Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

152 reviews

johnbat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

good concept, lackluster follow through

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Ableism, and Gore

Minor: Trafficking

ashwaar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.5

Living secretly within British society are the book eaters, ancient families that survive on literature to sustain and give them knowledge. Devon is part of one of these families, and as a rare girl, her future is carefully negotiated to ensure she produces heirs for their dwindling population. But when she gives birth to a mind-eater, a being who craves and survives on human minds rather than books, Devon must escape from the families to save her son.

A lot is happening in this book, and the story only becomes more intense, gritty and grotesque as it continues. It comes with all sorts of trigger warnings, so be sure to check those out if you’re unsure! But overall, I thought this was a pretty interesting premise, if a little contrived. It sounds a little like an idea I’d think up in my English class at secondary school, but it’s also pretty cool to see someone write it in an actual book.

The story is complex and compelling, jumping between present-day on-the-run Devon and her past, growing up within the families. There is a lot of legacy and lore in the book, and I think the author does well blending it all with the current narrative. You learn more alongside younger Devon, and as a reader, I felt very comfortable with this pacing.

At the same time as I found this book interesting and engaging, I also found it pretty tough to read at points. Because every character does terrible gruesome things, I found it hard to have sympathy or find a connection with any of them. I also found the setting a bit weird, and juxtaposing these mysterious families with the average UK life didn’t feel right. Maybe it would have felt more fitting in its own world, but I know that’s even more lore and background to commit to. It’s not a big complaint for me, and I got used to it as the story went on.

Overall, this was a pretty solid book, just not completely my cup of tea. It’s very plot-heavy, and I’m more of a character-and-vibes reader. I also thought it was very gory, and although I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it doesn’t make it very enjoyable to read at points. It’s one of those books where I think you’ll be able to tell from a review if you’ll like it or not, and hopefully, I’ve been able to help you out a little bit.

Read more on Wordpress at Bookmarked by Ash: https://book990337086.wordpress.com/

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Pregnancy, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Infertility, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Murder, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcoholism, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Child death

Minor: Vomit

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

kirchnerkd's review against another edition

dark 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Slavery, Gore, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

sammirosewater's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Torture

Minor: Abortion

kaitthelibrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, Murder, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Child death, Trafficking, Alcohol, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Torture

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

corvusastrum's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No

2.5

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Trafficking, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

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