Sin Eater by Megan Campisi is a  dark fantasy/historical fiction novel. 

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster/Atria, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

It is the 16th Century.  England.  May is 14, and she's just been convicted of stealing a loaf of bread.  She is on her own, and she was hungry, but she was caught.  The Recorder gives her a life sentence of servitude.  She is to become a Sin Eater.

She now wears a collar, and her tongue is marked with an S.  She is not allowed to talk to anyone unless it is to hear their confession.  She is learning her new trade from another Sin Eater who she secretly names Ruth.  Everyone fears the Sin Eater, and no one will touch her, or speak to her.....not even Ruth.  For a Sin Eater is called to deathbeds, to hear the sins of the dying so that they may go to the Maker in peace.  The only hope for the Sin Eater is to serve faithfully in true piety and obedience, so that when she dies her soul can join that of the Maker.  It’s always women who eat sins, since it was Eve who first ate a sin: the Forbidden Fruit.

May hears each confession, linking each sin to a symbolic food, which she will eat upon the death of the individual.  But when a deer heart shows up on a coffin in the royal palace that was not requested, May's teacher refuses to eat it.  She is killed, and May is determined to find out who placed the heart on the coffin, and why. When another heart is found on a coffin, also not requested by the Sin Eater, May is more determined than ever.  For there is something going on in the royal palace, and the Queen may be part of the problem.


My Opinions:   

Well, that was original.  The author apparently took a little known real character, a Sin Eater, and created a fantasy world around her.   Other than the fact that a Sin Eater was a social pariah who ate a piece of bread over a person's coffin to absolve them of their sins, nothing is known.  The world that the author creates around the premise is wonderful.

I loved May.  She went from a naive and scared child, to an angry and determined young woman.  She is lonely and vulnerable, forced into a situation she knows nothing about, and she survives. 

I don't normally read historical novels, but this Elizabethan England atmosphere with beggars,  actors,  royalty and common folk, witches and religions, appealed to me.  Especially when there was a mystery to be solved.

The writing is good, the plot wonderful, and May was the best!  I loved it!

Finally getting around to writing my review for this novel. I am still not sure how I truly feel about it. I enjoyed this novel but didn't love it. When I read the blurb that said it has been said to be "The Handmaid’s Tale meets Alice in Wonderland" I couldn't wait to read it. I was expecting some magical world/supernatural mixed with sinful acts but I don't feel it met any magical aspects. It is a historical novel set in England with a Queen, the story is centered around a young sin eater named May.

At the beginning of the novel we are introduced to May who has stolen a loaf of bread, her sentence? Become a sin eater. A sin eater is someone who eats the sins of another person with specific foods assigned for each sin they committed. This ritual is done while the person is on their death bed.

I thought the premise of the novel was really neat and not like anything I have read before. I felt for May and enjoyed her internal dialogue. As a sin eater she is not allowed to speak. Sometimes I found myself wanting the story to pick up and finish but sometimes I didn't want it to end. Definitely a book that left me with mixed feelings but I would read more from Megan Campisi.

3.5 stars. Some great lines and moments; but the mystery plot was convoluted and I felt like I had no chance to guess the answer. Additionally I cannot figure out how this relates, at all, to Alice in Wonderland (as per the blurb)? There is no 'other world', no 'falling', or any bizarre creatures. There is a queen, and a clear hierarchical society; but nothing that would have ever made me think of Alice in Wonderland. All that said it wasn't a bad book; Sin Eater just didn't feel quite complete to me.

Food and Mood
The best part of Sin Eater is its overall disturbing and creepy themes. Right from the first chapter we are introduced to what a Sin Eater is, and our lead gal becomes one. As a Sin Eater she meets with people near death or their families post death and eats specific foods depending on their sins (so that they can move to heaven free of sin). Some of these foods are no big deal like nuts, seeds, etc. And others are fairly disturbing, including hearts of many animals that symbolize certain types of murder. The Sin Eater walks around town and no one wants anything to do with her (of course the Sin Eater is always a woman...), yet they appreciate her upon death. A great irony that the thing they hate is their ultimate salvation.

Plot
It takes about 100 pages for real plot (outside surviving) starts to emerge. Sadly this plot is where the book goes downhill. It's convoluted, confusing, and ultimately I didn't feel like I had a single chance to guess the outcome. I wasn't shocked or amazed at the reveal of our mystery in the end. Instead I was annoyed that, as the reader, I was never given enough information to unravel the story myself. This generally means that the reader wasn't a part of the considerations the author made when writing the book. A huge mistake, obviously, as the reader is an interactive part of the plot that matters the most. I want to feel a part of the events, emotions, and outcomes; in Sin Eater I felt like I was barely along for the ride.

Conundrums and Morals
All that said, there are some absolutely wonderful lines and thoughts or predicaments to consider in Sin Eater. Campisi has given us a Margaret Atwood dystopian set-up that allows us to consider many aspects of society and the types of decisions people are put in on an ongoing basis. Perhaps the most important being that of the 'privilege' of being Sin Eater. You will be hated and shunned by the community; but never ever starve. As much of the town is starving to death food is a luxury to many and so being Sin Eater does ensure you will have enough to eat. You may not like what you are eating or the way it is presented; but alas beggars can't be chooser's I suppose...
Religion or a belief system certainly plays a part in the choices our lead gal and others make. As they believe in a deity of sorts and the idea of Sin. For our heroine this means that she is stuck in a rock and hard place. Often she is found to be making a choice between doing what god wants her to (given the set-up belief system) and what she needs to do in order to stay alive. The sad part being that it never occurs to her that her belief system is wrong; or that the people around her are lying. Her innocence as Sin Eater is vastly contrasted by the situations a Sin Eater is bound to find themselves in. This is all very clever and fits in well with the overall darkness of the setting.
"Mayhap freedom is choosing for yourself. Even if the choices are piss-poor."

Overall
I want to say that I loved this. And in ways I did. I adore the concept, the setting and the characters. And sometimes that's enough; but in this case the plot was in the way of so many parts of the story and with it's overly complicated reveal I just felt like I wasn't really 'in' the story the way I wanted to be. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this; but I'm not sure that I would recommend it. Likely I would comment on it if asked but perhaps that's about as far as I might go to ever highlight it again.
I will say however that I am excited to read more from Campisi. Certainly she has the types of dark thoughts and ideas that parallel my own and she's not afraid to put her characters in unwinnable situations. Campisi needs some help with setting a plot barrier that not only makes sense but isn't too complicated for the average person to read. If that improvement is made I believe she could be a writer to rival some of the great YA/teen dark fantasy fiction writers.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

So glad! One of my most anticipated reads of the year has turned out to be one of my favourite so far - and I anticipate that Megan Campisi’s debut novel Sin Eater will make my best of 2020 list at year-end.

The setting of this sort of alternate historical novel is clearly inspired by Elizabethan England, but it’s just off-kilter enough for a slight fantasy feel and for extra intrigue. In this rather dystopian version of the 16th century Tudor period, we encounter hungry teenager May, who is sentenced to a life as a sin eater after stealing food. Sin eaters’ duties include listening to a dying person's last confession and then eating items of food that symbolize each particular sin confessed, from lust to murder. Through this ritual, sin eaters take each sin onto their own eternal souls, relieving the dying person of those burdens and any consequent punishment in the afterlife. May’s sin eating duties take her into royal circles where she encounters danger, plotting and dastardly misdeeds.

Sin Eater is a compelling mystery and imaginative coming-of-age story with feminist flavour. I can’t wait to see what Megan Campisi serves next!

The premise and history behind this story were intriguing, however, it was a slow burn read. I'm not a fan of slow build ups without much happening. So unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. I'm sure others who have the patience, will enjoy it.

Megan Campisi has written an incredible debut novel; it's dark, eerie and harsh...its everything you want in an altered Historical Fiction story.

The main character's role is based on an actual occupation during the18th and 19th century in Wales and Scotland...she is a "Sin Eater".

Quickly stated, "The Sin Eater" was hired to perform a ritual cleansing of sins from the recently deceased. This was done through the eating of bread and ale. Absolutely fascinating and horrifying, the sins would then become forgiven and the Sin Eater would now own them. This tradition continued up into the 1900's, the last known sin Eater died in England in 1906.
In this story, the author has created an altered Elizabethan Era; it's a dark, woeful place, where life has no value. Illness, corruption, and death abounds, the Sin Eater knows no rest.
This book wants for nothing...other than for the reader to become lost in its originality and funereal darkness.
5⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author Ms. Megan Campisi for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "Sin Eater". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.

Honestly, this one was just ok for me. I loved the premise of it, and found it fascinating, but the storyline and characters just didn't do it for me. It could be because of all of the things going on in the world right now, which is affecting my reading, so I am going to bump it to a 4 star. Maybe I will try it again later.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book surprised me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Clearly, I have a thing for this time period.

Megan Campisi's research shone beautifully in this book. I loved the Sin Eater concept, I love the court systems, I loved all the characters. The inner dialogue between May and herself was very well done.

The book is a bit dark and a bit mysterious, I loved all the different foods for the sins. I loved reading how each gave up their sins, it's interesting to see how people reacted and what they had to give up at the end. Watching May change and grow throughout the book was pleasing.

I was hesitant about the "historical fiction" aspects of this, but it wasn't dense or heavy in any way. It changed my mind on historical fiction, I would pick up another book similar to this!

I recommend this book completely, the world building was beautiful, the characters were intriguing, and I loved how Campisi wove it all together.

Wowza I was so not expecting that. I thought going into Sin Eater was going to be more along the lines of a historical fiction, as Sin Eaters really did exist and have always been fascinated about our fantastical side to religion. While it did read historical there was some fantasy elements in the book I was not expecting, and I loved them. The worldbuilding was fantastic you really feel for the 16th century and dreary atmosphere. Especially the women, only women can be Sin Eaters and Sin Eaters are considered to be amongst the lowest of the lowest in society. I also really enjoyed the mystery that May was sent on and all the court intrigue and deceptions, they are one of my favourite things to read about. I was not expecting that ending which is probably why I liked the mystery so much.
Overall Sin Eater is an atmospheric historical read with touches of fantasy thrown in.

This was definitely an intriguing and verrrrrrry interesting read. It was dark yet captivating, twisted yet fascinating. I was grossed out at times yet couldn't put the darned thing down! I would definitely recommend this to anyone that doesn't have a weak stomach and loves a suspenseful mystery. It kept me on edge and invested right till the end... and that is HUGE when it comes to reading these days! Well done for a debut novel Megan Campisi. I am very impressed!

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster Canada & NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So funny story ... I didn't realize this was Historical Fiction when I requested this book. I was blown away when I learned Sin Eaters were a legit part of history. Crazy!

What is a Sin Eater? A person who consumes a ritual meal in order to spiritually take on the sins of a deceased person. The food was believed to absorb the sins of a recently dead person, thus absolving their soul.

I enjoyed this read ... it was really bizzare and entertaining. May Owens, our main character, steals a loaf of bread, her punishment, to live out the rest of her days as a Sin Eater. From there things get all kinds of interesting ... we meet many unique characters along the way and are introduced to some interesting food facts that relate to each sin. You'll see...

Huge thank you to Atria and Netgalley for my review copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really interesting book. It took me quite a while to get hooked, but once I was, it was fascinating. It was a different take on alternate history, and I think that Campisi set herself a rather difficult task with this novel. May is a compelling protagonist, though, and the world building is outstanding. (My only qualm is that I personally wouldn't really compare it to The Handmaid's Tale, but that is more marketing than anything to do with the book itself.)

This was such a fun and weird book!

It's a strange alternate history that takes place during what we would know as Queen Elizabeth I's reign in England, though some facts and names are slightly skewed. The author also takes a fun twist on the very real concept of a sin eater--a person who eats a ritual meal that symbolizes a deceased person's sins, thereby transferring the sins to the eater. Here, our main character becomes a sin eater as punishment, which is just about the worst position one can have in society. She is essentially akin to a leper, outcast from society and feared, while also fulfilling a vital role for her village. And then she accidentally stumbles upon a potential murder conspiracy related to the queen herself--but who will believe a sin eater?

There isn't much I can say without spoiling the book, but it was just such a strange, alternative, and feminist re-imagination of history. I'd love to see what this author comes up with next.

This is the first novel by Campisi, who is an American playwright and teacher. The book is set in the 1500's in London. When 14 year old May is caught stealing bread she is sentenced to be a sin eater. She has an s tattooed on her tongue, must wear a metal collar marked with an S and will be forever shunned by society. Her role 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." When an older sin eater who has been teaching her is tortured and killed for refusing to eat a deer heart because that did not represent a sin that was confessed, May eats it thereby saving her own life. She is, however, determined to solve the mystery of the deer heart and avenge the death of the other woman. This book is primarily an historical mystery, told with some humour and reminded me a little of 'The Binding' by Bridget Collins. It is a fascinating and different read.

With an interesting premise, something that played along a genre that I enjoy and find painfully fascinating, but approached from a new and different angle, this book was based on historic elements, weaving in womanhood and feminism akin to Margaret Atwood. This set my hopes soaring very, very high and it delivered. It delivered strong.

That said, it's not really fair to compare this to any other books or authors. This is unique and delightfully enjoyable, despite it's super dark and often horrifying themes. The writing is strong, full of emotion and while there's a lot happening, it doesn't feel overwhelming or messy.

I loved the characters, May is fascinating, a good mix of rebelliousness and survival. She's fiery and witty, which is not an easy feat when you're not allowed to talk. The relationships she creates along the way, whether friend or foe, were interesting and helped move the story along, but also felt very pertinent to the story itself.

I devoured each page, wanting to know more and never quite being able to tell where I was being led. I loved everything about this book. It was exactly the kind of book that makes me excited about books. I don't know if there is more to this story, I kind of don't want to give it up just yet, but it's almost perfect left the way it is.

Just finished reading SIN EATER by Megan Campisi. I received this ARC from Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Offical publishing date is April 7th, 2020.

As a huge Margaret Atwood fan and a foodie, I was very intrigued when I read the description of this book and knew I had to request. The description advises that it is a mix of "Handmaid's Tale meets Alice in Wonderland". If you like the sounds of that keep reading.

For the crime of stealing a loaf of bread our main character, May, receives the punishment of serving the rest of her life as a Sin Eater. What is a Sin Eater you ask? A Sin Eater is a shunned woman, who's time is spent hearing the final confessions of the dying, and must eat symbolic foods for each confession as a funeral right, to grant each soul access to heaven. (Apparently this was a real thing up until the 19th century...who knew?)

One day a deer heart is placed on the coffin of one of the Queen's ladies. However both May and the elder Sin Eater know that the associated sin was not commited by this individual from their previous recitation. When the elder Sin Eater refuses to eat it, she is tortured and killed. May then vows to avenge her death and figure out what is really going on within the walls of the castle.

I was surprised by the ending, and I felt drawn to May's character and her interactions with others (without speaking). I also couldn't put this book down, I needed to know how it ended, and who was responsible for the deer hearts and what they symbolized.

Great debut novel, and I cannot wait for more from this author! Would highly recommend you check it out when it releases this spring. Also make sure you do not read this book on an empty stomach, as you are likely to devour it!