Bookseller Reviews
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‘A selection from a compendium of diverse sins’
It’s the duty of a Sin eater to hear the final confessions from the dying and eat their sins as a funeral rite.
Every town has a Sin eater but, tainted by ... READ MORE
Elizabethan England..but not as you know it!
Set in an alternate 16th century England, Queen Bethany is on the throne and 14 year old May Owens finds herself orphaned and alone. Unfortunately for May ... READ MORE
really enjoyable
I really enjoyed this novel.
The book is set in an alternative version of Elizabethan England with twists on names but very much based in actual events su... READ MORE
Synopsis
An old adage says there are really only two stories: a man goes on a voyage, and a stranger arrives in town. This is the third: a woman breaks the rules . . .
Can you uncover the truth when you're forbidden from speaking it?
A Sin Eater's duty is a necessary evil: she hears the confessions of the dying, eats their sins as a funeral rite. Stained by these sins, she is shunned and silenced, doomed to live in exile at the edge of town.
Recently orphaned May Owens is just fourteen, only concerned with where her next meal is coming from. When she's arrested for stealing a loaf of bread, however, and subsequently sentenced to become a Sin Eater, finding food is suddenly the last of her worries.
It's a devastating sentence, but May's new invisibility opens new doors. And when first one then two of the Queen's courtiers suddenly grow ill, May hears their deathbed confessions - and begins to investigate a terrible rumour that is only whispered of amid palace corridors.
Set in a thinly disguised sixteenth-century England, Megan Campisi's The Sin Eater is a wonderfully rich story of treason and treachery; of women, of power, and the strange freedom that comes from being an outcast - because, as May learns, being a nobody sometimes counts for everything . . .
Publisher information
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- ISBN: 9781529019063
- Number of pages: 368
- Dimensions: 222 x 143 x 38 mm
- Weight: 478g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allTainted by sin
This immersive novel is anchored in historical detail. Driving a narrative that shimmers with insight. Secrets in the royal household. Bound by loyalty. Ma... READ MORE
Disappointing and bizarre
This book was not for me.
I really didn't enjoy May as a character and I feel like we didn't get to know the side characters very well.
The plot was ve... READ MORE
Yes!
From the 1600s through to the early years of the 20th Century there were Sin Eaters. When someone was dying or in labour, the Sin Eater would be called to ... READ MORE
Tantalisingly Tudoresque
A fascinating and evocative story about a Tudor-esque girl, ‘May’ who is condemned to become a sin eater: (a funeral ritual, whereby specific foods are pla... READ MORE
Could have been better
I liked the idea this was based on but this just missed the mark for me. The characters weren't there completely and i think it was in the first few chapte... READ MORE
Interesting premise, not fully developed
I was intrigued by the premise of the story, however ultimately found the execution unsatisfying.
The "alternative Tudor" references were, for me, jarrin... READ MORE
Hypnotic Reading
What a fantastic book!
I always find Historical fiction to be fascinating, and this was no different.
Orphan Meg Owen is picked up by the guards for steali... READ MORE
The Sin Eater - Highly recommended
This book is not one I would normally read but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I have never heard of Sin Eaters before and had to Google it to see... READ MORE
Good debut
This story intrigued me. An historical novel, set in an alternative Elizabethan age, in which our protagonist May finds herself a Sin Eater. These are woma... READ MORE
A Dark and Gritty Life
Fascinated by sin eaters since I came across them in literature years back, this book was not a disappointment. Do not expect a “fantasy” book that boasts ... READ MORE
I want more
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advanced copy to review.
I am usually not one for Historical Novels - my experience of working with historical... READ MORE
Alterative historical mystery with an appealing heroine
Set in an alternative reality based on Elizabethan England, this tells the story of Meg who is forced to become a 'sin eater', eating foods that represent ... READ MORE
An alternate history of Elizabethan England
An alternate history of Elizabethan England, whereby English history is turned slightly on its head and pushed into a dystopian novel? Yes please!
The tho... READ MORE
Intrigued by Sin Eaters
This story intrigued me. An historical novel, set in an alternative Elizabethan age, in which our protagonist May finds herself a Sin Eater. These are woma... READ MORE
A Compelling Read
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 w... READ MORE
A magical and disturbing tale.
A magical and at times disturbing tale of 16th century England. The character of May developed through the story to give an insight to the often cruel and ... READ MORE
Intriguing historical fiction
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
The sin eater walks among us. I studied history and taught it, so how did I not know about sin eaters?? It’s the reign of Quee... READ MORE
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 ... READ MORE
Food for Thought.
It's rare for me to dabble in historic fiction, but the premise of the Sin Eater was so strong that I couldn't resist and I was not disappointed.
May is c... READ MORE
The story gives a long hard look at a job that is necessary and goes unspoken of
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 tha... READ MORE
Unique
A Sin Eater's duty is a necessary evil: she hears the final private confessions of the dying, eats their sins as a funeral rite, and so guarantees their so... READ MORE
A dark, visceral mystery
The Sin Eater started off with such an interesting premise and had me hooked right from the beginning - I raced through the entire thing in one sitting. Wh... READ MORE
Stunning Read
Wow! This is an exceptional piece of writing. From the first word to the last, I was riveted to the page. Clearly set in the UK during the reign of the fir... READ MORE
Lively and colourful
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
The sin eater walks among us. I studied history and taught it, so how did I not know about sin eaters?? It’s the reign of Quee... READ MORE
Unique and gruesome
I had never come across the concept of sin-eating before, so looked it up after I had read the book. Megan Campisi takes the idea and puts it in to a fanta... READ MORE
Thought provoking, dark, fiction rooted disturbingly in reality..
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
"The Sin Eater walks among us, unseen, unheard
Sins of our flesh become sins of... READ MORE
Bleak and fascinating
The Sin Eater is a bleak and fascinating glimpse into Elizabethan England. May Owens in branded as a Sin Eater after stealing some bread, and is condemned ... READ MORE
A brilliant and entertaining book, one that I really didn't want to end!
May Owens is a young orphan girl who steals some bread. Her story is set in a fantasy age which has many parallels to the Tudor times. Her punishment is to... READ MORE
Clever, fascinating and plausible!
This is a fantastic read. At first I was dislocated, insure of the setting and the various characters but quickly settled into an era post-Henry VIII with ... READ MORE
A magical and disturbing tale.
A magical and at times disturbing tale of 16th century England. The character of May developed through the story to give an insight into the often cruel an... READ MORE
Unique story
The first version I had of this book was really difficult to read (parts of the text kept being repeated) so I downloaded it again and thankfully it had be... READ MORE
Loved this from the start to finish
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 mea... READ MORE
The sin eater eats your sins when you die but how does this lead to danger?
May was 14 when she stole a loaf of bread which led to her punishment. She was branded and a collar placed around her neck sealing her role as a Sin Eater.... READ MORE
Stayed with me after reading
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... READ MORE
Bleak and fascinating
The Sin Eater is a bleak and fascinating glimpse into Elizabethan England. May Owens in branded as a Sin Eater after stealing some bread, and is condemned ... READ MORE
One of the best books this year
What a tremendous breath of fresh book air to read!
Newly orphaned May Owens is caught stealing a loaf of bread and her punishment is to become a Sin Eate... READ MORE
Murderous, bloodthirsty and compelling
Sin eaters are real - they consume ritual meals in order to carry the sins of the deceased.
This story documents May, condemned by the brass collar around... READ MORE
Worth sticking with!
When she was fourteen May stole a loaf of bread. As punishment she was branded & fitted with a collar proclaiming her a sin eater. In this time (which is ... READ MORE
Mystery and intrigue, with a few sins as well.
Orphan May is forced to become a Sin Eater, hearing dying confessions of sins and eating the foods designated to absorb the sins of the dead. When extra it... READ MORE
A novel that will resonate with those who have been marginalised
'The Sin Eater,' by Megan Campisi tells the story of May, a 14yr old girl sentenced to act as the towns Sin Eater. In this role she hears the confessions o... READ MORE
A yummy read
To start with I was completely seduced by the book cover. It's so beautiful!!!!! I need a hardback of this book to sit prettily in my bookcase which will ... READ MORE
A fascinating dystopian historical novel
I found this book completely engaging and very interesting. It tells the story of May, a young girl in a thinly veiled version of England in the 1600s who,... READ MORE
Murder most foul
Murder most foul.
May Owens is fourteen and recently orphaned. She’s arrested for stealing a loaf of bread and thrown into prison. She’s never charged fo... READ MORE
Historical fantasy
An interesting story, which didn’t grab me initially, but I returned to it through curiosity of wanting to know how the story ends.
Although the beginning... READ MORE
Completely Engrossing
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 jai... READ MORE
Original
For the crime of stealing bread, fourteen-year-old May receives a life sentence: she must become a Sin Eater—a shunned woman, brutally marked, whose fate i... READ MORE
A unique tale set in an alternative sixteenth century England
‘Can You Uncover the Truth When You’re Forbidden From Speaking It?’ - ‘The Sin Eater’ cover tag line
My thanks to Pan Macmillan-Mantle for an eARC via Ne... READ MORE
Gripping Historical Fiction
‘The Sin Eater’ is dark, gripping historical fiction. Set in an alternative Elizabethan, it follows the story of May, who – for the crime of stealing a loa... READ MORE
great escapist fiction. Recommended
What a great read. The idea of the Sin Eater as an alternative to a final confession and absolution was well executed and well thought out. A great cast of... READ MORE
Loved the language of the story, loved the story, found the people real, enticing and entertaining.
Loved the language of the story, loved the story, found the people real, enticing and entertaining. All in all a thoroughly worthwhile use of time as it ke... READ MORE
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