by Megan Campisi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars. Some great lines and moments; but the mystery plot was convoluted and I felt like I had no chance to guess the answer. Additionally I cannot figure out how this relates, at all, to Alice in Wonderland (as per the blurb)? There is no 'other world', no 'falling', or any bizarre creatures. There is a queen, and a clear hierarchical society; but nothing that would have ever made me think of Alice in Wonderland. All that said it wasn't a bad book; Sin Eater just didn't feel quite complete to me.
Food and Mood
The best part of Sin Eater is its overall disturbing and creepy themes. Right from the first chapter we are introduced to what a Sin Eater is, and our lead gal becomes one. As a Sin Eater she meets with people near death or their families post death and eats specific foods depending on their sins (so that they can move to heaven free of sin). Some of these foods are no big deal like nuts, seeds, etc. And others are fairly disturbing, including hearts of many animals that symbolize certain types of murder. The Sin Eater walks around town and no one wants anything to do with her (of course the Sin Eater is always a woman...), yet they appreciate her upon death. A great irony that the thing they hate is their ultimate salvation.
Plot
It takes about 100 pages for real plot (outside surviving) starts to emerge. Sadly this plot is where the book goes downhill. It's convoluted, confusing, and ultimately I didn't feel like I had a single chance to guess the outcome. I wasn't shocked or amazed at the reveal of our mystery in the end. Instead I was annoyed that, as the reader, I was never given enough information to unravel the story myself. This generally means that the reader wasn't a part of the considerations the author made when writing the book. A huge mistake, obviously, as the reader is an interactive part of the plot that matters the most. I want to feel a part of the events, emotions, and outcomes; in Sin Eater I felt like I was barely along for the ride.
Conundrums and Morals
All that said, there are some absolutely wonderful lines and thoughts or predicaments to consider in Sin Eater. Campisi has given us a Margaret Atwood dystopian set-up that allows us to consider many aspects of society and the types of decisions people are put in on an ongoing basis. Perhaps the most important being that of the 'privilege' of being Sin Eater. You will be hated and shunned by the community; but never ever starve. As much of the town is starving to death food is a luxury to many and so being Sin Eater does ensure you will have enough to eat. You may not like what you are eating or the way it is presented; but alas beggars can't be chooser's I suppose...
Religion or a belief system certainly plays a part in the choices our lead gal and others make. As they believe in a deity of sorts and the idea of Sin. For our heroine this means that she is stuck in a rock and hard place. Often she is found to be making a choice between doing what god wants her to (given the set-up belief system) and what she needs to do in order to stay alive. The sad part being that it never occurs to her that her belief system is wrong; or that the people around her are lying. Her innocence as Sin Eater is vastly contrasted by the situations a Sin Eater is bound to find themselves in. This is all very clever and fits in well with the overall darkness of the setting.
"Mayhap freedom is choosing for yourself. Even if the choices are piss-poor."
Overall
I want to say that I loved this. And in ways I did. I adore the concept, the setting and the characters. And sometimes that's enough; but in this case the plot was in the way of so many parts of the story and with it's overly complicated reveal I just felt like I wasn't really 'in' the story the way I wanted to be. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this; but I'm not sure that I would recommend it. Likely I would comment on it if asked but perhaps that's about as far as I might go to ever highlight it again.
I will say however that I am excited to read more from Campisi. Certainly she has the types of dark thoughts and ideas that parallel my own and she's not afraid to put her characters in unwinnable situations. Campisi needs some help with setting a plot barrier that not only makes sense but isn't too complicated for the average person to read. If that improvement is made I believe she could be a writer to rival some of the great YA/teen dark fantasy fiction writers.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars. Some great lines and moments; but the mystery plot was convoluted and I felt like I had no chance to guess the answer. Additionally I cannot figure out how this relates, at all, to Alice in Wonderland (as per the blurb)? There is no 'other world', no 'falling', or any bizarre creatures. There is a queen, and a clear hierarchical society; but nothing that would have ever made me think of Alice in Wonderland. All that said it wasn't a bad book; Sin Eater just didn't feel quite complete to me.
Food and Mood
The best part of Sin Eater is its overall disturbing and creepy themes. Right from the first chapter we are introduced to what a Sin Eater is, and our lead gal becomes one. As a Sin Eater she meets with people near death or their families post death and eats specific foods depending on their sins (so that they can move to heaven free of sin). Some of these foods are no big deal like nuts, seeds, etc. And others are fairly disturbing, including hearts of many animals that symbolize certain types of murder. The Sin Eater walks around town and no one wants anything to do with her (of course the Sin Eater is always a woman...), yet they appreciate her upon death. A great irony that the thing they hate is their ultimate salvation.
Plot
It takes about 100 pages for real plot (outside surviving) starts to emerge. Sadly this plot is where the book goes downhill. It's convoluted, confusing, and ultimately I didn't feel like I had a single chance to guess the outcome. I wasn't shocked or amazed at the reveal of our mystery in the end. Instead I was annoyed that, as the reader, I was never given enough information to unravel the story myself. This generally means that the reader wasn't a part of the considerations the author made when writing the book. A huge mistake, obviously, as the reader is an interactive part of the plot that matters the most. I want to feel a part of the events, emotions, and outcomes; in Sin Eater I felt like I was barely along for the ride.
Conundrums and Morals
All that said, there are some absolutely wonderful lines and thoughts or predicaments to consider in Sin Eater. Campisi has given us a Margaret Atwood dystopian set-up that allows us to consider many aspects of society and the types of decisions people are put in on an ongoing basis. Perhaps the most important being that of the 'privilege' of being Sin Eater. You will be hated and shunned by the community; but never ever starve. As much of the town is starving to death food is a luxury to many and so being Sin Eater does ensure you will have enough to eat. You may not like what you are eating or the way it is presented; but alas beggars can't be chooser's I suppose...
Religion or a belief system certainly plays a part in the choices our lead gal and others make. As they believe in a deity of sorts and the idea of Sin. For our heroine this means that she is stuck in a rock and hard place. Often she is found to be making a choice between doing what god wants her to (given the set-up belief system) and what she needs to do in order to stay alive. The sad part being that it never occurs to her that her belief system is wrong; or that the people around her are lying. Her innocence as Sin Eater is vastly contrasted by the situations a Sin Eater is bound to find themselves in. This is all very clever and fits in well with the overall darkness of the setting.
"Mayhap freedom is choosing for yourself. Even if the choices are piss-poor."
Overall
I want to say that I loved this. And in ways I did. I adore the concept, the setting and the characters. And sometimes that's enough; but in this case the plot was in the way of so many parts of the story and with it's overly complicated reveal I just felt like I wasn't really 'in' the story the way I wanted to be. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this; but I'm not sure that I would recommend it. Likely I would comment on it if asked but perhaps that's about as far as I might go to ever highlight it again.
I will say however that I am excited to read more from Campisi. Certainly she has the types of dark thoughts and ideas that parallel my own and she's not afraid to put her characters in unwinnable situations. Campisi needs some help with setting a plot barrier that not only makes sense but isn't too complicated for the average person to read. If that improvement is made I believe she could be a writer to rival some of the great YA/teen dark fantasy fiction writers.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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1 comment:
Uh, this does sound compelling. I think I'd like to read it if I ever saw it in a sale, even with the plot isn't all it promises to be.
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