I was hooked from the start and loved the idea of The Book Eaters. It was dark and gritty and yet filled with heart. It's baffling to me that this was a debut novel. I can’t help but feel for this mother and son just trying to survive. The positions they are put in are so impossible, and you find yourself always hoping that they are on their way to a happy ending.

This may have needed an epilogue or some sort of sign that all of this pain wasn’t for nothing, For how dark the story was, I guess I expected there to be more closure at the end. Instead, the reader is left with many loose ends and an open end that is not quite as satisfying as one would hope after making it through the book in its entirety.

3/5.

"The Book Eaters" by Sunyi Dean is a truly unique audiobook experience that stands out in the realm of fantasy literature. This book is a feast not just for the imagination but also for the ears, thanks to its compelling narration and intriguing premise.

Dean introduces us to a world where knowledge is literally consumed, and the concept of 'book eaters' is as fascinating as it is original. The story revolves around the life of Devon, a member of a secretive family with a peculiar diet: books. This isn't just a whimsical fantasy element; Dean weaves it into the fabric of the plot, exploring themes of power, knowledge, and the hunger for both.

What makes this audiobook a standout is the masterful narration. The narrator brings Devon and the other characters to life with a voice that captures the nuances of their personalities and the complexity of their world. The pacing is perfect, keeping the listener engaged through the twists and turns of the plot.

The writing style of Sunyi Dean is both elegant and accessible. Her prose is rich and descriptive, painting a vivid picture of the book eaters' world. The way she describes the act of consuming books is particularly mesmerizing, almost making you taste the words along with the characters.

One of the most striking aspects of "The Book Eaters" is its dark undertones. This isn't your typical fantasy story; it has layers of darkness and moral ambiguity that add depth and complexity. The struggles Devon faces, both external and internal, are portrayed with a sensitivity and realism that make her a relatable and compelling protagonist.

In conclusion, "The Book Eaters" is a captivating listen that offers a fresh and original twist on the fantasy genre. Its combination of an imaginative premise, strong character development, and beautiful narration makes it a must-listen for fans of speculative fiction. Sunyi Dean has crafted a world that is as intriguing as it is unique, making this audiobook a memorable experience. Highly recommended for those who love their fantasy with a side of the unusual and thought-provoking.

I really enjoyed the premise behind this book. It sounded so interesting a fairly original. It was not a let down. I would definitely read more by this author.

When I saw the title of this book, I thought this would be something fun and light. Then I read the synopsis and realized it was anything but.

The family dynamics of this book where fantastic and so well written. The dual timeline, the character growth and understanding. It was a much needed book in a much needed time!

What a fanciful story.! This book had fascinating ideas and “what-ifs” throughout its pages. It took me a bit to get into. I’m not sure if this is due to the writing style or the narrator, but the story felt slow moving at times. However, overall this was a very interesting read that touched on many important topics within a new fantasy world. Although I wish it had gone a bit deeper into the book eating aspect and the ramifications in our modern world, I enjoyed the read overall.

When I initially received this ARC through NetGalley , the audiobook wouldn’t download properly, so I was unable to provide feedback. However I recently purchased the audiobook and was able to finally listen!

All in all, this was an enjoyable speculative horror - a truly fascinating concept, and a book I enjoyed! I love the emphases on the concept there is no true good or bad in a person - that we are all morally complicated.

The book is dark, inventive, and a truly fascinating idea of what a vampire/zombie could be.

When Devon is born and as a small girl, she is told she is a princess. Her family are part of a network of families who are book eaters; they get their nourishment from eating books and everything they eat they know forever. But Devon learns the true story of being a princess when she is old enough to marry off. Marriages are only meant to last for three or four years. Every night she is forced to have her husband in her bed forcing himself on her until she is pregnant. After the child is born, she is given three years to wean them and then her baby will be taken away and she will be given in marriage to another man to repeat the cycle.

Devon's first child is a girl and she thinks she will die when her daughter is taken away. Her second son is Kai and he is what the book eaters dread; a mind eater. Instead of eating books, he eats the minds of living people after which they are dead. There is a group of soldiers called the knights to keep the mind eaters in control and make sure marriages happen as they are planned. Mind eaters are also called dragons and Devon is determined to make sure that Kai is not taken from her and given to the knights to be raised as a monster with the other dragons.

As Devon goes on the run with her son, she meets another woman who is there to help her. This woman knows how to get the only medicine that can calm Kai's hunger for humans. She takes Devon and Kai to her family home where others like Kai live and indulge their birth gifts. Is this the answer for Devon?

This fantasy novel has elaborate world building and characters that are relatable. Devon's brother is the head of the knights and he is in charge of hunting her and Kai down. It turns out that Devon is gay making her marriages even more of a horror and she is determined to break free of her family and to save Kai no matter what it takes. The novel was chosen as a Best Book of 2022 by such organizations as NPR, Goodreads and Book Riot. Readers will be transported to a world they could never imagine by themselves and firmly on Devon's side as she tries to save her son. I listened to this novel and the Scottish narrator added intrigue and mystery to the narration. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

First of all, the writing is very well done. I’ll definitely check out future books by this author for that reason! I enjoyed it overall because I am a mother with a son and I felt very much a kinship to Devon and her plight, and attempt at survival. The world has very much Handmaid’s Tale vibes. With that, the book is SO dark and bleak. It was hard to get through some bits. I’m glad the author didn’t linger on the details too long; the concise and curt writing was really well crafted. This was a very peculiar dark story — if that’s something you’d enjoy, check this out! Rounded up from 3.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The Book Eaters features one of the most fascinating premises I've read in recent memories, where people eat books to retain all of their information. Our main character, Devon, suffers a different, darker hunger though. This novel is strange in all the right ways, and I flew through it. It wasn't perfect, but it was a diverting and fun time for the most part, and I'm interested in what the author has in store for us next.

Slow-paced. Hard to get through. I liked the premise and the characters. The open-ending wasn't bad, but I would have liked a little more conflict resolution.

I wanted to love this one. But I didn't it was well written but the tone and Characters did not appeal to me. There is a lot to love so I would recommend to anyone looking for an original fantasy.

The Book Eaters is an extraordinary debut by Sunyi Dean. This horror story is very much in the genre of modern-day fairy tales as we witness what a mother will do to keep her son alive in a world where there are those who eat books and those who eat minds. Set in the modern-day United Kingdom, there are physical and mental battles as well as an exploration of chosen family, queer identity, and misogyny.
Full review on YouTube

man, I've started this book 4 times and haven't gotten more than 40% in. The concept was phenomenal and sapphic, but the writing style and characters didn't captivate me enough. The bizarre blend of the real-world setting and fantastical aspects just didn't work for me. I do feel like I eventually want to give this another shot because the premise is so cool and I'm curious to see how the plot unravels.

Unfortunately, I lost access to all of my audiobooks when the app updated so I never got to finish this one. I still enjoyed the first half so will probably pick it up from my local library sometime. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

While the premise was unique and had plenty to offer to keep me engaged, I'm sad to say that this one just wasn't for me. As a mood reader, I may have read THE BOOK EATERS at a time when I wasn't fully committed to the story, and it just wasn't the right fit for me at the time.

The Book Eaters is a contemporary fantasy that tells the story of motherhood, sacrifice, and hope; of queer identity and learning to accept who you are; of gilded lies and the danger of believing the narratives others create for you.

*many thanks to Tor and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

3.75 ⭐️

This took me a bit longer than expected to finish. I was reading a physical copy as well as listening to the audiobook. I ended up preferring the physical copy.
I liked the narrator, however I had difficulty following along through a lot of the story. I frequently had to back up sections and relisten to understand where the plot was in terms of the back and forth between present day and past events for the main character.
At the beginning of every chapter is an epigraph. I would keep forgetting that each chapter began with an epigraph and would think that it was a part of the story while listening to the audiobook.
I think the story is a combination of lots of detail as well as lots of action, and for me that didn’t lend to me enjoying the audiobook experience as much as I enjoyed reading the physical copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the audiobook publisher for providing me with an audiobook arc of The Book Eaters in exchange for an honest review.

this was a very odd book. not odd in a bad way but dfinitely odd. i did not get at first that the things called dragons were not actually dragons

The Book Eaters brings the fairy tales we all grew up with, and presents them with a twists. I was involved in the characters and kept picking this up to listen to. Very cool way of thinking about magic.

Highly imaginative and thought provoking! This is a different spin vampirism and/or zombies that also touches on topics of patriarchy, feminism, and motherhood. It wasn’t what I was expecting going into this book, but I liked it. I enjoyed the characters of Devin, Hester, and Kai a lot

This one was absolutely a book I had no idea I needed in my life. Absolutely unique characters and premise. I’ve already recommended a friend check this one out. I really loved the world building in this one and would love to know more about how the family’s originated and unfolded, settling in the different houses and how their society was established. I was always very keen to pick it up again after putting it down, wanting to know more of what was happening to the characters and if they would succeed on their journeys. You absolutely routed for the underdogs in this one. While it’s quite dark and maybe not the cup of tea for everyone, this was a perfect spooky season read that I would recommend to folks who don’t mind quirk and are looking for something they’ve never read before plot wise. Looking forward to reading more from this author!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for this ARC!