Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

151 reviews

bootrat's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Horror isn't usually a genre I read, but I really enjoy this! The world building was great, the characters were excellent and very relatable, and the whole story was intriguing. I'd very happily read more books set in this world (or eat them if I could)!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual assault

The sexual assault is that Devon doesn't want to have sex, but is made to in order to procreate. It isn't described at all, only referenced that it wouldn't be pleasant.

cakrolik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Gore, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

seagullsaga's review against another edition

dark hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Confinement, Violence, Slavery, Infertility, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Rape, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Sexism

aliclare's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Confinement, Misogyny, Death, Murder, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Gun violence

isaaah's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

I'm always weak for stories that talk about the power of stories. I suppose you can say I ate this one up. The Book Eaters tells us that the stories we consume, that we are given, shape the way we see the world, and how we imagine our future. This fantasy of people that eat books and minds seems surreal, but their society, strictly managed by patriarchs who decide what stories their children are allowed to consume, does not seem so far from the truth to me. I'm thinking of real life censorship and book burnings and pearl-clutching parents that think certain stories might lead their children away from the life path they envisioned for them.
This story is about a woman trying to escape the system she is born in and envision a different future. 

The book also talks about love, and the lengths we go for it, which is a theme I'm also always happy to explore. I especially enjoyed the notion that love is not inherently good, it is just something we make choices for. A lot of it focuses on Devons relationship with her children, which I thought well done. However, I'm not a parent, nor do not I wish to be, so some of the emotional layers might have been lost on me. 

I was more so interested in the development of her friendships with Jarrow and Hester. Devon grew up isolated and sheltered and only rarely met strangers. Later she is made to fend for herself in a world full of a people unknown to her, and that are functionally prey for her son. I thought this made for an interesting perspective to the process of trusting new people and making friends, and I'd have liked to see more of it. I personally would have preferred her relationship with Hester to stay platonic, as right now, the romance seemed underdeveloped to me. It seemed more like something to be explored in a potential sequel (or just leave up to the imagination). But then again, my verdict for 90% of romance plots is that it goes too fast; at this point it might be a me-problem. 

 

At the end I also felt like the flashbacks slowed down the pace a bit, but none of these things kept me from thoroughly enjoying this book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Murder, Violence, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Grief, and Slavery

Minor: Sexual content, Trafficking, Alcohol, Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Rape

cassiecollins's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Man, I really wish the whole concept of book-eating was better incorporated. As it is, there are a few moments where it's used in interesting ways—like Devon eating maps and train schedules—but overall it feels like you could replace it with any other alien physiology and the narrative wouldn't be affected at all. The story itself was pretty good, though toward the end the flashbacks just became redundant and were in the way of the present story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape and Gun violence

Minor: Pregnancy

imds's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Acephobia/Arophobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, Body shaming, Confinement, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, and Trafficking

caprivoyant's review against another edition

Really liked the world and magic system Sunyi Dean created here. I'd definitely be interested in reading more by this same author. 🥰


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For CWs, I want to also specifically say that forced child abandonment is an integral part of Book Eater culture; so it's mentioned a lot in these pages. Really, a lot of what happens to the women in this culture is really not great. So, just, read with care if those topics might hurt your heart. Ok?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Minor: Cannibalism

micallab's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence

unboxedjack's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Confinement, and Gore