You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I found this book very captivating. the story is never dull. It is a fun twist to how knowledge can help you in a different way. Eating books for food verse just to pass time is a interesting avenue. I like that the way the book eaters have their medical issues is to give birth to a dragon. Showing that even an out of norm family has issues. I loved that the eaters take on parts of those they have eaten. Kissed with a twist. The small vampire links make this read all the more captivating. with them turning into mush after. I very much liked that Devon did everything to save her children. That even after years she still wanted to go and save her daughter.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So bizarre, the idea of consuming knowledge through eating the brains of others and when "redemption" is given then surviving off books, maps, and other printed material as a source of food. Definitely a unique science fiction read, one where you see many parallels in how we parent and protect at all costs.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was more of a 2.75 for me but I'll round up. Unique premise but so many plot holes and the modernization of such a fantasy story was a little jarring. It really pulled me out of the scenes. It was incredibly annoying that Cai seemed to be forgotten in almost all of his scenes despite standing right there and having such a bold personality. For such a long winded book, I did think it ended very abruptly. I'm assuming this was intentional for a possible sequel.
I LOOVE the concept of this, it sounded so interesting from just reading the synopsis but the execution didnt do it for me sadly. I’m still kind of figuring out how to feel about it after finishing it last night. I didnt have a lot of motivation to finish this to be honest, I was skimming through a lot of it, I just wanted to finish it because it was this months bookclub pick.
After reading the synopsis I felt like it sounded like Devon´s thing with craving brains was unique but when reading it the concept of mind eaters were already established and wasn’t really explored that much. overall I just feel like the concept of mind eaters and book eaters didnt impact the story that much and that is what made me interested in the book. The most interesting part of the book got degraded to the sidelines.
It kind of felt like the author wanted to include too much or didnt really know what she wanted with the book and it just became messy and underdeveloped. The characters were also boring, none of them really caught my attention
Sadly a very interesting concept with a very disappointing execution. Do not recommend
After reading the synopsis I felt like it sounded like Devon´s thing with craving brains was unique but when reading it the concept of mind eaters were already established and wasn’t really explored that much. overall I just feel like the concept of mind eaters and book eaters didnt impact the story that much and that is what made me interested in the book. The most interesting part of the book got degraded to the sidelines.
It kind of felt like the author wanted to include too much or didnt really know what she wanted with the book and it just became messy and underdeveloped. The characters were also boring, none of them really caught my attention
Sadly a very interesting concept with a very disappointing execution. Do not recommend
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Really unique and really enjoyable!
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
This has been one of the most interesting premises I've read this year and I was not disappointed!
The concept of a "book eater" (a species that literally eats books to survive) was an incredible concept and I loved the way that the author inserted different parts of their culture or biology throughout the book as though it were the most natural thing in the world - casually stating that they have "bookteeth" alongside their generic human-like teeth, books having different specific tastes. It was so fun and different that I read this book within two sittings because I just wanted to learn everything about them as a creature. I've read a lot of "predator living among humans" with different supernatural concepts but this one was incredibly well done and did it justice.
The book has some graphic violence and gore and some horror concepts which I found were seamless within the novel and kept the tension amped up throughout. I loved Devon as a character and found her narrative was well distinguished between past and present. I think if I had read this book when I was a teenager, I may perhaps have not connected as much with her (the book focuses a lot on the concept of family and motherhood) but I found these thoughts and values really drove the book forward and gave rationale to all of her actions. She was a strong character without being a typical "stabby gorgeous heroine" sort of way, instead making unwise and rash decisions and being strong in any way she had to be. The casual writing of sexuality of the characters was refreshing, with it being part of their identity rather than their sexual orientation being the only reason that their side character is present.
The plot was quite predictable but this surprisingly didn't retract from the story which I believe is purely because of the originality of the novel. The last 10% of the novel felt quite rushed which is why I am giving this four stars as the rest of the book had been so well crafted that I felt a bit disappointed. Nonetheless the prose and writing style was fantastic and I found myself rooting for many of the characters.
This was a fun concept that had elements of thriller and horror that I truly loved, and I would definitely read more from Sunyi Dean in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The concept of a "book eater" (a species that literally eats books to survive) was an incredible concept and I loved the way that the author inserted different parts of their culture or biology throughout the book as though it were the most natural thing in the world - casually stating that they have "bookteeth" alongside their generic human-like teeth, books having different specific tastes. It was so fun and different that I read this book within two sittings because I just wanted to learn everything about them as a creature. I've read a lot of "predator living among humans" with different supernatural concepts but this one was incredibly well done and did it justice.
The book has some graphic violence and gore and some horror concepts which I found were seamless within the novel and kept the tension amped up throughout. I loved Devon as a character and found her narrative was well distinguished between past and present. I think if I had read this book when I was a teenager, I may perhaps have not connected as much with her (the book focuses a lot on the concept of family and motherhood) but I found these thoughts and values really drove the book forward and gave rationale to all of her actions. She was a strong character without being a typical "stabby gorgeous heroine" sort of way, instead making unwise and rash decisions and being strong in any way she had to be. The casual writing of sexuality of the characters was refreshing, with it being part of their identity rather than their sexual orientation being the only reason that their side character is present.
The plot was quite predictable but this surprisingly didn't retract from the story which I believe is purely because of the originality of the novel. The last 10% of the novel felt quite rushed which is why I am giving this four stars as the rest of the book had been so well crafted that I felt a bit disappointed. Nonetheless the prose and writing style was fantastic and I found myself rooting for many of the characters.
This was a fun concept that had elements of thriller and horror that I truly loved, and I would definitely read more from Sunyi Dean in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated