Wicked Reads: Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Beasts Made of Night

by Tochi Onyebuchi 

Read: October 2017

Published: October 31, 2017 by Razorbill

Source: Galley from publisher (TY, Penguin!)

Category: YA, Fantasy, books, sin eaters

Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Book Description: In a world where sin can be magically transferred from sinner to "sin-eater" for a cost, a gifted young sin-eater uncovers a dark secret and must rely on his deadly talents to save the kingdom--and his own life--in this thrilling YA fantasy debut that will appeal to fans of Sabaa Tahir and Paolo Bacigalupi.

Seventeen-year-old Taj is the most talented sin-eater indentured by the Guild, a ruthless organization of mages that runs a lucrative trade absolving the rich. In the walled city of Kos, mages have a dark magic that allows them to call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin beasts--lethal creatures spawned from feelings of anguish and guilt. Every time Taj slays a sin beast, an image of the beast scars his skin while the guilt of committing the sin scars his mind. Most sin-eaters can't take it, driven mad by the process. But Taj is gifted and cocky and desperate--his family depends on his wages, and he's willing to risk everything for them. Until Taj is hired to do a job that even he can't follow through on. Soon, Taj realizes that some sins should never be eaten. When he stumbles upon a dark plot to destroy the kingdom, Taj must fight to save the princess he loves--and his own life. 

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Today I'm excited to feature Beasts Made of Night as part of the Wicked Reads Campaign. Make sure to scroll down for a link to win all 9 books featured in this campaign! 

What makes Beasts Made of Night a Wicked Read? 

The entire concept of this book is deliciously creepy, especially in the way it is a study in contrasts:

First, we have the walled city of Kos, a place that is bright and hot and dusty, all contrasted with the darkness of people's sin that comes out of their bodies as literal animals - dangerous shadow creatures that vary in size from small lizards to massive lions, depending on the strength of the sin and a person's guilt over it. These animals are deadly and can kill if not destroyed themselves.

Then there are the wealthy citizens who pay the aki, or sin-eaters, to fight and destroy the beasts their sins have created. The main character in this book, Taj, is a sin-eater and one of the best at what he does. Once Taj - or another aki - has defeated a creature, he (or she) will "eat" the sin, creating a visible tattoo of the beast on his skin and an invisible scar of the other person's sin on his mind. All while the wealthy person keeps their skin pure and their mind clear. 

I love how the book cover reflects these contrasts as well, with its light background and dark purple center, hiding animals in intricate detail. In celebration of Halloween and this Wicked Read, I'm also sharing my photo inspiration for the book below. 

My photo inspiration for this book: 

What beast has been released today? 

See this and other bookish photos in my instagram @loveisnotatriangle

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About The Author

Tochi Onyebuchi is a Nigerian American writer and a practicing attorney based in New York City. He holds a MFA in screenwriting from Tisch, a Masters degree in global economic law from L'institut d'études politiques, and a JD from Columbia Law School. His writing has appeared in Asimov's and Ideomancer, among other places. Beasts Made of Night is his debut series. You can follow him @tochitruestory.

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