Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Book Eaters

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

108 reviews

sheyri's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

LGBTQ rep:

lesbian, asexual

It just didn't draw me in, I was mostly bored and at the end, even though it was rather fast paced, I just wanted it to be over already. It's a good idea and I can definitely see why people would enjoy it, it just wasn't for me.
Huge bonus point for an asexual character! We don't have enough of those just casually appearing in books. Without them I probably would've rated the book 2-2.5 stars.

Something not the fault of the author: the production quality of my paperback wasn't good, the spine was so stiff it didn't want to stay open, even after I broke the spine (sorry, book). That made it annoying to read, which played a part in my enjoyment.

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isaaah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

I'm always weak for stories that talk about the power of stories. I suppose you can say I ate this one up. The Book Eaters tells us that the stories we consume, that we are given, shape the way we see the world, and how we imagine our future. This fantasy of people that eat books and minds seems surreal, but their society, strictly managed by patriarchs who decide what stories their children are allowed to consume, does not seem so far from the truth to me. I'm thinking of real life censorship and book burnings and pearl-clutching parents that think certain stories might lead their children away from the life path they envisioned for them.
This story is about a woman trying to escape the system she is born in and envision a different future.

The book also talks about love, and the lengths we go for it, which is a theme I'm also always happy to explore. I especially enjoyed the notion that love is not inherently good, it is just something we make choices for. A lot of it focuses on Devons relationship with her children, which I thought well done. However, I'm not a parent, nor do not I wish to be, so some of the emotional layers might have been lost on me.

I was more so interested in the development of her friendships with Jarrow and Hester. Devon grew up isolated and sheltered and only rarely met strangers. Later she is made to fend for herself in a world full of a people unknown to her, and that are functionally prey for her son. I thought this made for an interesting perspective to the process of trusting new people and making friends, and I'd have liked to see more of it. I personally would have preferred her relationship with Hester to stay platonic, as right now, the romance seemed underdeveloped to me. It seemed more like something to be explored in a potential sequel (or just leave up to the imagination). But then again, my verdict for 90% of romance plots is that it goes too fast; at this point it might be a me-problem.

At the end I also felt like the flashbacks slowed down the pace a bit, but none of these things kept me from thoroughly enjoying this book!

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hazelsnoot's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

I cant stop thinking about this book. A unique, dark, and haunting story.

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cassiecollins's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.5

Man, I really wish the whole concept of book-eating was better incorporated. As it is, there are a few moments where it's used in interesting ways—like Devon eating maps and train schedules—but overall it feels like you could replace it with any other alien physiology and the narrative wouldn't be affected at all. The story itself was pretty good, though toward the end the flashbacks just became redundant and were in the way of the present story.

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ohthatcara's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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imds's review against another edition

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Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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thebechdelbitch's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A really wonderful, if at times heavy handed story about stories and how women are lessened by the lack of representation.

I felt the middle dragged quite a bit and there were lots of complex politics which I didn't really care about - in the end it was all recapped anyway so it didn't feel so bad that I'd not paid loads of attention. I would have loved to see more of Hester and Devon's relationship developing as that felt like it happened kind of quickly.

also the bit st the end with the bag REALLY made me eye roll!

Overall a decent read!

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