A Sin Eater was something I had never heard of before, but googling the term turned up several articles about these individuals as well as multiple books, tv series and movies that have including sin eater's in their story lines previously.
I would have guessed that having women eating foods symbolizing the sins of the dead and dying as a fictionalized thing not something real, but you learn something new every day!

May is living in 16th century England suffering from poverty and hunger after the death of first her mother and then her father, when she steals a loaf of bread and is thrown in jail. Her sentence is to become a Sin Eater and with the branding of an "S" on her tongue and a collar locked around her neck her fate is sealed.

The author changes the names of Queen Elizabeth I and the Tudor dynasty and court to spin a tale of royal intrigue and mayhem using May's ability to infiltrate the palace and hide in plain sight while acting out her role as sin eater.

It was well written and well told and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

It may have been a disservice to this book to be reading it during a time of such world-wide stress, as the COVID-19 pandemic settles in for the long haul.

Despite the obvious attention to detail, and a method of describing the many characters in the book with nicknames for their physical attributes (which normally would have made it much easier to follow the whole story line) I found this book dreary and frustrating.

I had hoped to find some connection, some sense of compassion for May, the Sin Eater, but I didn’t. The palace intrigue was eluded to, but hard to follow.

This may deserve a re-read when things feel more normal again. Personally, I’d delay the release date.

Edited to add... why, oh why, do publishers insist on comparing a new book to other famous, well-loved missives? To say this is Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland is a disservice to all.

Megan Campisi, Sin Eater, fourteen year old year old May has been branded a Sin Eater, sentenced to serve as an apprentice, after stealing a loaf

Branded with an “S” on her tongue, and not allowed to speak, a heavy yoke collar is placed on her to signify her station.
Her place in society is to hear people’s last confessions, then order foods to be consumed based on the sins committed. May, absolves the deceased of their sin. Allowing the sins to be transported to her own soul. She Is apprenticed to an older woman named Ruth where she learns the rituals because every town needs a sin eater. Both Ruth and May are called to the Queens court, and this is where the the storyline unfolds, along within a mystery. A stunning book that delves into historical documented details, and meticulously intertwines contemporary mystical fiction.
A dark unsettling book that touches on social issues like, class, gender, and famil

This is an incredibly well written book. The "old language" or language which might have been used during the time period actually doesn't distract but enhances, and we are able to see things so clearly through the eyes of the protagonist, and are both sickened and determined through her motivations and drive to win, and succeed, and excel.

I had thought this would be an interesting premise, but I had no idea what exactly I was in for - it was such a unique take on a custom that I had never even knew existed. But hey, truth is stranger than fiction, right?

CONTENT WARNING: mention of sexual assault, harm to animals

This book is a stark look at the harsh society of 16th century England, and one's girl journey to reclaim power that was denied to so many.

May is caught stealing bread, and is sentenced to become a sin eater - forced to consume the sins of others so that they can die with a clear conscience. Her story is heartbreaking and painful to read - she's just 14 with no one left who cares for her. Once she is marked, the entire society shuns her. She's more alone than ever, confused about what to do, not allowed to speak to anyone except in the course of her duties, and torn between doing what she has been sentenced to do or worrying about her immortal soul.

Along the way, May finds herself involved in court intrigue, politics, and a dangerous plot that she seems to be the only one to see after a sin appears that wasn't confessed to. May has no one to rely on, instead using her wits and instincts to get to the bottom of what is occurring - after her mentor refuses to eat the food symbolizing a sin that wasn't confessed to and is tortured to death. It was fascinating to see May come into her own, and realize her own power and ability to be self-sufficient.

The pacing was great, and I wasn't bored at any point - in fact, I finished the book fairly quickly because I couldn't put it down. I loved that it took historical information but changed it into a combination of historical fiction with a touch of fantasy. I'd definitely recommend this book!

Wow. Just wow. Between the awesome cover which reminded me of my art history class in college and the writing, I was blown away by this book. The only reason why I did not give this book 5 stars is that parts of it dragged.

"Sin Eater" follows 14 year old May who after stealing a loaf of bread is then held in prison and then branded a sin eater. The book follows May who takes instruction under the current sin eater. When her mentor is imprisoned after failing to eat something, May figures out what the food that was left behind was meant to represent.

May was definitely a character you can root for. I felt so badly for her. You read and find out she lost her father, her mother, and is all alone in the world except for her mother's terrible relatives. May also likes to talk and when you read about the things she wonders about and has questions on you can see what a clever and ugly twist it was to make her of all people a sin eater.

You don't get a chance to know the current sin eater in this book except through the moments that are expressed via May. You can tell that she's been alone a long time and is focused on training May to be a good sin eater. I can't imagine though the toil it takes to listen to a person's sin, eat their sin away, and be silent forever afterwards. We find out at one point that certain food represents a person forcing themselves on a child and my stomach got really hiccupy at that point.

Speaking about that the writing at times does turn your stomach. This book turned me off of eggs, leeks, salt, and a whole variety of things for a while. The writing at times is lyrical though, but there's always a gut punch coming along. Campisi did a great job of walking that line.

The flow was up and down though throughout the book though. I think the first part dragged a bit until we have May meeting up with the current sin eater. After that things went by too fast and then slowed down again.

The book takes place in 16th century England under the reign of a queen that sounds similar to our Queen Elizabeth, but is not. The book references certain historical incidents but with a twist throughout which I liked. I think this is marketed as historical fiction, but is definitely fantasy. I would also say this is a young adult novel, but has really adult themes throughout so I often would forget May's age.

With regards to the ending, all I got is wow and gobsmacked.

Cream for envy. Beefsteak for treason. Each failing has a corresponding food which the Sin Eater consumes, metaphysically cleansing the dead so they may ascend to heaven while her (always her) soul grows ever more corrupt. 14-year-old May's biggest crime was being a chatterbox, until she stole a loaf of bread and was forcibly apprenticed to the Sin Eater. Then comes the deer heart, representing a type of murder so foul her mentor will not touch it, and so rare May doesn't even know it. Though sentenced to silence and shunning, May seeks the truth about heart and learns more than she bargained for. Deliciously dark.

With a disturbing cover that is eerily compelling, Sin Eater by Megan Campisi cements that sense of unease with a story that is a chimera of mystery, historical fantasy, and socio-political commentary. Set in a fictional Britain that winkingly resembles that of the 16th century, the book borrows recognizable elements from that time period and uses them as a springboard for Campisi’s own imaginative interpretation. In her opening notes, the author explains that Sin Eaters did exist, but their genesis and the myths surrounding them are mostly undocumented. Apparently, these outcasts symbolically removed a dying person’s sins by eating bread laid out at their sickbed or funeral. This novel is Campisi’s attempt at building a deeper first-person narrative based on the meager details available. Orphaned and rejected by relatives who steal her home from under her, May is jailed for stealing bread. Sentenced to serve as an apprentice to a Sin Eater, she has no idea why her relatively small transgression warrants such extreme punishment. May receives a brand of an “S” on her tongue and a heavy yoke-like collar that will perpetually advertise her lowly station for the rest of her life. No longer allowed to speak, she is condemned to be untouchable and fated to serve “Eve” (the book’s version of Satan) after her death if she neglects any part of her duties. These responsibilities include hearing last confessions, ordering specific foods to be prepared based on the sins committed, and consuming them upon the person’s death. She thereby absolves the deceased of wrongdoing and transfers the sins onto her own soul. Every town needs a Sin Eater, one who is tolerated as an unwelcome but necessary part of every citizen’s life. May learns the rituals from the town’s existing Sin Eater, a slovenly older woman whom she dubs Ruth since they cannot speak to each other. May heartbreakingly tries to wring any possible affection from her teacher and forms an attachment despite her rough treatment. The premise of this novel is fascinating, but the storyline become a bit muddled when the two Sin Eaters are called to the Queen’s court. While performing their ritual, they are exposed to activities that some powerful people want to conceal, thereby endangering their lives. The book then morphs into a murder mystery involving court intrigue, religious intolerance and disputes about succession to the throne. The events described reference the turmoil seen during the reigns of Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I. Those who are unfamiliar with this historical period may miss many of the nuanced comparisons, and May’s use of nicknames for the characters she encounters can be difficult to decipher. The best parts of Sin Eater are outside of the central mystery—the plotlines depicting May’s discovery of kindness and kinship with fellow pariahs and her gradual realization of her own power within the social hierarchy. Ironically, the nature of her position and the fear it inspires serves as a source of freedom and provides unfettered access into all echelons of society. Original and well-written, Megan Campisi has taken a disturbing footnote from history and embellished it into a commentary on corruption and the price of freedom. Sin Eater is rewarding for those who persevere, enduring the twisting and somewhat divergent paths that the book wanders down along the way.

Thanks to the author, Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read Sin Eater. While I ultimately gave Sin Eater a 3 out of 5 stars, I would like you to take that rating with a grain of salt. I read this galley in the midst of a global pandemic. The tone of the book is solemn and is often a heavy subject matter. I will be the first to admit that my mental state isn’t quite up to certain reads at the moment. I really wanted to finish this book as it is being published on April 7th, 2020, so I continued with it. I fully intend to reread Sin Eater when the times are brighter and I am more fit for reads such as this.

There’s been some debate on whether this is fantasty or historical fiction, and as I read both genres quite frequently, for me it firmly falls into historical fiction. I can see why people fit it under fantasy, as it expands on the idea of a traditional sin eater, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark of what I think of when I think of fantasy. A sin eater in tradition is someone that eats bread aside a coffin to absolve the deceased of their sins. Campisi took it a step further by assigning certain foods to certain sins, the worst of which usually involve eating an animal’s heart or head.

I found it interesting that our Sin Eaters are often treated cruelly. You’d think you’d want to treat the person that is absolving your sins kindly. Our main character, May, is a 14 year old girl that is made a Sin Eater after stealing some bread. She learns from an older Sin Eater and ultimately, watches as her mentor punished for not eating a deer heart left on a coffin, as it signified a sin that the deceased had not confessed. Our main character is swept up into a mystery, involving murders and bastard children. The way May is treated throughout the book is heart wrenching, she lives a very hard life especially when orphaned from her parents. Sin Eaters are essentially shunned from society until the moment a member of society needs them to absolve their sins.

Towards the middle of the book, it slowed down a lot. The beginning of the book easily draws you in. The ending of the book is fast paced. That middle really made it hard for me to return to the book. I think it was especially difficult because it was a bit slower all while you’re reading about May living this miserable life. I will say, even through the pain of the book, there was a good message: you can find yourself even when people are telling you who you are supposed to be. There’s always a way back to yourself. Throughout the hardships, May finds things and people to take comfort in. I think I’m always a bit awed by characters that repeatedly take beatings from life and still remain good at heart. I think that the way that this story made me uncomfortable, reading about May’s hard life, is important. Humanity proves again and again that through the worst, we have the ability to stay kind and good. As I’m writing this, I realize what a good lesson that is, especially at this time in the world. Thank you again to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this galley!

Author Megan Campisi takes an actual historical occurrence, the practice of eating specific foods to cancel out the sins of the dearly departed, and spins an alternative historical world where shunned women take on the permanent role of social Sin Eaters, hence the title. Young May finds herself branded and tossed upon the countryside as a Sin Eater, the result of stealing bread. Her travails and sorrows are the plot of this book. That she stumbles upon a mystery in the royal household is a secondary matter designed to make the tale a tad more engaging. I found the book hard work, I must say. I may not be the best reader for it; these may not be the best of times for me to be reading it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This type of novel (dystopian) not usually in my reading wheelhouse but gosh it was good. Unique, unsettling, dark, fascinating!

We first meet May when she is sentenced to being a Sin Eater, a collar placed around her neck, a snake engraved on her tongue, is ostracized and lives out the rest of her life as a social outcast called a sin eater.

A sin eater is a women who visit deathbeds, listening to a dying person’s confession and then she must eat the foods correlating to the person’s crimes theoretically taking on the sins. The alphabetized list is shown in the beginning of the book-ghastly! Still have the shivers while writing this review.

*will post to online venues and include link below closer to publication date. Thanks so much for the galley.

First thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The description of this book says its a cross of The Handmaid's Tale meets Alice in Wonderland and I don't agree - this book is in a class all of its own. It's haunting, engaging, bizarre, thought provoking, intriguing, most original books I've ever read.

It sets itself in the "world" of Queen Elizabeth I but cleverly disguises their names - so if you are familiar with Tudor History you will easily be able to identify some of the players. If you are not - it really doesn't matter - the book will stand on its own.

This is a must read for everyone - no matter what genre you enjoy. It is so unique and superbly written - you have to give it a read. The best part about the whole story - is that this was a real thing once! Enjoy!

An interesting book about an even more interesting topic. Never really hear of a sin eater outside of vampire fantasy, but it was actually a real profession that people (looks like it was mostly a male-dominated field) often out of desperation, and in one case sadness after the death of this four children.
Also, this how I like my historical fiction. Play around with events and details all you want to but don't use real historical figures, and with Sin Eater, we're in an alternative 16th century England. Where 14-year-old May is given a sentence worse than death for the crime of stealing bread: becoming the town sin-eater. During her "apprenticeship" with the current sin-eater, May is thrown into a royal mystery that leaves her even more alone than before. Unable to speak or be spoken to, shunned by the community for being their spiritual dumping ground, May tries to come into her own seeing and hearing the worst of people. You really feel for May, she's doing a community good and everywhere she goes she treated as if she a pariah but you know if a day went on without her the town would go wild with grief - for who would ensure that their souls go to heaven scot-free.
The blurb states that it's a mix between The Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland, now I have yet to read The Handmaid's Tale (it's starting to feel like they're saying everything is Handmaid's Tale like) but it goes take you on as wild a ride as Alice in Wonderland. But truthfully I don't think it's like either one of them. Megan Campisi takes her own path with Sin Eater, not really trying to fix or comment on sociality or gender norm just reflecting what we all know in a historical mystery that hooks you in, and as far I'm concern leaves you with a sense of wanted to learn about this unfortunate profession.

"Sin Eater" is a work of historical fiction and mystery set in what feels like medieval England. The novel follows a young girl who is sentenced to become a sin eater. She relieves recently deceased people of their sins by eating food representing those different sins placed on their coffins. As the girl starts to understand her role as a sin eater and visits the palace for her duties repeatedly, she becomes involved in a murder mystery.

I enjoyed the writing and the dark tone of this novel. It does remind me of the Handmaids tale in terms of language and the nightmarish quality to it. It was also effortless to read, and the pacing worked well. It was fascinating to read Megan Campisi's interpretation of what sin eaters might be. I had no idea they were a thing before reading this book).

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of Sin Eater by Megan Campisi.

I went into this book with excitement because I love learning about sin eaters and the setting stood out to me. The plot was promising but I think calling it “Alice in Wonderland meets The Handmaid’s Tale” isn’t a good move because it was nothing like either stories in the slightest. For the most part, I enjoyed this book because of the plot and the writing was interesting. I found it creepy, grotesque, and beguiling but at the same time it was quirky and whimsical.

The book focuses on a fourteen-year-old girl named May Owens who steals a piece of bread and is sentenced to becoming a sin eater. A sin eater is someone who eats away the sins of someone who is about to die. It’s like a religious rite in a way so that their souls can become purified before they leave the earth. Because the sin eater takes on the sins of those people, they are branded and forced into collars while becoming social pariahs. At first, May is an apprentice adjusting to her new life with the older sin eater but when they are called for a recitation and eating at the royal castle of Queen Bethany, the older sin eater refuses to eat a deer heart and is later tortured and killed. By the way, each sin has a corresponding spiritual food that the sin eater must consume. Usually heart-based foods mean a murder but it’s not clear what a deer heart stands for until later in the book.

The deer heart was unrecited which is why the sin eater refused to eat it. May then goes on a journey to figuring out the mystery of what the deer heart means as well as who in the Queen’s circle is a traitor and why someone is trying to frame her in a bad light. As expected, a lot of people die and while May is more of a peasant, there is a lot of court intrigue here. Meanwhile, May is fighting her own inner demons with her past and the two natures inside of her thanks to her deceased parents. With all these factors, I should love this book, but I felt that some areas were weak compared to the premise and plot set up. When it was good and on the plot thread, it was exciting but when it wasn’t, it was a dud.

My main issue is that there are some things explained at great length when it shouldn’t be which makes the writing style seem a little immature at times. There were a lot of gross details about smells and descriptor words like “cunny” that made my skin crawl but when it came to important plot points, I felt like certain things were just skimmed over. The book became repetitive at times because it was just a circle of May eating, having a weird inner dialogue calling to her mother’s blood, and then randomly coming to conclusions that seemed far out of her range. The ease of how May figured certain things out frustrated me because she wasn’t present, she wasn’t familiar with the court or anything like that. She made a lot of assumptions that turned out to be the real deal while dallying around a lot of times.

Another thing that didn’t sit well with me was how her family was handled. There was a subplot regarding her mother’s side of the family. The book alluded to a possible rape situation with her uncles or cousins (unless I’m misreading that) but it was never really resolved or addressed. I thought it was a strange thing to bring up in a book about a fourteen-year-old.

Despite May’s young age, there is nothing YA or childlike about this book. She handles things like an adult and it’s appropriate for the time period that it’s set in. It’s harsh and dark, some would say that it’s too depressing, but I don’t mind that. I just wish that her family plot was explored more, and I wish that it was less detailed when it didn’t count.

My true rating is a 3.5.

Let's get this out of the way - this book just wasn't for me. But I still thought it was good. I struggled through it (something about the writing just didn't click for me), but I think many people who read books that are more aligned with this genre will love it.

My favorite part? I had NO IDEA that sin eaters were ever a thing. It's absolutely fascinating (and a little horrifying and a lot gross, honestly).

May is a great main character. She's a SURVIVOR.

This story is brutal. And a lot of people are going to love it. (Also, the cover is perfection.)

Thank you Atria for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Sin Eater isn't exactly in my usual genre of choice, but it proved to be an impressive debut - a dark and bewitching novel full of imagination and just the right amount of historical details. I love historical fiction, so it was a good blend of something I'm comfortable with, and a bit of mystery and horror. With unique characters and thrilling details to twist my gut, it was without a doubt a spellbinding story!

The act of sin eating itself and what it represents is unnerving, but it cast an interesting view on justice, and one woman's journey to reclaim her sense of self. May is a powerful character!

I can't say I loved this story, and it lulled a little in the middle for me, but I deeply appreciated its rich magnetism and interesting twist on dystopia.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy of Sin Eater by Megan Campisi in exchange for an honest review.

Orphaned at 14, life didn’t make it any easier for May Owens, when she was caught stealing then punished to be a Sin Eater. Branded with an “S” on her tongue and collared with a large metal band, she would forever be feared and shunned by the society, except the dying, whose sins she would carry when they recite their sins to her during Recitation, and then eat the food that represented their sins at Eating – the only two occasions a Sin Eater was allowed to speak.

While training under an older Sin Eater (whom she later named Ruth), they were asked to a Recitation at the palace, in which a deer heart showed up on the coffin at Eating, which Ruth refused to eat because the sin wasn’t confessed to, and was therefore tortured and killed. The same thing happened again when May was asked to another Recitation at the palace. This only meant one thing, two murders had occurred and the murderer(s) hadn’t been found. May was determined to find out the truth, even if it meant risking her life, to avenge Ruth’s innocent death.

It's hard not to love May. She's smart, spunky, stubborn and a survivor. I loved how she came up with nicknames for the people she met, like Willow Tree, Painted Pig, Mush Face and Moldy Beard. And her infatuation with Country Mouse was, although, brief, endearing! I'm not one for romance in my historical fictions, so this suits me just fine!

There was also her love-hate relationship with her new 'folk' living in her house, especially Brida and Frederick. Her 'fondness' for them grew as she got used to them being around, making her loneliness easier to bear. And since she can't speak to anyone, she had conversations with things around her like the hearth, the rug, the fountain, the jug and her ring. Yes, it was a lonely life being a sin eater, but May found her own ways to work with and around it, and soon found peace with it.

"There’s a sort of peace in the nighttime. Figures melt into shadows, eyes watch from the dark, but like putting my own box on the shelf, I feel a sort of belonging. Mayhap my place isn’t a house or a family, mayhap it’s my trade, Sin Eating."

I also loved how she used her fate as a sin eater to her advantage, to get what she wanted and turned bullies away. Wallowing in self-pity was not for May! You go, girl!

Overall, this is a story about survival, injustice and the marginalized in 16th century, England. Bold and bewitching, dark and thrilling, rich in imagination with unforgettable characters throughout; a page-turner that will capture the heart of historical fiction lovers for a long time!

Will we be hearing more of May? She kept the cat, whom she named Mouse. Is that a sign for more to come? May it be. May it be!

What I Loved:
I love historical fiction. I appreciate that an author took the time to research some event or timeframe in history and then spent countless weeks, months, or years to create a story about it. It’s especially exciting for me when I find a historical fiction book that surrounds an event or person that I didn’t know anything about previously.

I got everything that I wanted out of Sin Eater. I loved that this story was about a working position in history that I knew nothing about. I was fascinated by what the Sin Eater must do and the long list of things they must not do.

How I Felt:
This story was so well-written and grabbed me immediately. May’s life hasn’t turned out the way she wanted it to. It’s been a hard life with a lot of loss. When caught for stealing, she ends up being punished by being made into a Sin Eater. This is one awful punishment! Tattooed on the tongue with an “S” and collared with a large metal band, she is visible to all as the Sin Eater now. Completely at a loss, she wanders the streets until she finds the Sin Eater’s home.

The entire story up to this point gave me such insight into the lives of the people at this time. One of the many things that captivated me about this book was the detail added to the story that made the world feel real. The wording used, the style of speech, the descriptions of buildings, even down to the footwear, I could picture everything. I felt immersed in the story and it was completely because of the wonderful writing from Meg Campisi.

The plot does involve the story of May becoming a Sin Eater, but it also involved some great court intrigue that May uncovers. She feels the need to find the truth and save people from danger. It added an interesting plot to the story, as May cannot speak to people unless she is hearing a dying person’s sins. She is, in reality, completely alone in recognizing these deaths as murders, and trying to solve them.

The characters were easy to connect with. The main character is May, and she is a sweet, lovable girl. We also find that she has a determined, cut-throat side that makes sure that she gets what she needs. I enjoyed her attitude at her situation, and her need to find the answers to mysterious happenings as the story progressed. I would love to read about her in another story.

Overall, I absolutely loved Sin Eater. The writing was beautiful and made the story flow from scene to scene with ease. The character, May, was the perfect character for this story to revolve around, and the plot was exciting and different.

To Read or Not To Read: I would recommend Sin Eater to readers that enjoy historical fiction with a non-romance plot and plenty of court mystery.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my honest, unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi takes readers to 16th century England, where life is difficult and intrigue surrounds the royal court.

The story is told from the POV of May Owen, an orphaned 14 year old girl, who is sentenced to be a sin-eater for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread. Sin eaters are outcasts, identified by a large collar locked around their neck and a branding on their tongue. They are forbidden to speak and no one speaks to, touches, or acknowledges them until death is near. Then the sin eater is called to listen to the dying person's recitation of their sins, and the sin eater takes that person's sins on as their own. Following death, the sin eater eats a different type of food representative of each sin confessed.

May is a spunky character who is devastated when she learns of her harsh sentence. She initially stays with the town's current sin eater and learns from her. When the older sin eater refuses to eat a deer heart from the coffin of a royal governess because it represents a sin not confessed to, she is tortured and put to death. May is now on her own in a world she doesn't understand. Soon she is put in the same position as her mentor, another deer heart appears on the coffin of a royal court member who did not confess to the sin it represents.

She now knows of two murders within the Queen's court. Those responsible for the murders and attempting to place the blame for them on others see May as a threat and want her dead. Can she identify the culprits and bring their sins to the attention of others before they succeed in their task?

I've heard of the gruesome custom of sin eaters before so that was not new to me. In my opinion, the book started out strong, faded a bit in the middle, and made a comeback towards the end. All in all a so-so read for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an ARC of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.