Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Book Eaters

This book full of violence, death and the overarching theme of sexual trafficking/forced pregnancy literally ends with the Super Mario theme. How tone deaf is that?

Too daunting and depressive, while none of the characters give me a reason to root for them. I can sympathise with their struggles, but that doesn't mean that I'm on their side, and by the end nothing is really solved, anyway. Either the systm persists and will continue to harbour misery, or it collapses and the lineage of British 'eaters dies out (good riddance, in that case).

Don't get me wrong, the premise is really interesting, but there isn't really any depth to get invested in.

Content Warnings

kllyholt's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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rhi_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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azazellos_fang's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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vonfluffypants's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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cassie7e's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I think I've found a new author to bingeread!
I read this book with very little knowledge of what I was getting into beyond "people who eat books" and that made every layer of context a wonderful discovery! I loved the ominous oppressive atmosphere, the literary references, the nonlinear timeline, the nuanced internal conflicts given the external circumstances. This book is fantastic for the story itself, and on top of that provided some much needed representation.

I think what keeps this from being a 5-star for me is that it is not invested in a lot of world-building. I don't think that hurts this story necessarily but I generally prefer books with more intrigue and complex details.

Content Warnings

brandilovesbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Hester is a Book Eater- a human-like species that eats books to gain knowledge. She is raised as a princess, given fairy-tales to eat. Her job is to marry and have a baby. Then she'll marry another and have another baby.

The Book Eaters is a story of how far someone will go for the people she loves the most. It is a story of family, both blood and found.

I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Content Warnings

caitmacd's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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