Horn Book

Taj and his fellow sin-eaters, or "aki," fight and consume sin-beasts to absolve others' transgressions. But the young aki are impoverished outcasts with lives shortened by the sins they shoulder. A coveted sin-eating position in the palace forces Taj to choose between living in luxury or working to improve the circumstances of all aki. Onyebuchi introduces a compellingly built, Nigerian-inspired fantastical world and a tough but compassionate protagonist.

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-n the walled city of Kos, the royal family makes the laws, but the Mages are the enforcers. Mages often call upon the "aki" to purify the royals by eating their sins. Taj is the best aki in Kos, and when he is called to eat the king's sin, he becomes involved in a covert operation to take over the city. Told from the perspective of Taj, this debut novel is set in a mythical world where sins take the form of shadow beasts and become tattoos on the skin of the sin-eaters. Onyebuchi's world-building is strong, and the details leap off the page; readers will witness the poverty, smell the delicious food, and feel the physical pain of being a sin-eater. However, the author spells out the motives of the antagonists and the reasons for characters' behaviors, rather than letting teens infer them from the text. The romance between Taj and the princess is charming but too quick. Although this work is full of desperate people in dire situations, the narrative lacks intensity and reads more like a prequel than a series opener. Still, this title has strong female characters and a beautiful and well-crafted setting and absolutely fills the void of diversity in YA fantasy fiction. VERDICT A good choice for most fantasy collections.Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Themes of belonging, self-discovery, and inequity round out the richly imagined world of Onyebuchi-s debut, where war and dark magic are around every corner. Taj is an aki, a sin eater; important yet reviled, aki battle and consume the sins of others, which take on the physical form of beasts. The tattoos of the sins Taj has eaten cover his body, marking him as other: -The lion etched into my skin will be with me forever now, a marker of Prince Haris-s sin. Now he can walk around pure and noble and free while I carry the evidence of his crimes.- When Taj and fellow aki Bo are summoned to eat the sin of King Kolade himself, the dragon that manifests from his sin nearly kills Taj, resulting in a tattoo unlike any other. Immediately threatened with arrest, Taj flees but is captured and forced into the king-s service. Onyebuchi-s worldbuilding is vivid and beguiling, and Taj-s outward cockiness hides a core of vulnerability. A coming revolution will have readers looking forward to the next book. Ages 12-up. Agent: Noah Ballard, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Taj, the black teenage narrator of Onyebuchi's debut, is an aki, or sin-eater—meaning that he literally consumes the exorcised transgressions of others, usually in the forms of inky-colored animal-shaped phantasms called inisisas that reappear as black tattoos on the akis' "red skin, brown skin." This really isn't his most remarkable trait, however, even as he ingests greater and greater sins of the Kaya, the brown-skinned royal family ruling the land of Kos. What makes Taj extraordinary is the tensions he holds: his blasé awareness of his exalted status as the best aki, even as the townspeople both shun yet exploit him and his chosen family of sin-eaters; his adolescent swagger coupled with the big-brotherly protectiveness he has for the crew of akis and, as the story proceeds, his increasing responsibility to train them; his natural skepticism of the theology that guides Kos even as he performs the very act that allows the theology—and Kos itself—to exist. He must navigate these in the midst of a political plot, a burgeoning star-crossed love, and forgiveness for the sins he does not commit. "Epic" is an overused term to describe how magnificent someone or something is. Author Onyebuchi's novel creates his in the good old-fashioned way: the slow, loving construction of the mundane and the miraculous, building a world that is both completely new and instantly recognizable. This tale moves beyond the boom-bang, boring theology of so many fantasies—and, in the process, creates, almost griotlike, a paean to an emerging black legend. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

ALA Booklist

Taj is an aki, a sin-eater. After Mages pull the sins out of people, he and his fellow aki fight those sins and, if they win, consume them, leaving only the tell-tale tattoos on their skin, the signs that mark them as outcasts. But when the supposedly pure King has Taj eat one of his sins, Taj is caught in a battle between the all-powerful members of the royal family over the true role of the aki and their powers. Onyebuchi crafts a compelling tale for his first novel, seamlessly blending fantasy, religion, political intrigue, and a touch of steampunk into a twisting tale of magic. Taj, who narrates the tale in present tense, is a great stand-in for teen readers, equal parts afraid, determined, cocky, smart, and clueless. As he moves out of the slums he knows and into a world of wealth and power, readers will discover whom he can trust and what the other characters truly want right along with him. Hand this intriguing fantasy to fans of Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch (2011).

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Taj, the black teenage narrator of Onyebuchi's debut, is an aki, or sin-eater—meaning that he literally consumes the exorcised transgressions of others, usually in the forms of inky-colored animal-shaped phantasms called inisisas that reappear as black tattoos on the akis' "red skin, brown skin." This really isn't his most remarkable trait, however, even as he ingests greater and greater sins of the Kaya, the brown-skinned royal family ruling the land of Kos. What makes Taj extraordinary is the tensions he holds: his blasé awareness of his exalted status as the best aki, even as the townspeople both shun yet exploit him and his chosen family of sin-eaters; his adolescent swagger coupled with the big-brotherly protectiveness he has for the crew of akis and, as the story proceeds, his increasing responsibility to train them; his natural skepticism of the theology that guides Kos even as he performs the very act that allows the theology—and Kos itself—to exist. He must navigate these in the midst of a political plot, a burgeoning star-crossed love, and forgiveness for the sins he does not commit. "Epic" is an overused term to describe how magnificent someone or something is. Author Onyebuchi's novel creates his in the good old-fashioned way: the slow, loving construction of the mundane and the miraculous, building a world that is both completely new and instantly recognizable. This tale moves beyond the boom-bang, boring theology of so many fantasies—and, in the process, creates, almost griotlike, a paean to an emerging black legend. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

The titular beasts are the embodiments of sin, drawn out of their hosts and then killed by aki (sin-eaters) who literally swallow the inky black residue that remains, suffer extreme pain, and then wear these sin-animals as tattoos on their bodies. Unfortunately, when there is not enough free skin left for any additional tattoos, the sin-eaters die, which is why they are all so young. Seventeen-year-old Taj, the first-person narrator, also called Sky-Fist and Lightbringer, is one of the oldest and best aki. Even though he has sin-animals from the royal family among his tattoos, he—like all aki—is treated as a pariah by the citizens of the city of Kos, by the mages who serve the royal family, and even by some of the royals whom he has helped. Blackmailed by Izu, the head mage who threatens to destroy part of Kos if he refuses, Taj accepts an appointment to serve the royal family, not realizing the dangers to both Kos and himself, especially once Princess Kalima enters the picture. Fortunately, there is a young female mage, Aliya, who understands what is going on and is determined to help Taj survive. The colorful, dynamic setting is unforgettable in its darkness, inequality, and magic. The characters are captivating, and the caste-like struggle between the “haves” and “have-nots” is depicted in vivid, convincing detail by the Nigerian American author. Onyebuchi demonstrates a special talent for worldbuilding, outstanding even in a genre saturated with unique worlds. His debut novel will engross teens, while the cliffhanger ending will have them impatiently awaiting the next installment.—Bonnie Kunzel.