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snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
As one of my most highly anticipated reads, I was a little disappointed by how average this book turned out.
The Book Eaters has an intriguing premise that I’m sure would attract every bibliophile out there — after all, what’s not to love about a book where books play a prominent role? To make it all the more interesting, this book features a species of human-like beings that subsist on either books or brains only. They’re hidden from the watchful, fearful eyes of many humans and they have long lifespans. However, their females can only give birth to two children all their life which means that if not enough females are born, there will come a time when they’ll become extinct. As such, knights and dragons play a crucial role in arranging marriages between the Families, which contributes to maintaining and enforcing the status quo.
This results in an insular and strongly patriarchal community where a female’s only worth is the offspring she has…and she’s not even allowed to care for the child past them turning 3 years old. All this gives a lot of room for social commentary on patriarchy, misogyny, misandry, toxic femininity, toxic masculinity and other gender issues. It also allows for explorations on trust and identity.
Sadly, both the execution and characters were lacking. Although there were some complexities and depth to the social commentary, the way the story was written wasn’t strong enough to uphold those notions. It also didn’t help that despite the clear system and context on book eaters and mind eaters, their presence was more secondary. So in overall, these two aspects made for an underwhelming story.
Moreover, I found it difficult to care for the characters. Sure, I could sympathise with them and their situations, but there remains a distance that somehow made them feel flat even though they were all distinct, compelling and memorable.
Everything considered, The Book Eaters has a lot of promise and potential, which makes it a shame that I didn’t find it as mind-blowing as I had hoped for. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a read where the focus is more on an underdog’s journey to gain freedom and independence away from all that confined them and their loved ones, this is a book to try.
As one of my most highly anticipated reads, I was a little disappointed by how average this book turned out.
The Book Eaters has an intriguing premise that I’m sure would attract every bibliophile out there — after all, what’s not to love about a book where books play a prominent role? To make it all the more interesting, this book features a species of human-like beings that subsist on either books or brains only. They’re hidden from the watchful, fearful eyes of many humans and they have long lifespans. However, their females can only give birth to two children all their life which means that if not enough females are born, there will come a time when they’ll become extinct. As such, knights and dragons play a crucial role in arranging marriages between the Families, which contributes to maintaining and enforcing the status quo.
This results in an insular and strongly patriarchal community where a female’s only worth is the offspring she has…and she’s not even allowed to care for the child past them turning 3 years old. All this gives a lot of room for social commentary on patriarchy, misogyny, misandry, toxic femininity, toxic masculinity and other gender issues. It also allows for explorations on trust and identity.
Sadly, both the execution and characters were lacking. Although there were some complexities and depth to the social commentary, the way the story was written wasn’t strong enough to uphold those notions. It also didn’t help that despite the clear system and context on book eaters and mind eaters, their presence was more secondary. So in overall, these two aspects made for an underwhelming story.
Moreover, I found it difficult to care for the characters. Sure, I could sympathise with them and their situations, but there remains a distance that somehow made them feel flat even though they were all distinct, compelling and memorable.
Everything considered, The Book Eaters has a lot of promise and potential, which makes it a shame that I didn’t find it as mind-blowing as I had hoped for. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a read where the focus is more on an underdog’s journey to gain freedom and independence away from all that confined them and their loved ones, this is a book to try.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Alcohol
nahimgood's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Slavery, and Fire/Fire injury
orangezara's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I enjoyed reading this and I found myself really caring about the characters. The ending was satisfying and the worldbuilding and lore around the book eaters’ traditions was fascinating. There were some events that were hard to stomach but I think they added depth to the story and contributed to the character’s development. The story has similar themes to The Handmaid’s Tale.
There was a lot of repetition though and stretches where nothing happened or the events were dragging out. There’s lots of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’ and some parts would be more emotionally impactful if they were left unsaid. I also find jumping between present day and memories to be frustrating - it would’ve been more enjoyable if the timeline was linear.
There was a lot of repetition though and stretches where nothing happened or the events were dragging out. There’s lots of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’ and some parts would be more emotionally impactful if they were left unsaid. I also find jumping between present day and memories to be frustrating - it would’ve been more enjoyable if the timeline was linear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape
lemerrier's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility and Trafficking
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
missmali's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Trafficking and Acephobia/Arophobia
addiemae09's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
"If he needed something, she chose his needs over hers. A thousand different times a day in a thousand different ways she had chosen Cai, until the choosing of him had become like breathing. Mother, at all costs."
The Book Eaters follows Devon, a fiercely determined mother trying to protect and feed her unusually intelligent five year old with a hunger for human minds. It focuses on what it means to be a monster, healing from generational trauma, and the cost and meaning of love.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot because discovering the story piece by piece was one of the best parts about this novel. It alternates between chapters from present-day and the past, starting (I believe) 17 years ago, and working it's way up to the present. The mystery behind Devon's past, the book eaters' lives, and the motivation behind her strangest actions was definitely a motivating factor to continue reading. I didn't want to put it down because I HAD to know what was going on.
I enjoyed the WLW romance, especially because I'm a sucker for the bright colors x all black relationship. It did feel a little... superficial. I didn't really get time to see the characters pining for each other or interacting much. I felt like more could have been done with that.
However, something I really enjoyed was the way that it addressed the way that Devon changed as a person with different events in her life, and how one person doesn't have to go strictly from shy to bold or mean to nice, etc. It's a constant process of change and growth. The characters definitely had many different shades and sides to them that I found thoroughly entertaining, but I also didn't really fall in love with any. Part of that could be the short length of the novel because I didn't get much time to get attached to them, but I felt that it didn't make me as invested in the outcome of the book. The difference between a four star and a five star read, for me, is if it gets me to have a really emotional reaction to pieces of paper with ink on them. And this book didn't really do that for me.
Overall, The Book Eaters was delightful dark and contemplative, and I liked the intrigue behind it. It's a fast and entertaining read, and I would definitely recommend it.
The Book Eaters follows Devon, a fiercely determined mother trying to protect and feed her unusually intelligent five year old with a hunger for human minds. It focuses on what it means to be a monster, healing from generational trauma, and the cost and meaning of love.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot because discovering the story piece by piece was one of the best parts about this novel. It alternates between chapters from present-day and the past, starting (I believe) 17 years ago, and working it's way up to the present. The mystery behind Devon's past, the book eaters' lives, and the motivation behind her strangest actions was definitely a motivating factor to continue reading. I didn't want to put it down because I HAD to know what was going on.
I enjoyed the WLW romance, especially because I'm a sucker for the bright colors x all black relationship. It did feel a little... superficial. I didn't really get time to see the characters pining for each other or interacting much. I felt like more could have been done with that.
However, something I really enjoyed was the way that it addressed the way that Devon changed as a person with different events in her life, and how one person doesn't have to go strictly from shy to bold or mean to nice, etc. It's a constant process of change and growth. The characters definitely had many different shades and sides to them that I found thoroughly entertaining, but I also didn't really fall in love with any. Part of that could be the short length of the novel because I didn't get much time to get attached to them, but I felt that it didn't make me as invested in the outcome of the book. The difference between a four star and a five star read, for me, is if it gets me to have a really emotional reaction to pieces of paper with ink on them. And this book didn't really do that for me.
Overall, The Book Eaters was delightful dark and contemplative, and I liked the intrigue behind it. It's a fast and entertaining read, and I would definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
trashbadger's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The premise is really interesting, and I would have liked to know more about the world - there is an implied history to the Families that isn't fully revealed, and the inter-Family relations are both key to the plot and not elaborated on much. It's not really the focus of the book, but I think it would have added something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
particledamage's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Interesting premise. Characters with potential. Great traumatic background with a chance to say a lot of profound things.
All of this is wholly underutilized and left me feeling bereft and irritated by the end of this book.
The tone itself is too easy and breezy for the concepts this novel should be exploring--the cost of human trafficking, the complexity of raising children begot from rape, the isolation of communes and religious orders, the intense force of the patriarchy and growing up with rigid roles. Framing much of this in contrast with fairy tales had me constantly checking to make sure this was adult fiction. I understand the point of the fairy tale references is to show how women are infantalized but then it briefly tries to reclaim that and falls apart.
A lot of this book falls apart--the world building feels weak and the premise of eating books seems more just like an easy explanation for why some things are super hard and some things are super easy than it does an actual meaningful part of the book. I feel like this book should be questioning what it is to know and what knowledge and literature even is more than it does. What if Devon ate something incorrect? We barely explore what it means for Cai to eat and become people. It changes him, he vaguely becomes them, but what does that mean about humanity? Is it knowledge that changed him? This book can't be bothered to toy with it.
Just like it can't be bothered to toy with what it means to be a trafficked. It just seems to be marked with tedium. We know Devon wants to save her daughter from the same fate but there's no urgency. I get it, BOTH kids are victims of the system, but the fact that the daughter is put on the backburner for the son feels under-explored in terms of implications. Because it implies a lot. Just like Devon choosing to let the system stay in place while she personally flees is framed as "worth it" implies... a lot.
This book upholds the family unit in a weird way for a book trying to criticizing the patriarchy. It actually made me uncomfortable with how much "Moms should give up everything for their children" is pushed. No, her calling another woman her princess and a poorly added lesbian romance doesn't change that. (I'm gay, I'm allowed to say this romance was tacked on poorly.)
The potential of this book was great. The execution wasted literally all of this. It was written proficiently enough and there was enough being teased to salvage this book, saving it from a much lower rating, but wow what a disappointment.
All of this is wholly underutilized and left me feeling bereft and irritated by the end of this book.
The tone itself is too easy and breezy for the concepts this novel should be exploring--the cost of human trafficking, the complexity of raising children begot from rape, the isolation of communes and religious orders, the intense force of the patriarchy and growing up with rigid roles. Framing much of this in contrast with fairy tales had me constantly checking to make sure this was adult fiction. I understand the point of the fairy tale references is to show how women are infantalized but then it briefly tries to reclaim that and falls apart.
A lot of this book falls apart--the world building feels weak and the premise of eating books seems more just like an easy explanation for why some things are super hard and some things are super easy than it does an actual meaningful part of the book. I feel like this book should be questioning what it is to know and what knowledge and literature even is more than it does. What if Devon ate something incorrect? We barely explore what it means for Cai to eat and become people. It changes him, he vaguely becomes them, but what does that mean about humanity? Is it knowledge that changed him? This book can't be bothered to toy with it.
Just like it can't be bothered to toy with what it means to be a trafficked. It just seems to be marked with tedium. We know Devon wants to save her daughter from the same fate but there's no urgency. I get it, BOTH kids are victims of the system, but the fact that the daughter is put on the backburner for the son feels under-explored in terms of implications. Because it implies a lot. Just like Devon choosing to let the system stay in place while she personally flees is framed as "worth it" implies... a lot.
This book upholds the family unit in a weird way for a book trying to criticizing the patriarchy. It actually made me uncomfortable with how much "Moms should give up everything for their children" is pushed. No, her calling another woman her princess and a poorly added lesbian romance doesn't change that. (I'm gay, I'm allowed to say this romance was tacked on poorly.)
The potential of this book was great. The execution wasted literally all of this. It was written proficiently enough and there was enough being teased to salvage this book, saving it from a much lower rating, but wow what a disappointment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, and Murder