Reviews

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Only show reviews with written explanations

lakeofstars's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No

2.5

when reading, i wished it was shorter because of how bored i was growing with the story. after reading, i wish it was longer- but specifically to weave in more (especially positive) interactions between the characters that would have made me more invested in the plot. the writing itself was... fine? it had moments of greatness and moments of weakness.

i loved the premise of book and mind eaters, and found the explanation of the mythos and pseudoscience of it all to be the most interesting parts of the story. however, it strangely felt irrelevant at times? excluding the mind eaters and their need to feed, sometimes it felt like you could have taken out the book eating and replaced it with a different, not anatomically unique, isolated society and the story would not have changed much at all.

a perfect 50/50 rating because i quite enjoyed the worldbuilding and definitely sensed the potential of everything else pulsating under the surface, but overall this book fell flat for me in the rest of its execution. i also have seen other readers bring up some problematic aspects of the themes regarding disability in this book, which i find troubling.

ellanturns's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ashleygz's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

charloreadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

mtamplen's review against another edition

Go to review page

Great premise and concept but the language and pace were not for me

txdnagel's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

Loved the premise of the book. It for sure set us up for a sequel, but I did not love the ending. It felt fluffy and forced. Otherwise, solid writing up until the last third of the book.