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ashwaar's review against another edition
- 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
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
clairew97's review against another edition
- 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
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
azazellos_fang's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Grief, and Toxic relationship
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Death, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
bubbly_lara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The setting, atmosphere and mood were very dark and gloomy, but in a good way (reminded me a bit of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic").
I really liked the story, the characters and the writing style. Highlighted quite a lot of quotes, I'll put three further down below.
The themes of chosen/found family and trying to find who you are as a person outside of the people you grew up with, what is expected of you vs the pursuit of what makes you happy deeply resonated with me.
Highly recommend if you're looking for a slightly spooky, rather dark and grim story of a young mother trying to break her son and herself free from familial chains and expectations, hoping to one day have a better life for themselves.
"Memory was an anchor. It could ground you in a storm, keep you from drifting.
But anchors could also weigh you down and keep you from sailing free."
"For here was the thing that no fairy tale would ever admit, but that she understood in that moment: love was not inherently good."
"- What price do you put on love?
- No price. There isn't one. Love doesn't have a cost. It's just a choice you make."
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Infertility, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Body horror
Minor: Incest, Outing, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, and Adult/minor relationship
kimmag92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I do agree with others that issues Devon faces resolve somewhat easily but I think that is purposefully. Devon will never have a fairy tale ending so the only aspect of those stories she can have is things work out for her though what happens to her is far from happy.
I think the negative feelings towards this book are a product of a few prominent “book-fluencers” saying they didn’t like it and then everyone enmass deciding not to read it. If you like Handmaids Tale type stories then you’ll like this.
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Abandonment, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Violence
moonchild_cos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Body horror, Gaslighting, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Vomit
plantgal_jill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Confinement, and Trafficking
maryellen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault
bsparx's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
A Note: I didn't find the story too triggering though, regarding the toxicity and abuse, except for in some instances so please be aware of triggers if you decide to read The Book Eaters. It's a very controlled and misogynistic environment
Apart from the trigger warnings and toxic environments, which is part of and does add to the story, The Book Eaters is not only about survival and breaking against your predetermined confines, but it’s about love. What we do for love, how we define it, and how we define ourselves in the face of it.
The Book Eaters is definitely a dark fairy tale full of interesting concepts. It’s a book I’m happy I was able to read and am pleased to be able to pass it on to someone else to enjoy.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy