A review by rampant_reading
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

challenging dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

Horror novels are slightly outside my usual comfort zone for reading, but I’m so glad I decided to push my boundaries and give The Book Eaters a read!  Though I was very creeped out at times during the book, I accepted this discomfort as part of the reading experience with a novel this dark, and was able to embrace it!  My favorite part of this book was the driving relationship between Devon and Kai, and the intense love between them.  Devon is so well written, in that each of her actions is perfectly justifiable from her point of view.  She is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her son, whether or not it is the “good” or “morally right” thing to do, which drives the story forward.  To me, The Book Eaters feels like the most original fairytale I’ve ever read, earning it a full five stars as my rating!

One thing that I especially loved which was unique to the audiobook was the short interview at the end with the author and the narrator, Katie Erich!  It made the book extra meaningful to me when I got to listen to the narrator speak about her experiences as a neurodivergent and hard-of-hearing person (both of which are identities I share).  I was delighted to hear a bit about someone like me working in the audiobook industry, especially after listening to and loving the entire story and the narration!  As of August, this is my favorite audiobook of 2022, and I sincerely hope that Katie Erich will continue her work in the industry!

My Recommendation-
If you enjoy dark novels with rich and original magic in them, you should grab a copy of The Book Eaters!  I would caution more sensitive readers to take a look at the content warnings, as this book does go to some graphic and potentially triggering places.

Content Warning (taken from the author’s website): Body horror, gore, explicit violence, domestic abuse, violence against children, cult-like environment



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