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azrah786's review against another edition
4.75
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**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
--
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.
**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
--
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse
georgeanna_'s review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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
sj_54's review
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
I'm blown away.
Horror/Fantasy is possibly my favourite intersection of the literary world, and this has just the right balance.
The world-building of the Families and the Book Eater universe hidden away from human knowledge was super well done, and given to the reader in good bursts without overwhelming the action.
The characters were believable, relatable, and despicable in perfect amounts.
The perfect moment was the one between Devon and Cai when they're shopping and he bugs her about 'her girlfriend' and they are just a cute mother-son having a moment and it was so sweet and real.
The narrator does a stellar job, immersive and with good emphasis when changing 'voices'.
Downside? This book is sooooooo long, I was starting to struggle at about the 3/4 mark because it felt like the plot had slowed way down, both in the present and flashback chapters, and the action had been building nicely until that point. But the ending more than made up for it!
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the Audiobook ARC.
Horror/Fantasy is possibly my favourite intersection of the literary world, and this has just the right balance.
The world-building of the Families and the Book Eater universe hidden away from human knowledge was super well done, and given to the reader in good bursts without overwhelming the action.
The characters were believable, relatable, and despicable in perfect amounts.
The perfect moment was the one between Devon and Cai
The narrator does a stellar job, immersive and with good emphasis when changing 'voices'.
Downside? This book is sooooooo long, I was starting to struggle at about the 3/4 mark because it felt like the plot had slowed way down, both in the present and flashback chapters, and the action had been building nicely until that point. But the ending more than made up for it!
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the Audiobook ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Blood, and Murder
purplepenning's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I don't usually do horror or horror-adjacent and I literally just finished reading it on a dark and stormy night when I still have a touch of fever, so I need a beat before crafting a real review. It's undoubtedly fascinating, though! And the writing is lush but not overly so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury
booksdogsandcoffee's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you Tor for an Arc in exchange for an honest review
Devon is a part of a reclusive lineage of people in the Yorkshire Moors who are called Book Eaters. Where their main sustenance is a good novel. Women are coveted and rare among their people, yet are treated like cattle. Married off 2-3 times in their life time to keep the book eater lines going.
That’s where we find Devon Fairweather, one of the young book eaters of the Fairweather clan. Girls are raised on books like fairytales while boys are able to learn things about the world. But even at a young age Devon learns hard truths about being a woman in the book eater society. Especially after having a child who is of a rarer bread… one who consumes human minds.
This book was a brilliant look at the trauma of motherhood, what it means to be a mother and how far you will go for your children. Dean captured this so well, along with spinning a horrific tale of monsters. I really enjoyed the nerdy references peppered throughout the book as well.
Rep
Lesbian
Asexual
Cw
SA off page
Gore
Blood
Violence
Murder
Alcohol
Gun violence
Drugging
Devon is a part of a reclusive lineage of people in the Yorkshire Moors who are called Book Eaters. Where their main sustenance is a good novel. Women are coveted and rare among their people, yet are treated like cattle. Married off 2-3 times in their life time to keep the book eater lines going.
That’s where we find Devon Fairweather, one of the young book eaters of the Fairweather clan. Girls are raised on books like fairytales while boys are able to learn things about the world. But even at a young age Devon learns hard truths about being a woman in the book eater society. Especially after having a child who is of a rarer bread… one who consumes human minds.
This book was a brilliant look at the trauma of motherhood, what it means to be a mother and how far you will go for your children. Dean captured this so well, along with spinning a horrific tale of monsters. I really enjoyed the nerdy references peppered throughout the book as well.
Rep
Lesbian
Asexual
Cw
SA off page
Gore
Blood
Violence
Murder
Alcohol
Gun violence
Drugging
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Blood, and Abandonment
poetry_shaman's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Slavery
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Tor Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- THE BOOK EATERS is part adventure tale, part gothic mystery, part horror story and I loved it.
- I loved that it not only gave us the gothic manor tropes but also the claustrophobia of being a woman born into an impossibly patriarchal system. Watching Devon try to navigate her love for her children with her need to break free and be her own person was heart wrenching.
- It's not super obvious from the summary, but this book is also queer! There's some nice sapphic longing from Devon, as well as an asexual secondary character.
- THE BOOK EATERS is part adventure tale, part gothic mystery, part horror story and I loved it.
- I loved that it not only gave us the gothic manor tropes but also the claustrophobia of being a woman born into an impossibly patriarchal system. Watching Devon try to navigate her love for her children with her need to break free and be her own person was heart wrenching.
- It's not super obvious from the summary, but this book is also queer! There's some nice sapphic longing from Devon, as well as an asexual secondary character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking and Acephobia/Arophobia
wanderonwards's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Book Eaters is a unique thrill of a book where every character is a monster in their own way. I frequently found myself alternating between rooting for and against characters as their backstory and motivations gradually became more known. I don’t generally flip between liking and disliking characters so much, and to be able to pull that off with multiple characters is very difficult.
To be honest, though, I think other readers will enjoy this book more than I did. It was much darker than I anticipated (the depictions of violence were borderline too graphic for me) and I got more horror vibes than fantasy. I was also hoping for more smashing of the restrictive and abusive systems Devon grew up with: I didn’t really enjoy reading about the patriarchal Family societies and was waiting for some sense of satisfaction by the end of the book. While the ending was somewhat resolved, there are plenty of issues that are left open.
While this wasn’t really the book for me, I know plenty of other readers who will enjoy it. Thank you again to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the opportunity of reviewing an ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Trafficking, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Vomit
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