Book Review: Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

This was a rather depressing but surprisingly engaging and extraordinarily well-written story. Yes, I know that’s a LOT of descriptors, but the book warrants them. Campisi has crafted an exceptionally detailed world that riffs off of Elizabethan England but with just enough off-kilter-ness to keep you unbalanced – a position that suits the tale to a tee.

The book is weighty and hardly a light-hearted romp – it’s a heavy story, as solid as the eponymous original Sin Eater herself. I occasionally had to set it down and come back to it, despite the marvelous writing – or perhaps because of it… The descriptions were so evocative and spot-on that I fell utterly and completely (more descriptors) into this one, and it’s not a cheerful tale. What it is, rather, is a gorgeous, lush mystery full of compelling characters and marvelous scene-setting.

It wasn’t an easy read but it was a delightful one, full of surprises and references that made it a rich and engaging read from start to finish. Megan Campisi is definitely on my watch list now!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.