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iloivar's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infertility, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
trickphoenix'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Trafficking, Car accident, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
totallyshelfaware's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
mlfey's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Rape, and Sexism
upperjackpain'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
rampant_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gun violence
sarah984'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
1.0
Even at the end I was totally unclear on how book eating was supposed to work. The characters' homes are full of intact books and they have fangs so I assumed they drained the book's "essence" or something, but later a character is putting ketchup on one, or soaking it in water to make it easier to eat. Book eating is always sort of elided, which is kind of funny because mind eating (a sort of mutation that some book eaters have that requires them to eat brains) is so vividly described on multiple occasions.
The characters all sound the same and half the book is characters describing events that have already happened to each other, so there isn't much suspense until right at the end. There is one problem that hangs over the characters for most of the runtime but then is IMMEDIATELY solved the second it actually comes up, which felt kind of pointless.
The romance is terrible; the characters barely talk and suddenly the kid is calling them girlfriends. This woman is the only one the main character really interacts with, which is sort of weird for a book billing itself as feminist. She looks at most other women with either pity or scorn. There is an extremely weird chapter where characters quote the dictionary definition of asexuality at each other that ends up being almost insulting, and the "I ruined a baby with my son's Autism Beam" bit was ridiculous.
I have no idea what the book was trying to say: parental love can be self destructive? Fairy tales destroy the imagination? The author really likes Tomb Raider and needs to make sure we know it?
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death and Car accident
azrah786's review against another edition
4.75
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, body horror, murder, death, domestic abuse, child abuse, confinement, pregnancy/child birth, alcohol
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A refreshing urban fantasy-horror mashup based around supernatural beings who consume books that will draw you in from the very first page!
The Book Eaters introduces us to Devon Fairweather, a daughter of one of six Book Eater families that covertly coexist with British society. Alternating between dual timelines, the narrative has an air of mystery to it with chapters set in the past depicting Devon’s upbringing and what life as a female Book Eater entails, slowly uncovering how she has ended up where she is in the present, on the run to protect and save her Mind Eater son.
With writing that effortlessly captures both emotion and atmosphere, trust me when I say it’ll be hard to put this book down. Truthfully I feel like my words are insufficient to sum up how brilliant it is.
"..we can only live by the light we're given, and some of us are given no light at all. What else can we do except learnt o see in the dark?"
Dean’s prose gives the story a fairytale-esque feel to it however, the suspense filled storyline that has our dear protagonist darting across modern day Britain also adds a realistic edge to it all. It sure sent my mind to questioning the possibility that this hidden society could so easily be more fact than fiction.
Though the inspiration from Vampirism is evident, the lore within this story is so wholly original and I can’t commend Dean’s creativity enough. The concept of Book Eaters hooked me in from the moment I read the synopsis and as with any good monster story my fascination as well as my dread only grew with each turn of the page. And don’t even get me started on the Mind Eater side of things.
If you’re like me and not really a horror person don’t let the label scare you away. Though there is a fair bit of gore, the horror elements in this are more eerie than panic inducing – the equally fascinating and unsettling kind that make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. Yet the true terror comes from the attitude towards women in the story and the views on body autonomy that mirror parts of the real world today.
"For here was the thing that no fairy tale would ever admit, but that she understood in that moment: love was not inherently good."
Alongside outstanding commentary on the patriarchy, is the thought-provoking exploration of the themes of motherhood, morality and survival. Devon is such a well written character and watching her grow and come to terms with the lengths she will go to for the sake of herself and her loved ones was so compelling.
A powerful and gripping read that will stick with you as though you’ve ingested it yourself. Super excited to see what Sunyi Dean writes next!
Final Rating – 4.75/5 Stars
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse
rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
georgeanna_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol