Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

56 reviews

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad 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

A story of motherly love, and the lengths one will go to to protect her child in a world pitted against them.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Rape, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Slavery, Vomit, and Alcohol

bubbly_lara's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

What a brilliant book! 
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."

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, and Outing

caitmacd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy

innastholiel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Torture, Medical trauma, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

An early contender as my favorite read of 2023! Imaginative, complex, brilliant storytelling. I hope there's more to come. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

sohma4uesugi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The world was so fascinating. I admit to being disappointed we didn’t get more of it. I wanted more of the families, more about the Creator, more of the knights when they were good, and less of what they became. I wanted so much more Jarrow. I just wanted more. This story held such promise, but the way it twisted between overly complex to overly simplified and back again was jarring at times. I could make out pieces of the end before we got there, but not all of it. Not because I was kept guessing, but because there was not enough footwork left behind. Too many things came out of left field and others were painfully obvious. The end seemed abrupt and wrongly placed. I wanted more. Again. 

Parts dragged so deeply I had to force myself to keep going, bored and distracted. Others had me eagerly turning pages. 

Mani and Hester were interesting and I would have loved to have much more of them and what they went through in the past than what we got. 

The morality of Cai was interesting, but barely touched on. Ramsey disappointed me so deeply in the depths of his cruelty. At the same time his character was flat, too one-planed and I so badly wanted more. I mourned far more for E and Ramsey’s loss of him than I did for Ramsey himself. 

I enjoyed the way different sexualities were displayed and touched on in the books, but there wasn’t consistency.

Overall, this read left me wanting more of the world, but a whole lot less of Devon. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infertility, Rape, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Trafficking, and Abandonment

purplatypus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Trafficking, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

bsparx's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

3.0

I loved the concept of The Book Eaters. I enjoy the twists on original ideas, legends, and myths, but I feel it’s rare to come across an adaption of an idea which is so original. So interesting. The Eaters are akin to vampires, but not. They subsist on books. Books! What a marvellous idea to consume books and therefore consume all the knowledge within. I love that concept. Of course they have their supernatural gains and their limitations.

The Book Eaters have strength, night vision, move with stealth, and amass a great deal of knowledge, but they can’t write and they aren’t creative thinkers. Throughout I kept thinking, “but why not utilise accessible technology?” They’d just have to eat up on it. As I read on though I realised the eaters really do not think outside the box. They’re very controlled and regimented with their existence. What they’re fed with books dictates their worlds and they don’t get a chance to develop critical thinking. Their environments are quite abusive and toxic.

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 story itself was a steady pace and easy to follow along. I felt there could have been more, but the plot was entertaining and I do love there was some LGBTQ+ representation in there without making a big show of it. I feel there could be more stories in this world too. It’s a stand-alone novel, but I found the story of The Book Eaters had me wondering more about the hidden lives that only got touched on.

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.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy

georgia7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery and Alcohol

monnibo's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment