Sin Eater

The Sin Eater is a historical fiction book set around the 16th century in England. For some reason I don't catch myself reading books set during that time period so this was a welcome change of scenery. Sin eating as a concept is a real life occurrence, apparently in multiple cultures as well. This book takes that concept and expands upon it by assigning different meals for each type of sin and by increasing the cultural significance of sin eaters. People must not speak to them unless they're on their deathbed, they're not allowed to look at them, sin eaters are treated as a curse and they must not speak. The main character, May, is thrust upon her new life calling as a sin eater after being caught for stealing bread. She's only 14 and was recently orphaned. Honestly reading through the book and imagining it happening to a child was a bit depressing as she gets shunned by society and people she had known her whole life. Quickly May's job takes her to the queens court where she ends up discovering a conspiracy. After that the book focuses a lot on her uncovering the mystery and less on her duties as a sin eater. While I was interested in the whole mystery aspect I honestly would have preferred to see more of the sin-eating life than we were shown. Regardless, I think it was a nice and quick read.