A review by wellreadandhalfdead
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

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

2.5

I was in love with the premise of this book, but not the execution. The idea of a whole race of beings that eat books and can absorb the information in them intrigued me from the get-go. However, the idea itself wasn't enough to drive the book. The pace dragged the whole book down. I love flashbacks/non-linear storytelling, but it didn't work in this instance. It stilted the story, making it awkward and unfortunately boring. There were two chapters in which the point-of-view switched from the main character, Devon, to a different character. It was jarring and seemed unnecessary in the scheme of things. The plot was not compelling enough to make me want to keep reading (but I did, obviously).

I did enjoy the characters. Cai was my favorite, he was very strange but sweet. I thought the atmosphere of the book was great; it takes place in decrepit mansions and dirty motel rooms, which gave it a mysterious feel that I could really get into. I thought the exploration of family dynamics and the entrenchment of tradition was a really cool angle to tell the story from, and I would have loved to see that explored even more, as well as the relationship between Devon and Hester. The prose was surprisingly beautiful, enough to make me want to give Dean's next book a try. 

Overall I was not impressed, but it might hit better for someone else.
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