Beasts Made of Night
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.
Debut author Tochi Onyebuchi delivers a haunting and powerful story of loyalty, survival, and heart-pounding adventure.
Tochi Onyebuchi
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.
Beasts Made of Night
Beasts Made of Night consists of two books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.