Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

113 reviews

imds's review against another edition

• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Acephobia/Arophobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, Body shaming, Confinement, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, and Trafficking

thebechdelbitch's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Child abuse

tisjenna's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

grahk1107's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring 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? It's complicated

2.5

Points for originality but eye-roll romance and

resolutions 

. Reminded me of house in the Cerulean Sea. Make-belive and moralistic but more complex. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, and Misogyny

yaelaed's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Grief

Minor: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Rape, and Sexual assault

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Rape, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I’m so fortunate that A) this book exists, B) I added it to my TBR, and C) I got to read it. I don’t even remember how this ended up on my TBR, but I’m glad I did. This story is slow, layered, and beautifully written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Grief, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Violence, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Sexism, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Blood

Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Cursing, Infertility, Cannibalism, Car accident, Bullying, Pregnancy, Stalking, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Body horror

Minor: Incest and Child death

Eugenics

mareelynn's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

 I was expecting a lighter fantasy tale about the ways the books we devour become a part of us. Instead, Sunyi Dean's debut novel is more of a modern gothic horror with variations on vampire/zombie tropes, a Mother & Child duo on the run from vicious, irredeemable bad guys, and a quest for a Magic Pill that's gonna fix it all.

I found most of the flashbacks to Devon's youth tough to get through, and then the pace finally picked up just in time for the book to end. The uneven characterization of Devon and Cai is balanced with some poignant prose, especially when Dean writes about the fierce, unconditional love between a mother and child. I just wish there was more about book eating in The Book Eaters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape

catriona176's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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 death and Abandonment

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Violence, Pregnancy, and Slavery

idontlovejessica's review against another edition

medium-paced

 YMMV on the scope and depth of this novel. Admittedly after a diet of hard sci-fi and political thrillers, I was a little disappointed by this. There are so many fun threads and lore details I wish we could nail down and explore! My friend informed me that the author drew on the experiences of people who escaped cults and that greatly helped me contextualize this novel in a, honestly, smaller scope. Others have compared it to Handmaid's Tale and I found myself also comparing it to that, but if it is a cult allegory rather than a Conservative Republican American allegory I think it works really well! If there are future additions I'd love to explore how firm the Bookeaters abilities/disabilities are. Can they not read because of society, trauma, or is it because of biology? How effective is the ability to eat books? I'm currently obsessed with multi-personalities and fusion personalities (Shout-out The Locked Tomb and Steven Universe) so I'm very excited to explore how Kai evolves. Overall a read I found underwhelming, but so full of neat ideas I spent many more hours trying to dissect and fix what I thought was lacking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault