Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

70 reviews

asolis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Medical content, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Pregnancy, and Rape

emcl7weenie's review

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.0

First 10 chapters of this book were fantastic with setup, character development, mystery, worldbuilding, and pacing. Then it stopped for the rest of the book. The 2 stars are for a creative concept with the book eaters and setting a fantastic gothic horror tone. As well as some well written scenes. Overall, it fell flat. It was a heavy character driven story, but lacked a lot of character development for me. As well as

wasting a lot of time in the past. Being in the past so often the author wasn't able to build up present tension, character relationships, and tension well enough. The ending was also very predictable.

It felt like you were in a DnD campaign and the party decided to speed run the main objective skipping all cut scenes and side quests of interest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence

mo345's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Grief, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infertility, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Trafficking

montereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

This was so unexpectedly excellent. A very underrated book, with a fantastic performance by the audiobook narrator

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault

sharron_joy_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Devon is a book eater, vampire like creatures who consume books instead of food. Growing up she is fed a steady controlled diet of what is expected of her as one of the rare female book eater. There are six families and their numbers are dwindling and she is needed to breed.

When she gives birth to Cai, a rare mind eater she runs with him to save him.

 

This is a gothic thriller in essence and although I was initially drawn to the book eating side the story is really about family, loyalty, forced marriage and motherhood in a strictly patriarchal cult like community who just happen to eat books. 

It is thought provoking but the way women and girls are treated in this world infuriated me and although Devon fights against the system her efforts are often in vain. 

 

It is an interesting story but for me it was too long and the ending felt rushed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Child abuse, Grief, and Body horror

touchegiantsquid's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

Brilliantly forces the reader to confront the truth that everything actually does have a price, that perfect is unobtainable, and that living in the real world requires accepting tradeoffs. Even though the main character repeatedly says there's no price on love, the plot reveals there is nothing without a price.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Gun violence, Acephobia/Arophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Trafficking

johnbat's review

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

sammirosewater's review

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

bedtimesandbooks's review

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

remaininlullaby'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i got into this expecting to read a story about a mother who moved mountains for her child. i kinda got that, but i also got way too many pages of men trying to oppress women/mothers by using their children against them & ugh. i wish i'd read some cws first bc while it wasn't actually triggering for me i found all these sect-/cult-like tendencies to be vERY uncomfortable and unsettling.
the whole "love doesn't have rules or a cost & also isn't necessarily good all the time" was a cool touch tho.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Misogyny

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

Minor: Infertility, Rape, Homophobia, and Medical trauma