The Book Eaters
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- Create Date：2022-07-25 09:51:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sunyi Dean
- ISBN：1250810183
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Summary
Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food， and who retain all of a book's content after eating it。 To them， spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious。 Eating a map can help them remember destinations， and children， when they misbehave， are forced to eat dry， musty pages from dictionaries。
Devon is part of The Family， an old and reclusive clan of book eaters。 Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure， and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories。
But real life doesn't always come with happy endings， as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books， but for human minds。
Devon is part of The Family， an old and reclusive clan of book eaters。 Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure， and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories。
But real life doesn't always come with happy endings， as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books， but for human minds。
Reviews
Becca （Horners_book_corner）
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I have to say， I enjoyed every single bite of this book。 I consumed it in three sittings， with a glass of wine。 Every page was of the most delectable quality， and left me wanting more。 An ideal snack for those who are after a taste of fantasy horror with strong flavours of family， adventure， murder， light F/F romance， escape and devotion。 I found that I had plenty of room at the end for a dessert course， keeping my fingers crossed for another book set in this world！
Laura Martinez
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The Book Eaters seemed like a very interesting listen。 A different kind of monster that consumes books and immediately memorized the book。 But then you have mind eaters that consume something else。 Interesting right？Unfortunately， I was unable to connect with the character and the narrator， Katie Erich didn’t pull me into the story。 The inflections used， remained the same throughout many scenes。 It’s very descriptive and interesting there are two different timelines。 It’s not confusing， it just The Book Eaters seemed like a very interesting listen。 A different kind of monster that consumes books and immediately memorized the book。 But then you have mind eaters that consume something else。 Interesting right？Unfortunately， I was unable to connect with the character and the narrator， Katie Erich didn’t pull me into the story。 The inflections used， remained the same throughout many scenes。 It’s very descriptive and interesting there are two different timelines。 It’s not confusing， it just didn’t hold my attention unfortunately。 Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC。 。。。more
Andrea
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC。Devon is part of a mysterious race of book eaters， who rely on books for physical sustenance。 In alternating chapters， we see Devon as a young woman raised on fairy tales and betrothed for the first time contrasted to years later when Devon has escaped her family and is frantically trying to care for her ravenous， mind-eating son。This was one of the most innovative conceptions of monsters I've encountered recently， and it's paired with a dark， Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC。Devon is part of a mysterious race of book eaters， who rely on books for physical sustenance。 In alternating chapters， we see Devon as a young woman raised on fairy tales and betrothed for the first time contrasted to years later when Devon has escaped her family and is frantically trying to care for her ravenous， mind-eating son。This was one of the most innovative conceptions of monsters I've encountered recently， and it's paired with a dark， atmospheric environment。 Everyone is a monster， just different kinds。 Lots of fun！While many of my questions about book eaters and their society ultimately went unanswered， making the world seem paperthin at times， it was still an enjoyable read。 。。。more
Bri Burton
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this amazing book！This book was one of the best I've read so far this year， and I'm not going to downplay how much I loved it at all！ The writing and world-building were fully immersive， the characters were all complex and interesting， and Sunyi Dead perfectly balanced both the past and present storylines extremely well。I also really like how fleshed-out the Book Eaters' society is， and how well it reflects many of the ways w Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this amazing book！This book was one of the best I've read so far this year， and I'm not going to downplay how much I loved it at all！ The writing and world-building were fully immersive， the characters were all complex and interesting， and Sunyi Dead perfectly balanced both the past and present storylines extremely well。I also really like how fleshed-out the Book Eaters' society is， and how well it reflects many of the ways women in real life have been oppressed--despite Book Eaters thinking they're superior to humankind--and how even the sympathetic male Book Eaters didn't really understand how the way the women were treated was a bad thing （that was probably a little too realistic for comfort）。I also really like how much of this book is really thought-provoking and encourages you to think about the ethics and morality of pretty much every part of Book Eater lives， and how that compares to human lives--and doing that on top of a solid plot is even more impressive！ 。。。more
Susan
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Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley， Macmillan-Tor/Forge， and Tor Books in exchange for an honest review。Content warnings （provided by the author）: Body horror， gore， explicit violence， domestic abuse， violence against children。I don't know about you， but ever since I was a child and saw Neverending Story， I've wanted to be able to live inside the books that I read。 But in THE BOOK EATERS， we have a species that looks like humans， yet they take sustenance by eating （literally） books。。。 Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley， Macmillan-Tor/Forge， and Tor Books in exchange for an honest review。Content warnings （provided by the author）: Body horror， gore， explicit violence， domestic abuse， violence against children。I don't know about you， but ever since I was a child and saw Neverending Story， I've wanted to be able to live inside the books that I read。 But in THE BOOK EATERS， we have a species that looks like humans， yet they take sustenance by eating （literally） books。。。 a genetic defect causes some of them to only be able to survive on eating people's minds。 In either case， they absorb the story/information/memories from their food and it runs the risk of altering their personalities。 Live too long and they begin to lose their minds as they are overwhelmed with the things they have eaten over their lifetime。 But this species also has few women and fewer births， their numbers dwindling as the years go by。 Women are married off to other families for a few years in hopes of producing a child， only to then have to leave that child forever as they move on to a new marriage and a new family。。。 until they can no longer have children and they are resigned to being the "aunts" in their original family home， raising the left behind children from the wives that have passed through。 Until one woman decides to fight back。 This is a brutal book on many levels。 While Devon may have grown up eating fairytales （as all women of her species are， making them see themselves as princesses in their own lives）， her life is far more a Grimm fairytale than a Disney one。 What Devon is forced to do in order to save Cai is ugly and without any good， just， or right choices。 I was invested in Dean's story and characters and enjoyed seeing the inside workings of multiple family mansions。 Each one so different while all operating under the same stifling rule。 It was evident fairly early on that there could be no happy ending， no ending that didn't come with pain and loss - but I still was hoping for the best possible outcome to the very end。 I can see this being a great book club book because there are so many threads that would lead into conversations between people。 I think everyone will approach the morality in this book differently and that could be a very engaging experience that will add new layers to this story。 。。。more
Beth， BooksNest
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I was sent a copy of this book by the publishers in exchange for a fair review。 I gave this book 4。5 stars。 If I hear a book is about books， I’m in。 Sunyi Dean’s The Book Eaters did not disappoint。 The compelling story of a group of people who survive by eating books was a fantastically creative idea。 I loved this take and the way they absorbed knowledge from what they consumed。 And I loved the contrast and politics within their society when it comes to Mind Eaters who eat… you guessed it… minds I was sent a copy of this book by the publishers in exchange for a fair review。 I gave this book 4。5 stars。 If I hear a book is about books， I’m in。 Sunyi Dean’s The Book Eaters did not disappoint。 The compelling story of a group of people who survive by eating books was a fantastically creative idea。 I loved this take and the way they absorbed knowledge from what they consumed。 And I loved the contrast and politics within their society when it comes to Mind Eaters who eat… you guessed it… minds。 This book was the perfect length to tell Devon and Cai’s story， a mother trying to protect her son and let him live for himself。 The writing was brilliant and totally threw me into every scene。 I also loved the narrative switching between last and present to slowly feed the reader more information。 Really loved it， great book and well worth of a pre-order！ 。。。more
Jenna Rideout
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I was granted complimentary audio ARC access to The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you for the approval！ My thoughts are my own and my review is honset。 The Book Eaters is a dark urban fantasy about a human-adjacent species living within but separate from the modern world。 Somewhat like vampires of knowledge， they consume written knowledge and satiate their bodies simultaneously by eating books。 Fascinating， right？ Well， two I was granted complimentary audio ARC access to The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you for the approval！ My thoughts are my own and my review is honset。 The Book Eaters is a dark urban fantasy about a human-adjacent species living within but separate from the modern world。 Somewhat like vampires of knowledge， they consume written knowledge and satiate their bodies simultaneously by eating books。 Fascinating， right？ Well， two stumbling points。 First， fertile women are married and re-married multiple times in order to produce children， which they are weaned from and forced to leave with their fathers upon turning 3 years old。 Second， sometimes sons born to these families require an entirely different sort of sustenance。。。If you've ever wondered what might happen if you put a reimagined type of vampires into the world of The Handmaid's Tale， this would be it。 It's dark and emotionally disturbing in a lot of the same ways， it provides commentary on other repressed groups within society （particularly LGBTQIA+ identities，） and it follows a POV character who wants to break tradition and keep her babies for herself。 I will say this book absolutely does not deliver the story the first edition cover art is selling。 The first edition cover at， in the North American market at least， shows two people and a house cut out of the printed pages of a book and the feeling is very whimsical。 Very Neverland。 The synopsis paired with this cover is simply not enough warning for how dark the material actually is， and I worry that some potential readers will end up not finishing because they were only up for something lighter。 Fortunately for the publishers， I like dark fantasy as well！ Narrator Katie Erich does a good job of conveying the story in a pace that is easy to listen to。 I'm a fast listener， so I can tell you confidently that this book is absolutely comfortable to listen to at faster speeds， but I did sample at 1x to truly get a feel for this narrator as well。 If I were a slower listener， or if I wanted to just enjoy this book as a re-read in the background， I would absolutely be able to listen to this at 1x without feeling like the pauses were too long or anything like that。 The book is all one POV but we do occasionally get dialogue passages where speakers aren't individually tagged each time， and I was able to follow those conversations easily。 。。。more
Esmay Rosalyne
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4。5 stars rounded upThe Book Eaters is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I am very happy to report that it did not disappoint！！ This story is a gorgeous mix of dark urban fantasy， horror， mystery and fairytales。 And I know that might sound like an odd mix of genres and vibes， but trust me when I say that the author pulled it off masterfully。 In this story we mainly follow Devon， who is one of the most unconventional princesses you will ever have the joy of reading about。 That i 4。5 stars rounded upThe Book Eaters is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I am very happy to report that it did not disappoint！！ This story is a gorgeous mix of dark urban fantasy， horror， mystery and fairytales。 And I know that might sound like an odd mix of genres and vibes， but trust me when I say that the author pulled it off masterfully。 In this story we mainly follow Devon， who is one of the most unconventional princesses you will ever have the joy of reading about。 That is， she is part of one of the six Families of Book Eaters that live in the remote parts of Britain， making her a Book Eater princess。 And as you can guess from their name， they consume books to stay alive。 The Book Eaters have a slight problem though， because they have a lack of fertility and female children are rarely born， so their numbers are now dwindling quickly。 In order to survive， the female Book Eaters are fed with cautionary fairy tales and treated as pampered princesses until they become of bearing age。 And then the Knights and Dragons come to force them into their role as Mother-Brides， which means that they are expected to bear a child， raise it to three years of age， and then leave them behind to be married off to the next Family to repeat the process。 But when Devon’s second child is born a Mind Eater， sustaining himself on minds and souls instead of books， she knows she can’t stay with the Families and let her son be taken away from her to be used as a weapon… or to be killed。 Needless to say that this book is chock-full of themes about motherhood， misogyny， the dangers of a patriarchal society and breaking out of the path that has been laid out for you。 Devon is an incredibly complex character and I loved following her and seeing how she coped with her less than ideal situation。 Because this story is told in a dual timeline - one from the present and one from Devon’s childhood - we get to see her incredible character development throughout this book。 Seeing Devon grow up in her Family’s manor shed a light on how messed up the Book Eater society is， even though our main character doesn’t yet realise that herself when she is young。 The Families gave off a very prim and proper regency era vibe， but there is also a very dark and sinister atmosphere that only grew more unsettling the older （and more aware of her situation） Devon got。 The present timeline was a nice off-set to the past timeline， as we see Devon being a badass mom who is not afraid to take matters into her own hands when it comes to protecting her son。 Even if that means risking her own sense of morality， no sacrifice is too much for her。 And the relationships she develops throughout this story are just the best， I loved all these side characters！ I mean， you can never go wrong with some good found/chosen family vibes！ Also， I tend to get annoyed very easily by characters that are young children， but Devon’s son （Cai） was one of the most fascinating and complex 5-year-olds I have ever read and I loved him。 The mother/son relationship was so unconventional， but so compelling。 Props to the author for writing such a challenging but interesting dynamic！ And yay for queer rep！！ It was wonderful to see Devon start to explore her own （sexual） identity outside from her role as Mother-Bride。 I mean， this definitely doesn’t focus on the romance， but the little tidbits we got were to die for！Safe to say that I was blown away by this story。 The writing was impeccable and I was completely enthralled from page one。 Also， I wasn’t expecting to ever find a unique take on vampirism anymore at this point， but I am happy to say that Dean succeeded in that！Also， the author definitely doesn’t pull her punches and this can be quite a tough， bleak and disturbing read at times。 However， the difficult themes are handled with a lot of care and there are also threads of hope， love and resilience woven beautifully throughout this story。 And even though the ending is bitter-sweet （in my opinion）， I was left in a state of awe and contentment， because I couldn’t have imagined a better conclusion。 The only thing that held this back from becoming an all-time favourite is the fact that I struggled a bit with the world building in the beginning。 The author just dumps you right into the story and uses some unfamiliar terms that aren’t explained until a lot later in the story， so that threw me off a bit。 That said， everything does eventually click into place， so if you don’t mind feeling a bit confused in the beginning， then I recommend you just take the gamble， trust the author and enjoy the wild ride。So， all in all， I had an amazing reading experience and I am super happy this lived up to my expectations。 This is one of the most imaginative and unique books I have read in a while and I will 100% read anything else that Sunyi Dean decides to put to paper， because I fell in love with her ideas and gorgeous writing！！ If anything I said in this review sounds even slightly interesting to you， I highly recommend just giving this a shot。 I promise you won’t be disappointed :） PS。 I listened to this on audiobook and I loved that performance。 The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life， I was completely immersed。 Highly recommend checking it out if you like audiobooks！ A huge thank you to Amber from Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of the audiobook to read and review。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Nicole
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Got 70% though
Tea
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Got off to a bit of a slow and Rocky start for me。 The back and forth through time storytelling does not serve the first half of the book well， making it a choppy read with little forward momentum。But， around the halfway point， the various stories all begin to come together in a satisfying way that works well。 I very much enjoyed the concept of people who feed off the creativity of humanity but unable to create new things themselves。 The idea of a culture completely built on nothing but the writ Got off to a bit of a slow and Rocky start for me。 The back and forth through time storytelling does not serve the first half of the book well， making it a choppy read with little forward momentum。But， around the halfway point， the various stories all begin to come together in a satisfying way that works well。 I very much enjoyed the concept of people who feed off the creativity of humanity but unable to create new things themselves。 The idea of a culture completely built on nothing but the written word， when for so many centuries the written words only came from men， is told in an interesting and fresh way。As for body horror and gore， it is definitely there， but those aren't things I generally enjoy yet was able to get through quite easily for the most part here。 The scariest parts of this book weren't the deaths， it were the Patriarchy。The audio has an excellent interview at the end between the author and the narrator which I found very interesting and informative。 I wish I'd known it was there when I was at the 90% mark and sweating about how things must be about to go horribly wrong if there were that much story left to tell 😅Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this excellent ARC 。。。more
Rhiannon Johnson
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。In The Book Eaters， female book eaters are rare and married off with the sole purpose of reproduction to continue their line。 Book eater princess Devon gives birth to a mind eater but rather than give her son up to the Knights， she fights back against the system that oppresses her。 On the run and in search of Redemption （a medicine to abate her son's hunger） she is pushed to her limits。 This book is borderline hor I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。In The Book Eaters， female book eaters are rare and married off with the sole purpose of reproduction to continue their line。 Book eater princess Devon gives birth to a mind eater but rather than give her son up to the Knights， she fights back against the system that oppresses her。 On the run and in search of Redemption （a medicine to abate her son's hunger） she is pushed to her limits。 This book is borderline horror so if you are squeamish this might not be the one for you， but if you like dark fairytales and strong， vengeful mothers， you should check this out。 Come chat with me about books here， too: Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest 。。。more
A Mac
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There exists a group of people in Northern England whose sustenance is the written word; they live off eating books and retain the knowledge from the texts they consume。 Devon is one of these people， born and raised in a society where women are few and are protected at all costs， even to their detriment。 She’s raised on a diet of fairytales and happy endings， but as she grows older， she realizes that these books are far from reality。 As she struggles with the realities of her life， she begins to There exists a group of people in Northern England whose sustenance is the written word; they live off eating books and retain the knowledge from the texts they consume。 Devon is one of these people， born and raised in a society where women are few and are protected at all costs， even to their detriment。 She’s raised on a diet of fairytales and happy endings， but as she grows older， she realizes that these books are far from reality。 As she struggles with the realities of her life， she begins to wonder if it’s possible to break free from what she’s always known。 This was a unique and interesting modern take on vampirism， weaving in elements of gothic-horror to create an immersive atmospheric experience。 I enjoyed the setting descriptions and worldbuilding， both of which were descriptive and well written。 The author excelled at creating the book eater culture and their politics and infighting。 Devon was a realistic and relatable protagonist。 I enjoyed the depth of her character and her personal conflicts and struggles。 The author used chapters as flashbacks into Devon’s childhood， which made it easy to see how she ended up where she did， and what decisions and struggles led her there。 I enjoyed that Devon was a morally grey character who did whatever she needed to for her true family。 This led to some fascinating conflict and decisions that added real depth to the stories and the characters。 The secondary characters were all well written and were mostly not morally “good，” making a great backdrop for Devon。 I also loved the atypical mother/son relationship that was the focus of this work。 There are many intense and dark occurrences in this work – it is not a light read。 These include emotional and physical abuse， murder， abusive relationships， and deep culturally ingrained misogyny。 But the work also explores themes of motherhood， chosen family， and identity in a way that adds to the characters and story。 I listened to the audiobook version of this work， and the narrator did an excellent job at bringing the characters to life。 Overall， I recommend this work to those who are interested in dark fantasy and the themes mentioned above。 My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and review this book， which will be published on August 2， 2022。 All opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Kobe
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4 stars。With a brilliantly unique concept， The Book Eaters drew me in right from the beginning with a well developed fantasy world and a compelling main character。 The portrayal of Devon， a woman who struggles with the traditions of her kind and has to fight to protect her child， was incredible and I was really gripped by her story。 I loved how the narrative switched from the past to the present， particularly as it contextualised a lot of Devon's decisions， messy as they may be， and helped me co 4 stars。With a brilliantly unique concept， The Book Eaters drew me in right from the beginning with a well developed fantasy world and a compelling main character。 The portrayal of Devon， a woman who struggles with the traditions of her kind and has to fight to protect her child， was incredible and I was really gripped by her story。 I loved how the narrative switched from the past to the present， particularly as it contextualised a lot of Devon's decisions， messy as they may be， and helped me connect with her as a character a lot more。Whilst I did enjoy reading about most of the side characters， I wish there had been more interactions with them throughout the book。 Sometimes - especially in the case of Hester - relationships between characters weren't as developed。 I felt like the ending was a little bit rushed and there were a few threads woven into the narrative - like the concept of the Collector， as well as Salem's story - that were somewhat sidelined in latter half of the book。Overall， an highly enjoyable book with an incredible concept and an unforgettable protagonist。 With great depictions of queer characters， motherhood， and complex relationships within families， The Book Eaters is definitely not one to miss。Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for the early digital copy to read and review！ 。。。more
Jenn
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I loved THE BOOK EATERS so， so much。 I have often felt like a book eater myself， devouring books in order to enter another world， or perhaps just escape this one。 It was interesting to see this concept literalized in a society of secretive， mysterious people who literally use books for sustenance， tasting words and paper and absorbing their knowledge。 Sunyi Dean does a fantastic job of bringing this small but highly complex and hierarchical society to life in vivid detail， and crafts a nuanced p I loved THE BOOK EATERS so， so much。 I have often felt like a book eater myself， devouring books in order to enter another world， or perhaps just escape this one。 It was interesting to see this concept literalized in a society of secretive， mysterious people who literally use books for sustenance， tasting words and paper and absorbing their knowledge。 Sunyi Dean does a fantastic job of bringing this small but highly complex and hierarchical society to life in vivid detail， and crafts a nuanced protagonist in Devon， who has escaped this society and is reluctantly returning to the fold in order to save her son's life。 I could not put this down！ 。。。more
Amy Harteveld
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Rep: sapphic MC， sapphic SC， asexual SC， disabled Indian-British SC The concept of this book is really cool and creative。 Devon’s whole family are secluded human looking creatures who eat books and gain the knowledge inside them。 Girls in the Family are rare and highly sought after。 But they are highly controlled and have very secluded lives。 Their main goal is to have kids， who in turn are whisked away from them after a few years， to never be seen again。 Devon’s first child is a girl book eater Rep: sapphic MC， sapphic SC， asexual SC， disabled Indian-British SC The concept of this book is really cool and creative。 Devon’s whole family are secluded human looking creatures who eat books and gain the knowledge inside them。 Girls in the Family are rare and highly sought after。 But they are highly controlled and have very secluded lives。 Their main goal is to have kids， who in turn are whisked away from them after a few years， to never be seen again。 Devon’s first child is a girl book eater。 Her second is a boy mind eater。 Instead of craving books， he craves people’s minds。 This book is told in multiple timelines。 It jumps throughout the years to explain the story and how Devon got to the place she is now and why she’s doing the things she is。 This leaves you on edge wanting to know what happened all those years ago。 Things slowly unravel and are explained until we catch up to the present。The story is such an interesting concept and has a very fascinating world。 I’d say The Family are similar to vampires。 How they are so secluded， rarely interact with humans and aren’t entirely human， more so creatures feeding off of humans。 It’s really cool how they gain all the knowledge from the books they eat。 They gain different information from each genre， and they even taste different。 They can also learn new languages by reading a book， or have a better understanding of geography by reading maps。 Of course the women are only allowed to eat certain books， mostly fairytales and cautionary stories。 It’s a way to control them so they don’t know any better of the real world and realize how they’re being treated and try to escape， which Devon tries to do a few times。 This book has a lot of social commentary that can apply today， especially with how men control women。The mind readers are also really cool。 （view spoiler）[ I did not expect them to gain the knowledge of the minds they ate。 That’s really interesting。 Because eating minds wasn't terrifying enough lol It gets a bit weird when one consumes a lot of minds over their lifetime， as they all start to merge together and sometimes take over the host。 （hide spoiler）]Devon is such a passionate character。 She immediately bonds with her children and will do anything she has to to protect them。 She doesn’t always succeed， and most times it would be way easier for her to just give up， but her love is too strong。Loved the ace rep！ I love seeing ace rep in books， as its so rare and often times not done very well。 Here though， the character explains it well and its accepted。 I wish we saw more of his character。 He really helped her through tough times in her life。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book 。。。more
Laura
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This fantasy about a book-eating mother separated from her daughter and doing her best to meet her son's dangerous needs is unlike any I've read before。 I liked the idea of how different books would taste and of ingesting their contents。 I also liked the revolt against conventional fairy tales。 This fantasy about a book-eating mother separated from her daughter and doing her best to meet her son's dangerous needs is unlike any I've read before。 I liked the idea of how different books would taste and of ingesting their contents。 I also liked the revolt against conventional fairy tales。 。。。more
Chris Monceaux
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***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of the audiobook via NetGalley！ My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading/listening experience。***I was hooked on this book from the opening chapter。 It was creepy and a bit horrifying， and I just knew I wanted to know about this woman and the reasons for the choice she made。 The stunning prose and rich characterization kept me entranced as this incredibly unique tale unfolded。I loved the structure of the story。 It had a split tim ***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of the audiobook via NetGalley！ My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading/listening experience。***I was hooked on this book from the opening chapter。 It was creepy and a bit horrifying， and I just knew I wanted to know about this woman and the reasons for the choice she made。 The stunning prose and rich characterization kept me entranced as this incredibly unique tale unfolded。I loved the structure of the story。 It had a split timeline similar to the structure in The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons， which I also really enjoyed。 The chapters alternated between the past and the present until the narratives came together in the end， and it was a fascinating way to slowly reveal the motivations of the characters while keeping the story moving forward at a good pace。This felt like a very personal story。 Despite setting a great backdrop of inter-family drama and a complex society， the story largely focused on how those things influenced the character of Devon。 I enjoy a great epic fantasy as much as the next person， but I loved that this story was more about the effects of all the drama on one person， rather than having explicit focus on all the machinations of the families。 It brought a level of visceral emotion to the story that I don't think would have been possible if the author had taken a wider lens。The book also explored quite a few powerful themes。 At its heart， this was the story of a mother's love and the lengths she would go to protect her children。 This led to some very interesting ethical dilemmas。 The story also acted as a strong critique of the patriarchy and illustrated the negative impacts on women when society views them as objects or commodities。 Furthermore， it showed the power of the media we consume in shaping how we approach the world， including desensitizing us to systems based in oppression by framing them as 'normal' or 'ideal。' In general， the characters were realistic， morally grey individuals doing their best to survive in a system that exploited most of them in some way。 I enjoyed the ending a lot， as well。 It was realistic with a good balance of hopefulness and disappointment， much like real life。The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life。 There was a ton of nuance to the performance， and I could tell the difference in the age of Devon by how the narrator read her。 The audiobook also had an interview at the end with the author and narrator， which was a treat to hear。Overall， this was one of my favorite books of the year so far。 I'll definitely be adding a hard copy to my shelves at some point because I absolutely want to read it again。 The audiobook was fantastic with a brilliant narrator， though。 So， if audiobooks are your thing， you can't go wrong with this one！ Therefore， I rate this audiobook 5 out of 5 stars。See more of my reviews and other bookish content here！ 。。。more
Kerrie-Ann ✨ bookishlybesotted
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It has been said that “The Book Eaters” is one to devour and I certainly did devour it in one day！ It’s a rarity I get the chance to read a whole book in one sitting but with work closing because of the heatwave I actually had time！ 。The book’s cover and concept of the title gave me much intrigue， and the blurb grabbed my attention but I had a moment of uncertainty。 Would a book about book eaters really work？！ And I’m happy to share that it did work。 I expected it to be dark and it did shadow us It has been said that “The Book Eaters” is one to devour and I certainly did devour it in one day！ It’s a rarity I get the chance to read a whole book in one sitting but with work closing because of the heatwave I actually had time！ 。The book’s cover and concept of the title gave me much intrigue， and the blurb grabbed my attention but I had a moment of uncertainty。 Would a book about book eaters really work？！ And I’m happy to share that it did work。 I expected it to be dark and it did shadow us with just the right amount of inky atmosphere and though it’s steady paced， it gripped me enough to not put the book down craving to know the conclusion。 I did enjoy it and I was quite impressed how many elements the author inventively weaves together in this grotesque story of a woman’s fight for freedom within patriarchy。 Devon’s character is a motivating force that refuses to be anchored down by the injustices she had to face and with time running out her maternal instincts creates a hunger for survival as she discovers life is far from the fairytales she consumed as a child。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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•tDark Fantasy•tFairytale•tMultiple TimelinesThis is a dark fantasy where Devon is part of a secluded family of book eaters。 Women eat fairytales and are told that their lives are blessed。 Devon believes it until her son is born。 Instead of craving books， he craves something much darker， human minds。 Reading this book was fascinating。 The twists and turns， the not knowing who to trust， kept me on the edge of my seat。 Devon’s dedication to her son is powerful and all encompassing。 She really is a •tDark Fantasy•tFairytale•tMultiple TimelinesThis is a dark fantasy where Devon is part of a secluded family of book eaters。 Women eat fairytales and are told that their lives are blessed。 Devon believes it until her son is born。 Instead of craving books， he craves something much darker， human minds。 Reading this book was fascinating。 The twists and turns， the not knowing who to trust， kept me on the edge of my seat。 Devon’s dedication to her son is powerful and all encompassing。 She really is a great example of parenting （even if it is a mind eater）。 The Book Eaters is my favorite read this month， but maybe even this year！#TheBookEaters #SunyiDean #NetGalley #AudioARC #TorBooks #MacmillanAudio #ARC #Audiobook #BookReviewThank you to Sunyi Dean， Tor Books and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley。 。。。more
Clay Harmon
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The Book Eaters has a great cat-and-mouse plot with a very atmospheric， gothic setting， and some riveting dynamics within a very dysfunctional family。This story is first and foremost about someone trying to protect a monster who is a victim of their own nature。 Devon， our protagonist， has a son named Cai who is a mind eater， which is exactly what it sounds like， and the main internal conflict Devon deals with is struggling with her son's humanity while at the same time participating in its erasu The Book Eaters has a great cat-and-mouse plot with a very atmospheric， gothic setting， and some riveting dynamics within a very dysfunctional family。This story is first and foremost about someone trying to protect a monster who is a victim of their own nature。 Devon， our protagonist， has a son named Cai who is a mind eater， which is exactly what it sounds like， and the main internal conflict Devon deals with is struggling with her son's humanity while at the same time participating in its erasure by feeding him innocent minds。 This sets the scene for the plot of the book - to find an antidote so that Cai never has to feed on a human being again。 While on the search for the antidote， Devon and Cai are in hiding from the family they escaped from years prior - in particular from Devon's brother， Ramsay， who seeks to destroy the same people in possession of Cai's antidote。Devon makes for a great main character。 We learn a lot about her in backstory chapters that show us her upbringing among reclusive book eater families in the countryside， families with very traditional values who have raised the women in the families to be nothing more than breeders that bring more book eaters （and the occasional mind eater） into the world。 And while at first Devon succumbs to these intense pressures placed upon her， everything changes when her maternal instincts kick in after her family attempts to separate her from her children。 This eventually brings us to the present day with Devon and Cai on the run while Devon searches for the Ravenscars - a family hoarding the secret to the mind eater antidote。The primary antagonist is Devon's brother， Ramsay， who makes for a good sympathetic villain。 He in his own right is a victim to the toxic upbringing of book eater norms and values。 We also meet Hester， the story's love interest who belongs to the Ravenscar family and someone Devon might be forced to manipulate in order to find the antidote and save her son。All of this makes for a very fast-paced， horror fairytale-esque story about a mother and a son against the world。 There are some great reveals and I found the whole vampire-adjacent atmosphere to be quite engaging and immersive。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Amy Simmonds
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“He hungered for something less tangible yet just as crucial: an antidote to loneliness。 He craved， even then， the company and acceptance of other people。” My first ARC review！ *spoiler free*I somehow managed to get an eARC of The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean which centres on Devon Fairweather who’s second born is a dreaded Mind Eater， one of her own kind who consumes the minds and souls of humans instead of books。 Devon and her son flee from the family and live amongst the humans while trying to f “He hungered for something less tangible yet just as crucial: an antidote to loneliness。 He craved， even then， the company and acceptance of other people。” My first ARC review！ *spoiler free*I somehow managed to get an eARC of The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean which centres on Devon Fairweather who’s second born is a dreaded Mind Eater， one of her own kind who consumes the minds and souls of humans instead of books。 Devon and her son flee from the family and live amongst the humans while trying to find a cure for her sons hunger。 I really really wanted to love this as the premise of this book was sooo intriguing and sounded so different！ It’s almost vampire like， but just without the vampires。I loved that this was set in our world but with an added layer of magic on the top。 The aspect of book eaters was really well explained， from their customs to anatomy and their differences with humans。 It was super easy to follow and the chapters were short which I’m always in favour of。 I also enjoyed the dual timeline of present time and then going back into the past。 Sadly， I found the story itself to be quite boring and there wasn’t actually that much to it， considering the time period it covers。 I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and just found that when it got to the part that the book was building up to， it was lacklustre and over too quickly。 There were also a couple of sentences that were jarring and took me out of the story as they just didn’t read right。 This is perhaps because it is an arc so these may have been ironed out before publishing。 The ending has definitely left room for a sequel in the future which I would read， just to see where Dean takes the story and to find answers to the questions in this book。 Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。3。5/5⭐️ 。。。more
Sue
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Wow。 You think you are reading a sci-fi/fantasy book， and very early in you understand you are reading a valuable， perceptive， impactful allegory about the world in which women live， and have lived， for eternity。 This debut novel by Sunyi Dean is a homerun。 I wouldn’t label it as sci-fi， as it is listed by Macmillan Audio on Netgalley。 This is speculative fiction at its best。 This is the story of women with no importance other than as breeders。 As a citizen of the United States in 2022， I feel e Wow。 You think you are reading a sci-fi/fantasy book， and very early in you understand you are reading a valuable， perceptive， impactful allegory about the world in which women live， and have lived， for eternity。 This debut novel by Sunyi Dean is a homerun。 I wouldn’t label it as sci-fi， as it is listed by Macmillan Audio on Netgalley。 This is speculative fiction at its best。 This is the story of women with no importance other than as breeders。 As a citizen of the United States in 2022， I feel every bit of this tale。Suspend belief and accept that the characters in this novel eat books and gain the knowledge， emo， lessons told in their choice of written word。 The few girls in the book eating society are fed fairy tales and cautionary tales and absorb the “wisdom” of those works。 There are strong families within the story and Devon， the main character is a Fairweather but she is also a forceful mama bear determined to feed her child who， unfortunately， is not a book eater， but a human brain eater。 I know， right？ There is a lot to unpack in this story。 It is deep。 It is poetic。 It makes you think。This is not a beach read。 It’s not a quick read。 As an audio book its about 13 ½ hours which is long to retain a listener’s attention。 The words are magic。 The idea behind the words is scarily perceptive。 I am excited to have found Dean at， hopefully， the beginning of a long career as an author。Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for making me use my brain and allowing me to listen in advance of the August 2， 2022 release。 。。。more
Laura
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Such a strange book - kind of vampires and zombies， but the vampires eat books and the zombies eat memories （albeit also eating the brain， too）。 There's the world of the Six （sorry， Five） Families， gothic and insular in the extreme in contrast to the "real" world that Devon navigates while trying to find the Redemption （a drug that will cure her son from needing to eat brains）。 Suddenly needing to learn to find a place to stay， use a cell phone or buy clothing while not being able to write is a Such a strange book - kind of vampires and zombies， but the vampires eat books and the zombies eat memories （albeit also eating the brain， too）。 There's the world of the Six （sorry， Five） Families， gothic and insular in the extreme in contrast to the "real" world that Devon navigates while trying to find the Redemption （a drug that will cure her son from needing to eat brains）。 Suddenly needing to learn to find a place to stay， use a cell phone or buy clothing while not being able to write is a challenge I wish we'd learned more about。Part of me wished that we'd learned more about the families， and another part wished we'd learned far more about the book eating。 The action towards the end definitely lead to a possible sequel， but it's ok if that doesn't happen， too。 eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more
Rebecca Dee Reads
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Since I first heard about this book， I was intrigued and was so happy to get an early copy to review from NetGalley！ This is such a unique concept。 There is basically a secret society of Families who are book eaters and survive only by， you guessed it， consuming the written word。 However， female book eaters are scarce and are dying out so the males arrange their marriages between the families to have the best chance of producing offspring。 The women are sold this life as a bit of a fairytale， be Since I first heard about this book， I was intrigued and was so happy to get an early copy to review from NetGalley！ This is such a unique concept。 There is basically a secret society of Families who are book eaters and survive only by， you guessed it， consuming the written word。 However， female book eaters are scarce and are dying out so the males arrange their marriages between the families to have the best chance of producing offspring。 The women are sold this life as a bit of a fairytale， being a Princess， marrying a Prince and helping the Family lines continue。 However， Devon very quickly realises this is not all it is cracked up to be。We switch between past and present - a format I really enjoy - and we learn how Dev came to be where we find her and what she is planning。 Highly recommended and can't wait for you all to read this one！ 。。。more
Haley
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Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook！ All opinions are my own！If you're looking for something that's extremely unique， this is definitely the book for you！ I absolutely loved the world and how unsettling it was。 It was like it wanted to be horror， but then you realized how closely everything mirrored our own society and that made it even more unsettling。 I loved the way that Dev really overcame her world and saved herself。 Despite growing up o Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook！ All opinions are my own！If you're looking for something that's extremely unique， this is definitely the book for you！ I absolutely loved the world and how unsettling it was。 It was like it wanted to be horror， but then you realized how closely everything mirrored our own society and that made it even more unsettling。 I loved the way that Dev really overcame her world and saved herself。 Despite growing up on fairy tales， she didn't sit around and wait for her prince。 It was really refreshing to see that kind of tackling of society。I will say that the first bit of this book was hard for me to get through。 I felt like I had no idea what was going on and had no direction to look toward。 But the further I got in， the more sucked in I became！ I ended up absolutely needing to know what was going to happen to Dev。 The alternating timelines also really helped suck me in because I needed to know what was going to happen in each of them。If you're a lover of all things uncanny， definitely check this book out！ It will leave you thinking about society while also wishing you really were reading horror！ 。。。more
Stephanie （My Book Throne）
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RTC
Taylor
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Imagine if you could eat a book and absorb all of its contents。 As a reader， this would literally be a dream come true。 But for Devon， not so much。 There are downsides to being a book eater， like growing up in a patriarchal society where women are forced into marriages for breeding purposes。 This is one of the most interesting and unique concepts I've ever seen in a book。 I just wanted more more more information about book eaters。 I loved the descriptions of what books tasted like and how someti Imagine if you could eat a book and absorb all of its contents。 As a reader， this would literally be a dream come true。 But for Devon， not so much。 There are downsides to being a book eater， like growing up in a patriarchal society where women are forced into marriages for breeding purposes。 This is one of the most interesting and unique concepts I've ever seen in a book。 I just wanted more more more information about book eaters。 I loved the descriptions of what books tasted like and how sometimes adding ketchup makes eating maps taste better。 I wanted MORE worldbuilding。The story itself is okay。 It kind of reminded me of Gallant， very Gothic with lots of big manors， oppressive families and overbearing men telling little girls what to do。 If you like that kind of thing， or if you've ever wanted to eat a book， I recommend giving this a try。 。。。more
Robin
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↠ 5 stars On the outskirts of England lies a secret society， a line of supernatural beings known as book eaters that consume books as food， retaining all of their content and knowledge。 Threatened by their ever dwindling numbers， book eater women are raised into a life of marriage contracts and childbearing。 In spite of this， Devon Fairweather， the sole daughter of an old clan， has grown up curious， but with the birth and subsequent seizure of her firstborn daughter， Devon realizes the truth of ↠ 5 stars On the outskirts of England lies a secret society， a line of supernatural beings known as book eaters that consume books as food， retaining all of their content and knowledge。 Threatened by their ever dwindling numbers， book eater women are raised into a life of marriage contracts and childbearing。 In spite of this， Devon Fairweather， the sole daughter of an old clan， has grown up curious， but with the birth and subsequent seizure of her firstborn daughter， Devon realizes the truth of her circumstance。 When her second son is born a mind eater， a darker subset of book eaters with a hunger for human minds， Devon vows not to make the same mistake and flees with him。 Freedom is not all it is cut out to be， and as Devon and her son Cai attempt to live among humans， she is forced to do horrifying things for them to survive。 Against her will， Devon is drawn deeper into the inner workings of her kind， until being free becomes a matter of unspeakable sacrifice。The Book Eaters is a decadent dark fantasy novel alight with imagination and a fierce kind of devotion。 Debut author Sunyi Dean draws together a contemporary gothic horror narrative centered around the power of stories and breaking free from a restrictive upbringing。 It’s an altogether fitting title for a book that I aptly devoured in just one evening。 With a striking atmosphere that evolved with Devon’s recount of her past， I fell in love with the imagery presented and the progressing themes of loss， patriarchy， and control。 I wholly admire the emotional journey this book guided me on， quietly leading me through Devon’s descent into disillusion and ferocious fight for her and her son's freedom。 Narrative structure， in turn， is what really set this up for success。 The flip between the past and the present was delicately done， slowly revealing Devon’s history and its influences on her current thoughts and actions。 Dean's use of epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter worked in the same fashion， lending themselves to the larger issue of how the stories we are exposed to can shape our capacity for possibility。 How love lends itself to sacrifice and restricting imagination becomes control。 The topic of motherhood is subtly investigated on behalf of Dean， as Devon comes to accept that love doesn't have to be another form of control and she becomes more ruthless in the face of her son's survival。 While it was a smaller subplot， Devon’s evolving relationship with Hester and her own sexuality really sealed the deal for me on this one。 Book eaters may consume texts to survive， but at the center of this debut is a testament to the role of stories in shaping our minds。 Devon's character arc illustrates beautifully the impact of new experiences on broadening our opportunities and view of ourselves。 Beautifully constructed and deeply moving， The Book Eaters is a delectable novel， interlocked with a quest for agency， transformation， and ultimately identity。 Thank you to Edelweiss for providing the arcTrigger warnings: Body horror， gore， explicit violence， domestic abuse， violence against children 。。。more
booksandzoe
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The Book Eaters was my most anticipated fantasy of the year as somebody who rarely reads from the genre， and I'm sad to say I found it aggressively average despite the intriguing title。I enjoyed how accessible the story was: this was an urban fantasy， meaning our modern world is still the backdrop， but with a magical layer weaved into it。 Since I don't read fantasy often， this is pretty much the only way I can get through fantasy books， and at no point was I confused about the magical system and The Book Eaters was my most anticipated fantasy of the year as somebody who rarely reads from the genre， and I'm sad to say I found it aggressively average despite the intriguing title。I enjoyed how accessible the story was: this was an urban fantasy， meaning our modern world is still the backdrop， but with a magical layer weaved into it。 Since I don't read fantasy often， this is pretty much the only way I can get through fantasy books， and at no point was I confused about the magical system and society。 The author also did a great job of separating each character with distinct personalities and scenes， so I was never confused about which character was which， which is the other major drawback I have from many fantasy stories。 I also loved the main character of this story， and her journey of motherhood in a deeply misogynistic world where her rights are limited。 She really would do anything for her son， and I found her motivations and journey to be super compelling， and definitely my favorite part of the story。However， I had a really hard time getting into the story and caring about the characters。 While I found the main character to be really compelling， I also found that due to the lack of meaningful interactions she has with other characters， especially positive interactions， I was bored with her story and thought it got a bit repetitive。 I would have liked， for example， more relationship building between her and Hester， as well as her cousin （？ I can't remember exactly who he was） that gave her the gameboy。 I found what listed relationship development scenes the main character had with others to be so compelling， and I wanted more from that to keep my interest。I was also a bit underwhelmed by the social commentary that actually comes out of the novel。 The idea of people who can consume and memorize books and /minds/ via eating was so interesting， and I expected lots of layered commentary to come with it， but found the book lacked it。 I think， while the author did give some commentary especially relating to feminism， the sociological aspect of the book had a lot of untapped potential which was disappointing。 I believe as long as readers have their expectations adjusted to expect a novel that is very heavily about motherhood， womanhood， and humanity， and less about the actual concept of mind & book eaters， there will definitely be （and already are） readers who will really enjoy this book。 。。。more
Selena
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I would hope the book eaters would consider this book a worthy meal - a fantasy horror adventure that rockets along at a fantastic pace。 Devon Fairweather is a young mother in hiding with her infant son， Cai。 She comes from a family of book eaters - humanoids who eat books as food and retain the knowledge consumed。 There are only six of these families left in the UK， dwindling due to the small number of births and even fewer females。 Some births result in feared mind eaters， of which Cai is one， I would hope the book eaters would consider this book a worthy meal - a fantasy horror adventure that rockets along at a fantastic pace。 Devon Fairweather is a young mother in hiding with her infant son， Cai。 She comes from a family of book eaters - humanoids who eat books as food and retain the knowledge consumed。 There are only six of these families left in the UK， dwindling due to the small number of births and even fewer females。 Some births result in feared mind eaters， of which Cai is one， with a specialised tongue that can extract and consume minds。The book moves along two timelines， the present day and from Devon's childhood。 These eventually converge and it works well， nicely rounding out the characters and world。 There's the sharp contrast between Devon's current hard existence and her seemingly idyllic childhood。 As a rare female book eater， she is highly valued and taken care of but even as a young girl， she already starts to see the differences in freedoms accorded to males and females。 For me， there are echoes of The Handmaid's Tale here。 Devon soon realises she is trapped in a caged existence。 So begins her battle to escape with Cai， who's fearsome hunger for minds needs feeding。The characters are engaging and compelling。 Devon is a great protagonist。 Her journey from little princess to fierce black clad fighter is full of emotion， sadness and hard choices。 What will a mother do to protect her child？ Extremes of parenthood， a lovely friendship， gaming references， knights and dragons， a little romance， horror and plenty of action - I couldn't help but devour this book。It feels like there's plenty more to explore in this world and questions to resolve。 I hope Dean has more in store - she's done a brilliant job building these characters。 Definitely look forward to seeing more from them。 A breathtaking ride。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Book Eaters
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Book Eaters&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Book Eaters&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0