored. I think that would have pushed this book into more of a four or five star read for me, but where it is now, it was just a fun, plot-driven novel with the potential for me. While we get a glimpse of May's personality and emotional development, it isn't enough to fulfill my desire for more.