May Owens is an orphan struggling to get by in an alternative Elizabethan-style England. After May is caught stealing bread she is sentenced to an eternal fate much harsher than any she could have expected. May is branded a Sin Eater.

As a Sin Eater, May hears the recitations of the sins those facing death. Upon their death, May eats those foods associated with each sin to absolve the dead and allow them entrance to the heavens. May must then carry these sins on the deceased's behalf for the rest of her life, risking her own absolution and sanity.

There is fear and suspicion of Sin Eaters and the previously inquisitive, talkative young girl is abruptly thrown into a world of silence and shadows, unable to even talk to the Sin Eater she finds herself apprenticed to. She becomes 'unseen. Unheard.' When May's senior is seized by crown guards for not eating a deer heart placed upon the coffin of the Queen's governess, May finds herself embroiled in a series of mysterious deaths of senior courtiers and a suspected plot against the Queen. Unable to find anyone willing to communicate with her, May must take matters into her own hands and somehow find a way to use her new found place in life to her advantage.

The fact that Campisi set this book in an alternative timeline and utilised the real concept of Sin Eaters pulled me in straight away. I greatly enjoyed the first half of this book, the introduction to Sin Eaters and the set up of May's new life and the world she lived in was brilliantly penned. May is a wonderfully depicted young, female MC and I enjoyed getting to know her. I found the detailed day-to-day life of the Sin Eaters spellbinding but the second half takes a turn to a more murder mystery type focus. This lost me a little and at this point the book became a slow burn with a lot of going to and from the same locations. The ending is quite frustrating as some mysteries are not answered. Nonetheless a great read which has sent me down the road of seeking more information about Sin Eaters and I would certainly read more Campisi.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was an interesting read. It was fascinating to see an alternative version of Tudor history from the eyes of an American playwright, as Campisi is obviously very familiar with source material of the period but decided to put her own spin on it. It was also good to see a version of Tudor history where the male characters were mostly two dimensional. May herself was an interesting character, not fully likeable but definitely identifiable. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, as I'd have liked a bit more resolution, but at least it reads as realistic!

May Owens has been sentenced to be a Sin Eater for her crime of stealing a loaf of bread. For the rest of her life it is her duty to visit the ailing and hear their sins, and then to eat the corresponding foods so that they can be absolved. When May and her mentor are called to the castle for an eating, they find food for a sin that was not recited on the coffin. The older Sin Eater refuses to eat, and is taken to prison. Sin Eaters are shunned by everyone, not allowed to speak and certainly not seen or spoken to, until absolutely necessary; so May has no-one to turn to. Still finding her feet as a Sin Eater she vows to find the truth of what happened and to avenge the Sin Eater before her.

I liked the idea of this, although I didn't really know what to expect. I found it quite hard to get into; the early chapters were a bit slow and I couldn't see where the book was going. Once I got to the eating at the castle things picked up though, and I was much more engrossed. Towards the end of the book things tailed off again and I found the pace slowed off again.

There was a lot to like about May. Despite facing a lot of hardship and hatred, she found a way to continue her life and even take pleasure from certain things. She had a lot of strength, which is something to admire.

The writing style was different, with a lot of what I assume is 16th century language in there. It was easy to read and understand though, and I think the use of older language helped to set the scene of the book. One thing I did notice though was that every so often there would be an odd word or phrase that was rather crude or crass and seemed out of place with the rest of the book.

I'm not very up on my history, particularly the royal history, so I missed the references to real life events. Anyone who enjoys that sort of thing will probably get more out of this than I did. I enjoyed the book but found it to be quite slow and hard going at times. Towards the end things became quite convoluted and seemed to take a long time to reach a conclusion. I'd be interested to see what Campisi writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley, PanMacmillan and Mantle for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Full review will be on my blog from August 24th.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, fatphobia, death (including child death), very brief reference to various confessions of different severity including child rape, child murder, murder, attempted murder. There is a list of ‘confessions’ available in the free kindle preview, and it might be worth checking that as there are many that are mentioned in passing.

I didn’t expect to be as into this book as I was. I started it as part of a buddy read, then kept having to stop myself skipping ahead because it was just so interesting. I will admit that I highly recommend a physical copy of this book if that’s accessible to you, rather than an ebook as it was a bit frustrating having to skip back and forwards in the book to find the list of foods and what sin they correlated with when one was referenced in the text. I ended up downloading the kindle sample onto my phone just so I could screenshot the list for easy reference.

The setting is absolutely fascinating and while I’m not expert enough to see any faux pas, it certainly felt meticulously researched. I could feel the love put into the setting of this book, and now I’d definitely be keen to read any more of Megan Campisi’s work. Historical fiction is the kind of genre that I forget I love, so I’m so glad I requested this one on a whim. The main character, May, is a delight and utterly, utterly relatable. She’s thrown into an awful situation, and her reactions felt heartbreakingly authentic. Reading about her struggling with her guilt, around her compliance with something she personally believed to be wrong versus what she has been taught to be wrong all her life, was incredibly emotional and I felt for her so hard. I felt genuinely excited as May started to grow in confidence and come into her own power, and I think that’s my favourite thing in a book like this – when I can feel so connected to a character that she feels like a friend. The supporting characters in this book were equally lovable (well, mostly) and the rag-tag crew that May supports in her sanctuary made the whole oppressive society feel a little more hopeful – they certainly weren’t all bad.

The plot itself was something I didn’t actually expect. It started a little slow, but I didn’t care. I was so absorbed in the world and in learning about the life of the Sin Eaters that I was in no rush to get to the mystery. And when I did, I was absorbed in that too. I liked the way it played out, and the way that May had to balance on a razor edge between pushing the boundaries to discover what was going on, and keeping quiet to avoid retribution. I actually didn’t see the ending coming at all, and it was a satisfying finish, I think. The ending itself was really beautiful too, and the messages this book sends about choice and free will were heartwarming.

If you enjoy Historical fact based novels then the Sin Eater is one to definitely add to your reading list.
There is a wealth of stories covering this period but I have never come across a Sin Eater before.
Megan Campisi cleverly weaves the story of May Owens and how she is forced into becoming a Sin Eater (a necessary role at this time but shunned by all society) in with a Royal intrigue. The Royal intrigue will be familiar to readers of novels based in this era even though the names used by Megan are different.
The Sin Eater also includes characters from the lower ends of society often not represented in any detail by authors and so you learn more about life as it was for many, not just the Royal Court.

I was given a copy of the Sin Eater by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This was such a delight! From cover and premise to the execution - what a great find! Excellent writing, the use of archaic words, the imagination behind the whole sin eating, the wonderful main character, and it even made me laugh a few times. More of this please!

A good historical fiction set in the Tudor era. With a interesting practice. The book is well researched and written. It is part fiction and part reality and brilliantly weaves the two together.

I found the aspect of sin eaters new and intriguing. The protagonist is forced into becoming a Sin Eater as a punishment for stealing a piece of bread!

Sin Eaters have been tasked to hear all the sins of a person before they die.

The book is mysterious and interesting. Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher Pan Macmillan and Mantle for providing an e ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a great lover of historical fiction and this was right up my street! I loved the whole notion of the Sin Eater, a part of history I never knew before, and how she ate the sins of other people to absolve them of their misdemeanours.
The story revolves around May Owens, a girl given a horrific sentence of becoming a sin eater, merely for stealing a loaf of bread. We follow her as she learns her trade and comes to terms with the terrible life she has to deal with. She watch how she loses people time and time again but grows in confidence as the story develops.
The story has a variety of twists and turns that keep you entertained, along with the day-in-day-out rituals of death in "Tudor England". The setting is slighted obscured, part reality, part fantasy, the Queen is Bethany (Elizabeth 1) who has taken over from her sister Maris (Mary Tudor) with the country torn about religion and fear of the authorities. It was cleverly interweaved with real events disguised as fictional events. I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel

I would throughly recommend this for anyone who likes historical fiction, particular Tudor novels. I would love to see a sequel to see where May's adventure takes her next.

Well, I LOVED this one! I went in knowing almost nothing about the premise, and that is definitely the best way. I was obsessed! It's dark, twisty and, quite often, really creepy. I loved the alternative Elizabethan period, and thought it was done really well. May was such a fascinating character, and I would love there to be a sequel. I also wanted a bit more of what happened to her prior to her becoming a Sin Eater. Definitely one of my favourite books from the last couple of months.

I think I've finally accepted that historical fiction is a massive mixed bag kind of genre for me. It's either going to be absolutely glorious and I'm going to feel like I'm in an, admittedly very stylised version of a time period or I'm going to be sitting here thinking, oh my god this is so boring, when will it end and why does the author not sound natural with the voice???

This wasn't an enjoyable book for me. I had hoped for something darker, more decadent and I just didn't get it which left me feeling really disappointed even though it was kind of my own fault.

I had envisioned what I wanted from this title and with every second of me not getting it, the disappointment just grew. Happens sometimes, but it doesn't make it less annoying.

I do think though, that from what some of my friends feel about historical fiction like this, that a lot of people will close this book feeling satisfied.

So I thought this was going to be a fantasy book from what I’d read about sin eaters before but it’s more historical fiction. Sin Eaters are women who have been given the task to hear all the sins of a person before they die, and eat all the coresponding food over their coffins. They’re forced into this, are branded on their tongue and a locked necklace as well as having to become mute (you must only speak to a Sin Eater before your death). So our main character is forced into being a Sin Eater as she steals some food at the start of the book.

The book is set in what feels like Tudor England but the royal family’s names have been altered, and there’s a slightly different story line than the real history. However, I think this is on purpose because the summary on Wordery does say it’s Elizabeth I’s Era. I liked the clear links to the era, and before I even read up about the book I did think it sounded like Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots. As I’ve read and enjoyed other books in this time period, I was enjoying the little hints I could pick up from it.

The book then follows May as she struggles with learning to become a Sin Eater, but she starts to live with the only other one in her town. Soon a mystery occurs where one of the Royal court dies and a food symbolic of a sin that wasn’t admitted to the Sin Eaters is placed upon the coffin. This particular part of the book steals the ony person in May’s life away once again, as she refuses to eat what was not confessed. May’s whole story also hinges on this moment as if she had also refused it could be possible that the court would investigate rather than kill the sin eater… it’s also a part of her grief that she believes she could have saved her only friend. This was all written so well into May’s character and it kept driving her forward to uncover the mystery behind it.

On top of the main mystery of who put the extra food on the coffin (and why?) we uncover so many different secrets that only a Sin Eater could. Because May cannot speak to others (and others will often run if she tried to speak to them) she’s seen as less than others. She can get to any part of the town and palace as the guards won’t talk to stop her, and even when she’s in sight of people they will gossip and trade their own secrets. This is one of the reasons why I liked May as our main character as she’s really nothing like the characters I usually read about. She’s not fighting for a larger cause here, she’s just the only person who could find this out and she wants to go ahead and live her life.

The only bad thing about this is that May doesn’t really have any link to the story and mysteries she’s finding out about. There’s maybe one thing which kind of links her… however it is quite loosely. On the other hand, May does have mysteries about herself to uncover too. She’s always been her fathers daughter, and she stayed with him until he died. However her mother’s side of the family did try kidnapping her for a time when she was small. I enjoyed the storyline of finding out more about May and her family, and I loved the closure May gained from it. From already becomer stronger, I found this to be a point where she shined as being more mature than at the start of the book.

Multiple people who are also shunned/outcasts come to live with the Sin Eater and whilst she is still an outcast within this group, there’s a sense of found family at times. This is a huge strength at a pivotal moment of the story too. Whilst May didn’t really talk to anyone after becoming a Sin Eater she was still able to form some kind of bond to the people she shared her home with, and I liked how throughout the book her thoughts on this change too.

Overall I really enjoyed this murder mystery historical fiction despite expecting a fantasy book. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more books from Megan Campisi I think.

Positives of Sin Eater
Mysteries were interesting
character developemtn
Negatives of Sin Eater
MC doesn’t seem linked to bigger story

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020, and it absolutely did not disappoint. Hard hitting, informative and engaging, this piece of historical fiction is so powerful, and draws attention to a practice that few people know about now.
Looking at what must have been horrifying in a religious age through the lives of the central characters, it is amazing how well the author has balanced creativity and research into one spectacular novel. Even the difficult pages were wonderful to read, and I found myself whizzing through the book. My highest recommendations come with this.

This is quite an unusual book, unlike any of the Tudor-based fiction I have read before. I had not heard of sin eaters, although apparently this was a custom then for women to eat food on the death of a person in order to expatiate their sins.

The language used is very unusual (although I did pick up American influences occasionally). I had never heard of historical characters given such odd names, or God being referred to solely as the Maker, but it was believable. It was fun identifying the various characters from her descriptions.

Overall it is an interesting tale, with the sin eater's quest to discover who is threatening the queen and to right the miscarriage of justice perpetrated on her predecessor. It was also nice to see a book written from the perspective of a very ordinary person.

I enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan and Mantle for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such an interesting premise this book! I have always been fascinated with the stories of Sin Eaters. I adored the Heath Ledger film on the same subject so was interested in this take from Megan Campisi.

This story takes place in Elizabethan England though not quite as we know it. The stories are the same with the royals but their names are slightly different.

May is a young girl who has fallen on hard times after the passing of her father. She steals a loaf of bread and is caught and arrested. While waiting her sentence with other young women and girls, she is passed over for being sentenced. She waits as more girls leave and new ones arrived until one day her sentence is passed. She is to become a Sin Eater.

Sin Eaters in this story are always women. They are branded on their tongue with a tattoo of the letter ‘S’ and a brass collar is locked into their neck bearing the same letter. They are forever marked and will be forever shunned. Forced to live secluded, mute lives, take no lovers or bear children and forced to take on the sins of everyone they are called to. It’s a terrible sentence.

With May now the new Sin Eater, she is shunned as people believe her to be a bad omen, with nowhere to go, she finds herself at the doorstep of the current Sin Eater from whom she must learn her craft. Each sin is equal to a food which has to be consumed by the Sin Eater to take that sin away from the dying.

They are called to an eating at the Palace, they are shocked to see a Deer heart on the coffin of the deceased. The Sin Eater refuses to eat the heart as it was not a recited sin. The deer heart symbolises murder. She is taken away and May is told to complete the eating or face being arrested too.

Embroiled in a murder plot at the palace, May finds herself alone after her mentor is killed. She’s weighed down with the burden of solving this puzzle to give peace to her mentor who refused to swallow a lie.

It is a dark macabre and oftentimes quite a hard story to read with how these women are treated. Despite losing her voice, May never loses her spirit and finds a way to persevere.

The ending rocked me, it wasn’t something I was quite expecting but it makes the book all the more better.

An Intriguingly dark novel, full of twists and complications where the measure of your life is weighed by your sins which are to be consumed by those condemned. Brilliant.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy to review.

I requested this book thinking, 'hmm, sounds interesting' but I did not expect it to be, quite frankly, amazing.

This is a sort of dark whimsical feel that I love, I can see why it was compared with Alice in Wonderland but it is this parallel of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary and Christianity. There's supposed witchcraft, there's faith, and there's the Sin Eater.

The job of the sin eater is to take on the sins physically through food and in the eyes of the Maker so that those dying and dead can return to the Maker's side while the sin eater, always a she, is at the right hand of Eve. Sometimes though if the sin eater does all that is asked of her, she's able to rise up to the Maker as well. But, when the newest sin eater is left without her mentor and forced to unravel a mystery at the heart of the Queen's reign, being a sin eater is far more dangerous than it has ever been.

I loved our sin eater, she's young, determined and so vulnerable and human. I loved watching her struggle and continuously try to overcome everything put against her.

The story gives a long hard look at a job that is necessary and goes unspoken of, like so many jobs today, and the story of women and those on the outskirts of society.

I adored Campisi's writing style and her story is one that I would love to get lost in several more times, the sin eater was a superb read for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 5/5 cups of coffee from me!

Unusual title and unusual story, May very young child really at the tender age of 14yrs steals a loaf of bread because she is poor and hungry and then arrested for her crime along with a lot of other young beings. When her sentence is to be heard they don't get a lawyer to speak for them so the sentence is handed down to them and for May her sentence is to become a Sin Eater a person who absolves and takes on the sins of the dying so that they go towards the heavens. She not only has a collar around her neck with an S sign she also gets her tongue tattooed with an S, and each type of sin is taken in the form of different foods, at least this way she gets to eat, but it not always that simple she has no one to talk to and is shunned unless asked for an eating, and one place she does not like going is the castle where the reigning queen is very temperamental, but when called upon she keeps her head down and does her job, only to find she is going there too often so something is amiss. The author has done a good job on this unusual novel, in itself is a good interesting storyline, good customer build and well written although I did finish it I did struggle as I now realize that it really is not my preferred genre but different nonetheless. Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for a copy of this novel to read and I have given an honest opinion.

A richly woven tapestry of mystery, deception, and belonging in a gripping coming-of-age story.

I rarely branch out of my comfort zone to read fantasy books but I gave this one a go because it had historical elements that I thought would root it into realism. It ended up being a perfect mix and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

In a fit of desperation, May steals a loaf of bread to alleviate some of her aching hunger. She's immediately caught and sentenced to become a sin eater. Apprenticed to an elder sin eater, May must listen to the dying confess their sins and then absolve them after death, where she will consume each sin represented by a different type of food. When a non-confessed food is laid on the coffin of the Queen's governess, the elder sin eater refuses to eat and is thrown in the dungeons. Though new to the role, May knows something suspicious is happening in the underbelly of the castle and is determined to solve the mystery. But at what price?

There was so much about this book that I loved. I loved all the context surrounding sin eating as it was something I'd never heard of before. It was such a brilliant premise for the book and central to the events that unfolded.

There were some parts that I wasn't sure I understood but then everything came together and explained away any questions I had. I didn't guess any of the plot twists and thought they were very well executed.

The readability was a little stunted at times for me which I think was a mixture of archaic language (intentional to reflect the era), multiple characters, and quite a lot going on.

Although there were a lot of characters, I felt each played a pivotal role in the story. It was confusing at times when May referred to some as a nickname (Black Fingers, Country Mouse, Painted Pig, etc.) but I felt that this made a strong distinction between the highborn and the everyfolk.

The ending really swayed everything for me. It's been so long since I read a book where I loved the ending. Although it wasn't what I was expecting, I thought it was the perfect way for the book to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Campisi’s unusual first novel is based around the historical concept of sin eating: the idea that a person close to death could call on a ‘Sin Eater’ to spiritually take on their sins. The dying person would do this by confessing to the Sin Eater, who would then consume a ritual meal consisting of a different type of food to represent each transgression. As you can imagine, this is not a pleasant job and certainly not something most people would want to do…but May Owens, the fourteen-year-old narrator of the novel, has no choice in the matter. After being arrested for stealing a loaf of bread, she is sentenced to live as a Sin Eater for the rest of her life.

With that sentence, everything changes for May. Overnight, she has become a social outcast. She is exiled to live alone on the edge of town and is forbidden to speak or be spoken to, except when listening to a confession. The heavy brass collar she is forced to wear around her neck, marked with an ‘S’, identifies her as someone to be avoided at all costs. It’s a lonely and miserable life, but May is a strong and resilient person and tries to carry out her work to the best of her ability.

Early in the novel, May accompanies another Sin Eater to the royal court to hear the deathbed confession of one of the Queen’s ladies. However, when the ritual meal is prepared, an extra item of food – the heart of a deer – is included, although it does not represent any of the sins confessed by the lady. What does the heart mean and who put it there? When another courtier falls ill and the same thing happens again, May decides to investigate.

By now you’re probably wondering about the time period in which this story is set. Well, it’s Elizabethan England – but not quite. Instead of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Bethany is on the throne, and her half-sister – the previous queen – was not Mary, but Maris. Bethany’s father did have six wives, but he was Harold II rather than Henry VIII. God is The Maker and England is Angland.

Megan Campisi states in her author’s note that the story is ‘spun out of fantasy’ and I can understand that using a fictitious setting rather than a real one would have given her more freedom to tell the story without needing to stick too closely to historical fact. It also gives the novel a bit of a fairy tale feel, as does the way most of the other characters are referred to not by names but by nicknames such as ‘Country Mouse’, ‘Willow Tree’ or ‘Fair Hair’. Sadly, though, I didn’t think any of these intriguing-sounding secondary characters really came to life; May herself was the only one who felt believable. And I’m afraid I found the thinly-disguised parallels with the Elizabethan court irritating; I think the story would have worked just as well set either at the real Elizabethan court or in an entirely fictional world.

Despite not enjoying this book as much as I’d hoped to, I do think the concept was fascinating and I can honestly say that I’ve never read anything quite like it!

I loved the historical aspect of this story, set in a fictional version of Queen Elizabeth I's reign we follow May a 14 year old girl who is sentenced for a minor crime to become a sin eater and then discovers a much more intricate and serious crime is being committed inside the Palace.

I thought the sin eater aspect of this was fascinating - all sins that could be committed in a lifetime are assigned a food, before dying you recite your sins, the sin eater eats the corresponding food and takes on your sins to allow you to get into heaven.

The motley crew of characters who gave May some company throughout the book added humour and life to an otherwise bleak future for her and I hope after the way it was left open at the end that we will be seeing a sequel.

As with Elizabethan history and fiction this one is gruesome and gory in parts but nothing not in keeping with history.

The Sin Eater is a fantastic concept – set in an alternate 16th century history which has ties and nods to real life but will still appease fantasy readers. The whole idea of having Sins tied to different foods and them being confessed on deathbed and eaten by a woman who is seen as a pariah is a strong one and the world building is top rate. I had no idea until I sat down to write this review that this was actually a real-life historical Welsh practice and I applaud the author for taking a real piece of history, exploring it in detail and bringing it to the attention of a contemporary reader. I would have perhaps liked a little more explanation on the foods and why certain foods were picked but as May is quite new to the practice this gap in the knowledge is in keeping with her character.

May is a great character with a few odd quirks – as she is mute for most of the book, the author has found a good way to convey her feelings and question her surroundings. She has a tendency to ask questions to inanimate objects and imagine their replies which works well. She also gives nicknames to certain characters instead of using their names which does work well on occasion but I must admit I did get a little lost when the main ‘whodunnit’ style of plot was explored as there is less consistency on who characters are. The plot is good in theory as a serial killer murders members of court and plants food at their confessional eating to frame them for crimes. However in execution I found it a little confusing and I actually wanted to explore more of the job itself and May’s backstory rather than the events unfolding around the over-arching theme. I would love another instalment of May’s adventures but this is very much a standalone book with a contained ending.

Overall The Sin Eater is a fantastic concept that has stayed with me after reading - highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan – Mantle for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.