Loved this book. I was somehow surprised it was an American author but I felt her understanding of past folklore and the importance of heredity for the monarch was extremely well documented.
Great characters especially May and also the inner court of Queen Bethany (Good Queen Bess the Virgin Queen obviously is the influence). Perhaps there was too much emphasis on the dirt and disease of the place although the richness of court and the tapestries lifted the Royal part.
I liked the use of nursery rhymes adapted for the eating of sins and that many like 'Ring a ring of roses' which was chanted around the time of the plague have their origins in past witchcraft and folklore.
"I can't be cursed. I am a curse" says May and yet through the treason and the murder plot she makers her presence of greatness beyond the position in which she finds herself at the start.
Very enjoyable.

May is a Sin Eater - condemned to eat the sins of the dead and walk unseen through life as a pariah. Each sin has its own foodstuff that May must eat and in so doing, she takes on the sins of the other person.

Set in an alternative version of the time of Elizabeth I, this novel deals with poverty and cruelty and the punishments meted out to women who step out of line or deviate from the norm. May opens her house to a variety of odd characters, all outcasts like her who attract society's disgust.

Through eating the sins of a woman at the court of Queen Bethany, May discovers an intrigue - foods suggesting the commission of child murder are included in the fare presented. Her mentor, the former Sin Eater, refused to eat these foods and was imprisoned. May determines to find out the secrets hidden in the language of food.

A combination of alternative history, courtly spite, doomed love and a whodunnit (as well as a what-was-done) The Sin Eater is an unique novel. Combining both gritty reality and elements of the fantastical, it is the perfect book for readers of historical fiction and alternative reality. Characterisation is excellent - unusual characters come to life on the page and the strange world of the novel is easily entered into.

Beautifully written, it holds the attention throughout and, though the end felt a little rushed, it is one of the books I have most enjoyed recently.

The Sin Eater

Recently orphaned fourteen-year-old May Owens steals a loaf of bread and is sentenced to be a Sin Eater.

A Sin Eater is women’s punishment for the sins of Eve; they t live on the fringes of society, speaking to no one; listening to death bed confessions, and eating the sins of the dead. They really did exist in medieval times and it really was a devastating sentence for stealing a loaf of bread.

But, being a Sin Eater opens new doors for May. She gains access to the Royal Palace and hears the sins of one of Queen Bethany’s entourage (Think Elizabeth 1st Royal Court). And surprised that a deer heart is on the coffin of the dead woman. The food of a sin not confessed. Her mentor, the old Sin Eater refuses to eat the food as it was not confessed, and is tortured to death for this refusal. May realises her options and eats the Deer Heart but realises that there is a scandal and intrigue afoot. Who put the Deer Heart on the coffin and why?

May finds herself in a whodunnit, with friends that she picks up on the way helping her. May is a likeable character, she in intelligent and plucky and uses her position on the fringes of society to gain access to her advantage. In fact, when I came to the end of this novel my first thought was, I hope there is going to be second one as it was a good read, and I don’t like leaving it there.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

Set in England in the sixteenth-century social care and a welfare system are hundreds of years away. So when orphaned May is hungry, when hungry really meant that she hadn't eaten anything at all, not just peckish, she stole a loaf of bread. Fourteen-year-old May was captured by the baker's son and put into prison with about 20 other girls, who had committed various crimes, waiting for their fate from the court.
When you know how harsh these sentences are for such crimes it really makes you realise how desperate these young girls are. Some head for the gallows while everyone else is sentenced except May. May is summoned and told that she is to become a sin eater. Sin eaters are the bottom of the pecking pile, shunned and looked down on as vile creatures but everyone needs a sin eater when they were on their death beds. Each of their sins was represented by different foods and as the dying person confessed their sins the foods were left for the sin eater to eat them away. At the front of the book, you can read what sin different foods represented. It is fascinating.
May was marked so that everyone would know what she was. One thing was for sure, she would never be hungry again. She was sent to live with another sin eater to learn the trade. Everyone from the poor to the highest needed to confess their sins. In high places, there were literally secrets to die for.
It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The historical detail of the era is spot on, the attitudes and cruelty of the time shocking. There were punishments that were horrific, lack of care for children sickening and superstitions that people feared. It made for a dark read most of the time but I loved how the story twisted. The second half of the book went from fascinating to jaw-dropping. I loved the historical figures that were in the story and the consequences.
This really is a must-read. Brilliant new author, can't wait to see what else she brings out.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow! Where can I start with this book? It's probably the best book that I have read in a long time, and I am so pleased that I got the opportunity to read it. The premise of this novel, I'm sure it would attract a wide range of readers. The whole book was well written, and I think the author Megan Campisi is a natural at crafting a well-rounded story that hooked me in from the first page. I really look forward to reading more of her work.

I really enjoyed The Sin Eater and I was surprised to read that they actually existed many years ago.This is the story of May ,a fourteen year old orphan who is sentenced to be a Sin Eater for stealing some bread .Set in the 16th century this book is dark ,atmospheric and gripping and also very different to the usual historical reads .I liked May very much, what a dreadful punishment for a young girl !!! I was hoping something good would happen to her .A very enjoyable read .many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

I'm afraid the Kindle ARC of this book came out so badly on my device that I was unable to read it. The chapters were all chopped up and all over the place! But it seemed like an interesting premise.

I was really torn with this one, whether to give it a 3.5 or a 4-star rating. This was a really enjoyable read about women in a barely disguised 16th century England who are made to eat the sins of the dying so they can be freed. It's heavily influenced by history, with characters resembling historical figures (Maris as Mary I, Bethany as Elizabeth I, Harold as Henry VIII, Katryna as Catherine Parr.) One niggling thing is the amount of mistimed and unnecessary giggling being choked back. I got pretty annoyed by that sentence cropping up every ten pages! There was a section in the middle that got a little repetitive and the ending requires a little brainpower to figure out. On the whole, really interesting if you're into character-driven mysteries, witchcraft, and/or historical fiction with a hint of realism.

Set in a fantastical quasi-Elizabethan age heavy with religious unrest, and immersed in superstition and misogyny. May, a 14 year old illiterate orphan guilty of the crime of stealing a loaf of bread, is sentenced to the punishment of serving as sin eater to the town.

The sin eater’s life is a solitary one, shunned by society for fear of curse, May’s new role is to serve the dying by hearing their confession and consuming foods attributed to each sin, thereby receiving upon herself those sins forever. She wears the heavy collar and brand on her tongue, cannot speak unless to the dying and forced to live amongst the other outcasts of society.

‘The Unseen is now seen. The Unheard is now heard. The sins of your flesh become the sins of mine to be borne to my grave in silence. Speak’

Death does not distinguish between wealth or class, and May is called upon to hear confessions of not only the poor, but also those living in the castle where she soon discoverers something is amiss when foods associated with sins not confessed appear on the coffins of the deceased. As sin eater, May has access where most others do not, and in in her search for the truth, she uncovers a web of lies, deceit and ultimately treason. However her outcast status denies her speech or contact with others, May alone must unravel the lies and thwart further treachery.

This is the story of May and her life and unique role in society, rather than a tale of intrigue or mystery. For most of the book May cannot communicate with others, so we see the story through not only her eyes but also her unspoken thoughts which are peppered with archaic words. I was glad to reading on Kindle so as to find quick definitions for some of these, however the language is entirely appropriate and fosters a certain reality in this fanastical setting. Although the story through the middle sections appears at times to repeat, I feel that this serves as a reminder of May’s role; death was constant, as was the fear of death at times such as childbirth, and she had little respite from demand for her services.

I enjoyed this novel, it combined the right balance of ‘history’, intrigue and with some twists and turns, makes for a satisfying read. Many thanks to Net Galley, Atria Books and Megan Campisi for allowing me to read and review this book.

I am giving this book three stars for the promise of what seems like a wonderfully fascinating book, however due to the early, seemingly unedited copy that I received, I was unable to read or follow it properly. I will almost certainly obtain a copy once it has been published and edit my review upon reading as I have greatly anticipated this title.

I couldn't get into this book, however much I tried. The premise was certainly interesting but I found the build-up to be lacking.

The Sin Eater is delicious. Yum yum in my tum. It is the story of May Owens, set in a tweaked Elizabethan England where the virgin queen Bethany (who is and absolute monster) is on the throne and there’s all sorts of devious going’s in at court. May, an approximately fourteen year old orphan, is arrested for stealing some bread (shout out for Les Mis) and due to a vindictive bureaucrat (for reasons that become clear later) sentences May to become the sin eater. These women, who are not allowed to speak or be acknowledged in any way less they taunt you with their sin, visit the dying who confess their sins the appropriate food is allocated to each sin and when the person dies the sin eater eats the food and takes on the sin themselves so that the death may go on to paradise. A pretty raw deal. Through the confessions May stumbles upon a murderess plot at court that threatens the queen herself and determines to find the answers.
Told in first person the reader scrambles for bits of information about the mystery but also about May herself. She is never clearly defined and this is perhaps because she doesn’t know who she is either. She try’s to be like her good father, she tries to be like her cunning mother and finds neither are right for her. As she investigates the happens at court more through accident than by design she begins to come of age.
The language of the book suits the period it is set in being both lush and grotesque like the Sin Eater themselves. There is an overuse of the word mayhap (I hate the word mayhap! Stop using it!) and a few americanisms creep in I can let it slide since it’s alt-history. Also ‘fug’ Is used both as a curse word and how it’s normally used which was weird.
There are a few loose ends as the book comes to a close and I would be more than happy to read about May’s further adventures as a sin eater.

I loved the idea of this book. My copy was however badly edited. The story itself was repetitive but still interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Sadly due to the numerous typographical and formatting errors contained within this ARC, it has not been possible for me to give a proper review as I would like. The book has such promise and I hope it is as good as the blurb. I will possibly try to read it at publication stage.

This is a dark and sinister story that grips you from the start. The twists and turns of fate for May, the young girl who finds herself at the centre of some pretty unsavoury stories, are horrific and endearing as she repeatedly twists and turns to keep herself sane and also alive.

The idea of a sin-eater is a fascinating one, of someone forced to take on others' sins before they die, and the opportunities to weave stories around this are many. Megan Campesi does this with skill and style, with a readable book that has well-drawn sympathetic characters and a satisfying resolution.

I received this ARC for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Megan Campisi, Mantle and Pan Macmillan for accepting my request to review!

In The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi we follow the life of May Owens in sixteenth century England. After her parents death she is left to fend for herself. One day she is caught stealing a loaf of bread and sentenced to become a sin eater. Cursed to forever eat the sins of those on their deathbed, everyone scared of her touch and forbidden to speak outside of her duties. She gets swept up in a conspiracy in the Queen's court and is the only one who can investigate what is really happening.

Sin eating is a ritual based on what existed in England until roughly a century ago. A sin eater was a person who consumed a ritual meal in order to spiritually take on the sins of a deceased person. The food was believed to absorb the sins and absolve the soul of a person. This book really inspired me to research and learn even more about this strange custom as the only time I had ever heard of a sin eater was during an episode of Lucifer and it was so interesting. I found that there have been many instances of sin eaters throughout history and religion. I wish this was taught in our history classes!

May was a really fun character to read - she's talkative, smart and it's sad to see all of this taken away from her as she becomes a sin eater. Throughout the book I kept forgetting just how young she was, her whole childhood was stolen from her. Before being sentenced, she was always worried about being a 'good girl' and doing what she was told, it was great to see her eventually reject the antiquated gender roles that were forced on her and decide to do whatever she wants. If she's going to be carrying everybody else's sins she may as well add some of her own. It's ironic that her prison has allowed her to be able to relish in a newfound sense of freedom. Plus, a great bonus to now being a social pariah means that it is easier for her to sneak about unnoticed.

I really enjoyed the parallels with English history all throughout the book. The references to King Henry VIII and the struggles between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots were all really well done as well as the war between Catholics and Protestants. This was a really fascinating time in England and mixed with the fiction from this book it made a terrific read!

The Sin Eater was a really entertaining and clever story and I loved reading every minute of it!

I really enjoyed the narrative of this book and the subtle yet beautiful prose. The way she used her freedom was very moving as well as her strength and resolve. Just my kind of historical novel!

The Sin Eater - Megan Campisi

Set in the 16th century a young girl of 14 years old is punished for a small crime she committed.  Where others from her jail cell are sentenced to be tortured or hanged, May is given the worst punishment of them all, to be cast as a Sin Eater. 

May's whole life has fell apart.  She has lost both her Mother and Father and now she is banished from the only home she has ever known.  Things just go from bad to worse when the townsfolk no longer make her welcome, as being a Sin Eater comes with fear and dread from those around.  A Sin Eater must be unseen and unheard until by the deathbed of a sinner where they can then recite and devour their sins.

Although the facts aren't exactly accurate as to what a Sin Eater would eat and what sin it represents (the general being just bread and this being placed on the deceased chest) this makes the novel a whole lot more of an interesting read.
This is a remarkably fascinating journey of a frightened young girl and the ordeals she must now endure, to becoming a strong heroine.

But this journey just keeps getting better as May is also given insight in to the medieval royal going-ons. Chuck in a royal scandal and a murder or two and voilla, you also have your classic 'Who Dunnit?'

I enjoyed how Megan Campisi portrayed May.  You got a really good idea of how life would be walking in her shoes,  what she was going through, how she was feeling and how she dealt with certain situations.  What genuinely made me fall in love with this book is how Megan writes seamlessly. I adored how she also names the characters as May sees them, with the likes of Country Mouse and Black Fingers and in my mind you could just envision these characters as real people.
This is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2020 so far, and It completely engrossed me from beginning to end.

Thankyou to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review.

The Sin Eater is historical fiction with a fantastic premise and an intriguing central mystery. The protagonist, May, has a strong voice, and I found her teenage moodswings believeable and endearing - it made her experience as a sin eater feel far more real. The prose is eloquent, distinctive without being overly poetic.

The murder mystery element should have made for a gripping plot, but I found this was sometimes undermined by weaknesses in the structure. The storytelling is quite repetitive, and at times it lacked the forward momentum you really need for a detective story. Some of the important reveals were harried and lost emotional impact. In places, the prose needed to be pared back a little to let the story shine.

The Sin Eater feels like a debut novel, but one with plenty of promise.

Well written, historical fiction with a touch of magic

This book is dark and keeps you reading from page one

Touches the real history behind the sin eaters as well

Characters are strong and believable,

A truly fantastic read