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inkandplasma 's review for:
The Sin Eater
by Megan Campisi
Full review on August 24: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/08/24/the-sin-eater-by-megan-campisi-review/
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Mantle for the review copy of this book, it has not affected my honest review.
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.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Mantle for the review copy of this book, it has not affected my honest review.
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.