Welcome to Litsy!

Mary Owens, a fourteen year old girl has been imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. The magistrate imposes a life sentence serving as a sin eater. Visiting the dying she, and her ilk, hear the confessions of the dying, returning to eat the foods that represent their sins, taking them into her soul. In short, sin eaters are damned. An interesting story, with a lot of plot holes. Described as a stand alone novel, the story needs a sequel.

These are just a few books from my #apriltbr
I'm waiting on some to get delivered and some are on my kindle. This month's goal is 8 books:
-One Look (w/#probablysmutbookclub )
-Cults (w/#truecrimebookclub )
-The Sin Eater (buddy read w/ @booksallthebooks -IG-)
-The Last Housewife (w/#thebookstabookclub )
-Hunting Adeline
-The Coven
-Finish Vicious Lost Boys series (1.5 books to go)
#readinggoals #truecrime #smutreadersunite #readwhateveryouwant

This was a book club choice. I liked it more than I expected to for a book I didn‘t choose — but I still have complaints. I thought May‘s character seemed uneven: sometimes simple-minded (not just uneducated but oddly juvenile) & sometimes clever, keen, & resourceful. I also didn‘t get totally invested in the mystery/politics of the Queen‘s court. But it read quickly & the concept of “sin-eating” (expanded from an historical truth) is fascinating!

📣 PSA: It‘s still Summer!

1st book of #20in4 done (though I only had a few chapters left). Absolutely stunning, & surprised this book doesn‘t have more hype. Set in a fictional version of 16th Century England, May is punished for stealing bread by having to live her life as a Sin Eater— someone who eats food that symbolizes the sins of the dying. Powerful, beautiful, & a rare historic piece where the protag fits with the era, as opposed to being modernized. All the stars!

Set in an alternate 16th century England, this novel follows a young girl sentenced to be a sin eater for stealing bread (yes, very Les Mis). An outcast to society, her circumstances appear dire but then she uncovers a dangerous royal plot and begins to realize the power she wields by being someone everyone fears to see, hear, or touch. A really fascinating and enjoyable historical fiction novel.

This one was very dark, written well and had a very clever plot but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, it's still a 3/5 Pick though! 💫💫💫

Full review ⤵️
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/93434926-michael-theneverendingtbr

Historical fantasy, dark and compelling. Sin eaters eat foods symbolizing each of the sins of the deceased in a ritual so that the deceased can be spiritually cleansed. Young and orphaned May steals a loaf of bread and is sentenced to become a sin eater. Her mentor refuses to eat a false sin, and is killed. May is caught up in dangerous court intrigue as she attempts to uncover hidden secrets. Devoured in one sitting!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I listened to this one. I am left with a mixture of what did I just read and I need more. This is historical fiction mixed with fantasy. BRAVO to the author. I couldn‘t put it down!!! #LitsyLove

Kindle‘s don‘t always make for beautiful photos, but South African winters do. Almost finished Sin Eater by Megan Campisi. One of those books where you should completely ignore the publisher‘s blurb because it is completely misleading and nonsensical.

I‘ve done my best to avoid leaving my house since mid-March. Even seeing bookstores reopen hasn‘t been enough to get me out, but to try to counteract the anxiety that just thinking about being around people is causing, I went to B&N. Despite everyone wearing masks and doing a decent job of social distancing, I couldn‘t stay long. So much panic. But, new books! So, yay?

Look at these covers! 😍😍

I can't wait to read these! 😁

Peaches for reading, limes for envy...
Megan Campisi takes the historical concept of a sin-eater and applies it to a pseudo historical setting where only the Sin Eater knows that people are dying near the Queen, and she might be the only person who can figure it out.⤵️

This was SUCH an interesting read! Based on the true existence of sin eaters, it is a very intriguing topic. The writing was wonderful & effectively evoked the time setting of the narrative, which was both impressive & endearing. The parallels to Tudor England were fun & enjoyable. Transitions were a bit rough & a slower pace could have been helpful, but the story flowed well & I found myself not wanting to put the book down.

A heartwarming tale about 14 year old May Owens. A poor, uneducated street girl who gets sentenced to life as a sin eater after she is caught stealing a loaf of bread. Apprenticed to another sin eater, May must learn this lonely trade. When the elder sin eater fails to perform her duties as assigned, May steps in as the lone sin eater and she vows to solve the mystery behind the elder sin eater‘s refusal to eat one woman‘s sin.

This was really great. I think it loses some momentum towards the end, but the world and mystery was a lot of fun. Now I just want to try to find more information on Sin Eaters.

I‘ve been patiently waiting for this one and wish I could just read all night instead of just getting a taste before bed.

This started out pretty strong, but the story and mystery weren‘t enough to really keep my attention. I don‘t know if it is the book, or if it is timing, but it is what it is 🤷‍♀️

This was intense, and not for those with an low gag reflex! In a society where a chosen woman hears confessions of the dying and has to eat the food representing each associated sin upon their death. The new sin eater uncovers a murder conspiracy based on the sins she hears. I enjoyed it this one, kept me guessing a bit!

“the closeness of our space will someday become a closeness of our spirit.”

Loved this book!

Compelling story of a young woman forced to become a Sin Eater as punishment for theft. Part conspiracy thriller, murder mystery and part commentary on power, and what it means to be feared or “undesireable”. The ending felt all at once toO quickly wrapped up and open ended that makes be think there might be a continuation of the story. Overall a great read.

#Scribd took back my audio borrow of the tagged book and two others 😫 I need to wait until May 4 to borrow again 🤷🏼‍♀️

Thank you #scribd This one sounds fantastic and I‘m getting @TrishB and @KarenUK vibes I‘m thinking print might be a better way to go...narration is wonderful but I really need to pay attention and there‘s a family tree which I obviously can‘t see😜

Sunday morning reads....

Still working my way through a backlog of ARCs

#currentlyreading

Perfect time to head to Crime - the feeling of knowing you‘re going to get a conclusion is very comforting!

I‘m intrigued by the Sin Eaters (see tagged book) - see anything you fancy?

https://crimereads.com/10-books-you-should-read-this-april/

A creepy, intriguing story that's a mix between historical fiction & dystopia. Main character, May, has gotten caught stealing bread to keep herself from starving. In turn, she's sentenced to become the town's new Sin Eater, having to learn the trade and get used to being treated as a curse. When she's called to the Queen's residence to take on the sins of a dying chambermaid, her life starts to take another unexpected turn.

Stay at home day number...whatever. A homemade cake (don‘t look too close it‘s not that pretty) & probably my favorite Historical Fiction/Fantasy of the year— Sin Eater by Megan Campisi. I knew of the idea of Sin Eaters but i knew nothing about them. I‘m slowly chewing up the pages because i don‘t want the story to end.
• thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and Ms. Campisi for giving me the opportunity to read this book in lieu of my honest review.

Holy cow, I loved this book so much!!! It's perfect for you if you love historical fiction with some court intrigue and mystery!!

My full review will post to my blog on 4/2/20.
https://shejustlovesbooks.com/

Wow! This was so good! #atriabooks #sineater