Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

43 reviews

corrin_takara's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Toxic relationship, Rape, and Trafficking

baddieburton's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Vomit, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Murder

Minor: Car accident

sharron_joy_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Devon is a book eater, vampire like creatures who consume books instead of food. Growing up she is fed a steady controlled diet of what is expected of her as one of the rare female book eater. There are six families and their numbers are dwindling and she is needed to breed.

When she gives birth to Cai, a rare mind eater she runs with him to save him.

 

This is a gothic thriller in essence and although I was initially drawn to the book eating side the story is really about family, loyalty, forced marriage and motherhood in a strictly patriarchal cult like community who just happen to eat books. 

It is thought provoking but the way women and girls are treated in this world infuriated me and although Devon fights against the system her efforts are often in vain. 

 

It is an interesting story but for me it was too long and the ending felt rushed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Child abuse, Grief, and Body horror

quihi's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

I really enjoyed it once I got into it. Unfortunately, it took me two thirds of the book to get really into it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Cannibalism, Confinement, Grief, Body horror, Murder, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Abandonment, Misogyny, Child death, Gore, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, and Acephobia/Arophobia

dev921's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

clairew97's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Classism, Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Confinement, Grief, Homophobia, Bullying, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Stalking, Blood, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

dazzle_spider_reader_1212's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, Medical content, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and Vomit

pumpkinbisque's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.0

interesting premise that fell flat for me. all the characters felt two dimensional, the reasoning behind the eaters and their behavior felt so shallow, the relationships between people felt so flimsy. the constant switching back and forth between past and present was disorienting and i found myself wishing there would be larger chunks of one or the other. i felt like the conclusion wasn’t satisfying? it led up to exactly what it said it would from the very beginning and i just felt like it was being set up to be derailed a bit but any disruption from the original plan was moot. i don’t know. i also felt like the writing could have been more polished/edited; some sentences were frustrating and used words more than once in a way that didn’t feel like they were using repetition as a device, just something that should have been trimmed in edits and revisions. i liked jarrett the most of anyone, but i didn’t care for most of the characters in general. a meh book for me, i almost DNFd but it was a gift so i felt like i had to see it through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

jebowman123's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A super interesting take on vampires that is written from the point of view on inconsequential characters. It asks the readers to consider what can happen when certain people control information and act on it. Themes of addiction, temptation, motherhood, ableism, queer identities, and neurodivergence.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Torture, and Trafficking

azazellos_fang's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Grief, and Toxic relationship