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dowryofbooks's review
3.0
3/5 stars
update: dropping my rating from a 4 to a 3 because I think I loved the concept more than the story and the story hasn't stuck with me now that it's been a while since I've read it.
A unique dark fairy tale woven into the historical setting of 16th-century England.
Fourteen-year-old orphan May Owens is placed in jail for stealing a loaf of bread and then sentenced to live out the rest of her life as a Sin Eater as punishment. As a Sin Eater, she must listen to the sins of the dying and once they die, eat the foods that correlate to their confessed sins in a ritual. Therefore her fate is to take the dying's sins upon herself, condemning herself to hell so that the confessor can be absolved of their sins.
Sin Eaters are social pariahs. They aren't allowed to speak aside from recitation and eating rituals. People fear them as if they are demons. It's a very solitary life. May has nowhere to turn, so she ends up taking sanctuary with the only other Sin Eater in town. This older Sin Eater becomes a mentor to May, showing her the ropes of this new lifestyle.
One day, they are called to a recitation at the castle and at the eating, there was a deer heart on the woman's coffin- representing murder. May and the older Sin Eater know that this woman never confessed to murder and the deer heart was wrongly put there. They can't speak to tell anyone, so they are left to either eat the heart or be tortured until death.
The older Sin Eater refuses to go against her morals and eat the heart, so she is taken away. May, being fourteen and scared, decides to eat it. Now, she feels the only way to right what shes done and get justice for her mentor is to figure out who put the heart there and why.
My Thoughts ⤵
I really enjoyed how original this one was. It's definitely more historical than fantasy, with a touch of murder mystery. So don't go into it expecting a high fantastical tale, because you will be disappointed.
I loved getting to know May as a character and spending time in her head. I don't think I'm the biggest fan of her ending, but it was well crafted.
The writing was great as well. (except for the overuse of the word mayhap- seriously it was used 90+ times!) Campisi did a fantastic job setting the atmosphere. This was a good book to start off the fall season reading. I only wish that this was a little bit longer with more in depth world building. The length was a little too short.
I was shocked when I went to look and saw that this was her only novel. Megan Campisi please write more, I need it in my life!!!
update: dropping my rating from a 4 to a 3 because I think I loved the concept more than the story and the story hasn't stuck with me now that it's been a while since I've read it.
A unique dark fairy tale woven into the historical setting of 16th-century England.
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.
Fourteen-year-old orphan May Owens is placed in jail for stealing a loaf of bread and then sentenced to live out the rest of her life as a Sin Eater as punishment. As a Sin Eater, she must listen to the sins of the dying and once they die, eat the foods that correlate to their confessed sins in a ritual. Therefore her fate is to take the dying's sins upon herself, condemning herself to hell so that the confessor can be absolved of their sins.
Sin Eaters are social pariahs. They aren't allowed to speak aside from recitation and eating rituals. People fear them as if they are demons. It's a very solitary life. May has nowhere to turn, so she ends up taking sanctuary with the only other Sin Eater in town. This older Sin Eater becomes a mentor to May, showing her the ropes of this new lifestyle.
One day, they are called to a recitation at the castle and at the eating, there was a deer heart on the woman's coffin- representing murder. May and the older Sin Eater know that this woman never confessed to murder and the deer heart was wrongly put there. They can't speak to tell anyone, so they are left to either eat the heart or be tortured until death.
The older Sin Eater refuses to go against her morals and eat the heart, so she is taken away. May, being fourteen and scared, decides to eat it. Now, she feels the only way to right what shes done and get justice for her mentor is to figure out who put the heart there and why.
My Thoughts ⤵
I really enjoyed how original this one was. It's definitely more historical than fantasy, with a touch of murder mystery. So don't go into it expecting a high fantastical tale, because you will be disappointed.
I loved getting to know May as a character and spending time in her head. I don't think I'm the biggest fan of her ending, but it was well crafted.
The writing was great as well. (except for the overuse of the word mayhap- seriously it was used 90+ times!) Campisi did a fantastic job setting the atmosphere. This was a good book to start off the fall season reading. I only wish that this was a little bit longer with more in depth world building. The length was a little too short.
I was shocked when I went to look and saw that this was her only novel. Megan Campisi please write more, I need it in my life!!!
angeld's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brianamorrison's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Torture, and Death
jenja's review against another edition
it's interesting, but i'm just not in the mood for it right now
madsthemads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aprilsbookshelf's review
3.0
I really wanted this book to be a new favorite of mine and maybe that's where I went wrong. I liked the character development throughout but I also felt like it dragged and paced weirdly. I was just expecting more to happen.
I could see some really liking this and some being very "meh" about it...which, unfortunately, is where I fell. It was a decent read and a great/interesting idea but nothing really made it memorable for me.
I could see some really liking this and some being very "meh" about it...which, unfortunately, is where I fell. It was a decent read and a great/interesting idea but nothing really made it memorable for me.
pam2375's review
2.0
I am sorry to say that this book just did not do it for me. I simply could not get into the story.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in April 2020.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in April 2020.
itsyakidalex's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Torture
gingerellaj's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
It's taken me a little while to write this one but it isn't necessarily a book I've forgotten. I'm not sure quite what I expected with this book either but it wasn't quite what I'd envisaged. The premise was brilliant: individuals, specifically women as I understand it, who are forced to absorb the sins of the dying by eating the associated food symbolising those sins. This in turn, unburdens the dying and allows them to by forgiven whilst the sin eater will be relegated to hell. Set in the 16th century, we meet May: a 14-year-old orphan who has stollen a loaf of bread and is ultimately punished by being made to become a sin eater.
The imagery that Campisi conjures up is exactly what you'd expert for the era: filth, disease, poverty and class boundaries. Whilst May did have presence, it took me a while to warm to her and understand her character. Some of the turns of phrase made it difficult to develop a reading rhythm. We did start to see more of the relationships that May forms, which I enjoyed and wanted more of. There was also a scandal and a murder mystery intertwined that certainly picked up the pace toward the end of the book.
It was a good read, albeit a little arduous at times with some detail that I wasn't necessarily interested in. But I think I was particularly enamoured with the idea of what the book was going to be. I can't say the delivery fell short per se, it was more of just an 'Oh.'. This book was unique: the story was original and it didn't remind me of anything else I'd read. So for that reason, I'm going to rate it an overall 4 stars but in terms of my own personal enjoyment, it was probably more of a 3.5.
It's taken me a little while to write this one but it isn't necessarily a book I've forgotten. I'm not sure quite what I expected with this book either but it wasn't quite what I'd envisaged. The premise was brilliant: individuals, specifically women as I understand it, who are forced to absorb the sins of the dying by eating the associated food symbolising those sins. This in turn, unburdens the dying and allows them to by forgiven whilst the sin eater will be relegated to hell. Set in the 16th century, we meet May: a 14-year-old orphan who has stollen a loaf of bread and is ultimately punished by being made to become a sin eater.
The imagery that Campisi conjures up is exactly what you'd expert for the era: filth, disease, poverty and class boundaries. Whilst May did have presence, it took me a while to warm to her and understand her character. Some of the turns of phrase made it difficult to develop a reading rhythm. We did start to see more of the relationships that May forms, which I enjoyed and wanted more of. There was also a scandal and a murder mystery intertwined that certainly picked up the pace toward the end of the book.
It was a good read, albeit a little arduous at times with some detail that I wasn't necessarily interested in. But I think I was particularly enamoured with the idea of what the book was going to be. I can't say the delivery fell short per se, it was more of just an 'Oh.'. This book was unique: the story was original and it didn't remind me of anything else I'd read. So for that reason, I'm going to rate it an overall 4 stars but in terms of my own personal enjoyment, it was probably more of a 3.5.
trasgu's review
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0