This book was delightfully strange.

The concept of characters learning and growing by consuming books isn’t new, but the way it was done here was completely unique. And, as a book lover, really fun. Sunyi Dean did an incredible job of building a very unique magic system, and making, what felt like an old-fashioned family community, feel really fresh.

The writing in the book was gritty and gorgeous. The dual timeline worked really well as we moved between a childlike, fairytale-esque, setting into a dark and gritty urban fantasy setting. The contrast between both of these settings made them stand out really well. In general, the whole book was very atmospheric without feeling like it was bogged down in tons of description.

I really enjoyed Devon as a character. Getting to see her as a child, totally ignorant of the world around her, and as an adult who has been through so much and is still trying to figure things out gave her character so much depth. She had a really distinct voice and, though she was fairly morally ambiguous, Sunyi Dean did an incredible job of showing the sheer desperation that led to her decisions.

I did struggle with the other characters in the book. Truthfully, I just didn’t care much about them as there wasn’t enough of them. I found it hard to get attached even to Cai due to the nature of his changing personality.

I loved the way the author weaved the themes of sacrifice, sexism, oppression, and indoctrination. They were there in a subtle way from the beginning, and the further through the book we got, the more prevalent they became. It was interesting to see the different experiences of the characters in each family.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Book Eaters. Although I struggled with some of the characters and found the plot a little lacking in some spots, the writing, atmosphere, and concept, were excellent and I can’t wait to see what Sunyi Dean does next.

Content warnings: Body horror, gore, explicit violence, domestic abuse, violence against children.

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

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean is an adult fantasy about people who eat books - literally. The story revolves around Devon, who is on the run with her son Cai. They are running from a Mafia-like cabal called The Families. Devon was once part of them. But then, her son is born with a predilection for human minds instead of books. Devon knows that she cannot stay with The Families. She has to escape and protect her son - no matter what it takes.

Here is a captivating excerpt from Chapter 1:

"These days, Devon only bought three things from the shops: books, booze, and Sensitive Care skin cream. The books she ate, the booze kept her sane, and the lotion was for Cai, her son. He suffered occasionally from eczema, especially in winter.
There were no books in this convenience store, only rows of garish magazines. Not to her taste, and anyway she had enough books to eat at home. Her gaze skipped across the soft p*rn, power tools, and home living publications down to the lowest strata, where children's magazines glowed pink and yellow."

Overall, The Book Eaters is a gripping adult fantasy that is perfect for the readers who want something dark and emotional. One highlight of this book is how original it is. I've never read about anyone eating books before, and I found this concept very innovative. Another highlight is the worldbuilding. It's clear that the author knows exactly what is going on the world. I did take off 1 star, because I felt that this book was too dark. I prefer something a bit more light-hearted when reading fantasy. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August!

I am completely obsessed with this gripping story of motherhood with a sci fi fantasy twist! Devon is a book eater (exactly what it sounds like) on the run with the five year old son, Cai. Dean weaves together a brilliant mix of past and present, producing a dark and gothic tale of monsters and the grey areas they inhabit.

The world building is phenomenal and the characters well written. There are a few twists peppered throughout to keep you guessing and I loved the way thing were revealed slowly by going back and forwards in time. I absolutely devoured this book and already wish I could go back into this world!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Let's get this straight from the start, this book is amazing and throughout the whole book I got a miasma of feels - anger, sorrow, joy, wonder,excitement and many many others. This book worked on so many levels, but I suppose you may want to know what it's about.

I think the best way to describe this is from Sunyi Dean's own words - it's a bizarre, gothic - Yorkshire mom thriller! Take from that what you will, but it pretty much encapsulates the story.

The book centres around Devon, a Book Eater and is split into two points of view, Devon in the present, on the run with her son Cai, and then there is Devon in the past where we learn more about her past and how she got to the stage she is now. Through this aspect of the story, we learn about Book Eater Society and how it operates. We learn that female book eaters are rare and are treated as a saleable commodity due to the fact that they have the ability to have children. We learn of the cruel way that women are treated as 'princesses' but are contracted by their families to have marriages and have no control over their own bodies.

Information about the Book Eaters and the world they inhabit is drip fed throughout Devon's story to build a comprehensive world that lives side by side to our own and that they are organised as a group of families spread across the UK, eating books as sustenance, imbibing their knowledge and information.

However, there are not only book eaters there are mind eaters too (or dragons as they are referred to) who take the experiences of us folk here on earth by eating our minds and assimilating our experiences and personalities.

Throughout the story we gain snippets of insights into the lore of the book eaters through extracts of familiar works of fiction, but also the characters own diaries, at the head of each chapter. These little snippets inform us of the Book Eaters and their origins. Giving the information they they are some kind of alien/supernatural being whose leader is the Book Collector. They were sent here many ages ago to collect information about the human race. However they have become part of our society, albeit a very cosseted one that has their own culture and live apart from society.

We also learn of the 'Knights' and the 'Dragons', and how the knights rule the houses with fear, setting up these 'marriage contracts ' on order to barter fertile young female book eaters. In amidst this are the mind eaters. The genetic aberration that all the families fear, who are used as killing machines by the Knights.

I have to admit, I found this book to be amazing on so many levels. When we meet Devon originally, she is a broken woman, searching for minds for her son Cai to devour due to him being a mind eater. However, as we move through the story the motives for Devon's actions become apparent as we learn she is looking for a way to manage her son's condition and what lengths she will go to.

Whilst the story runs like a thriller in one aspect , we also get the heartbreaking events that lead us to where we are now. Devon, is basically a person that has been broken by the events that have led her to her current circumstances. We see how fiercely protective she is of her son and how she wants to break away from the cruel society that is the book eaters. We also learn that whilst she is damaged, she has unlimited capacity for love and will protect those that she loves.

I have to say that this book is a wonderful debut. At times it is harsh and there are elements of horror in there. There is some gore in there, but the true horror lies with the subugation of women in the story and the cruel treatment that they undergo, not just by the men, but also other women and the pervasively insidious traditions that lie at the heart of book eater society.

For me, it put me in mind of a number of different things like, Under the Skin, Dracula, at times, bits of Wuthering Heights, and even elements of Brian Yuzna's Society. Like I said, I don't know if that is the case but it certainly brought them to my mind.

The Book Eaters is one of the best debuts I have read, and even after having finished it over a week ago, it is there, lodged at the back of my brain, and if you like your books quirky, with elements of gothic horror, and a touch of thriller fiction, you really need to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with this e-arc and for allowing me to read this early in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a good book - with a unique gothic/fairy-tale style fantasy/horror twist that had me hooked from the blurb. It was such a change from the current norm for me, its rekindled my love for horror. I loved seeing the how Devon and Cai develop throughout the story and how they deal and survive with all that is thrown at them.

I hope we have more from this world and the characters involved and i will definitely be grabbing a physical copy once it is available.

I liked the concept of this book ,if we can believe in vampires who eat human blood to survive it makes sense that we can be immersed in a world where shady families exist who eat the written word for their survival
The book starts with an exciting bloody attention grabbing first chapter which had me immediately engrossed and determined to discover what happens next
The book looks at misogyny in these families common in our history but persisting in the book eater families with early marriage and motherhood essential to the survival of the species .The lead character undergoes these indignities before realising that she is attracted to other women and untimely escaping the families clutches to be with another woman this empowering herself
The chapters were headed with quotes from fairly tales and other writings ,personally I didn’t feel they added to the story and often I couldn’t really see the link to the E chapters that followed
I read on kindle but was pleased to see that printed copies were printed using 100 % renewable energy this was made clear in the books first pages .i had not seen this before and thought it was worth a mention
This book could perhaps be classified under YA young adult classifications it would be suitable for older teens and I think this might be the target audience
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published in August 2022 by Harper Collins .
Review also posted on my book blog bionicsarahsbooks@wordpress.com on 5th June 2023

Well this was an intriguing read. The concept of a story about literal book eaters really drew me in. It sounds utterly bizarre (and it is) but there were so many interesting aspects.

Despite the fantasy elements, the book is essentially about challenging patriarchy and a woman’s fight to achieve freedom for herself and her children. Main character, Devon, is such an interesting morally grey character. As a reader, you question some of her choices but know that ultimately she wants to protect her children at whatever cost.

Really appreciated the little bit of sapphic and asexual representation. It’s great to have fantasy books where that’s included, but rather than being the main focus, is just part of a character’s experience. I also liked the mix between past and present so that the background gets gradually revealed.

On the whole I enjoyed this, but I can’t say it was one I was desperate to get back to. Lots of bits felt fresh and original, however, it did follow a similar pattern to a lot of feminist dystopia. I don’t particularly have a problem with that, as it’s such a worthwhile genre, but does mean that some parts felt kinda familiar.

It’s not often that I don’t know where to begin with a review, but the story of The Book Eaters defies words. The title grabbed my attention, the synopsis sealed the deal and, the rest as they say, is history. Hook, line, and sinker, this is a book that will for sure – despite being only half way through the year – be in the top echelons of my most loved books of 2022.

Gorgeously written, the concept of The Book Eaters is so unique as to verge on the absurd, and yet, WOW, does its originality work.

Fittingly, England serves as the backdrop for the at times, pompous and old-fashioned nature of the six remaining book eater Families, who form the core of The Book Eaters narrative. Born into the North Yorkshire based, Fairweather Family, Devon is a book eater – a supernatural humanoid being, who consumes books as sustenance and in doing so takes on their contents and knowledge.

There is a natural flow to the plot, as chapters alternate from the present day to the past with readers simultaneously following Devon’s journey in the present day, whilst also learning about her past and the history of the Families. A history that is as dark as the blackest night and one where all is certainly not as it seems. For the Families, secrets are a necessity of survival as not all of their kind are born book eaters, some such as Devon’s son, Cai, are born mind eaters – whose sustenance is human minds. And whilst the destiny of most mind eaters is to become a Dragon under the command of the Knights, Devon knows of a drug, Redemption, that can save her son from his fate.

The only problem is, the Ravenscar Family are the only producers and the patriarchs kept the ingredients and process a tightly guarded secret. Unfortunately for Cai, the Ravenscar clan imploded upon the enactment of a family coup, and so Devon’s options for her son are running out; either he consumes humans, starves to death or gets ‘put down’ by the Families. But a mother’s love conquers all, right?

As Sunyi Dean unravels the mysteries of the Families, readers have plenty to sink their book teeth into, from the exploration of a mother’s love for her children, to gender stereotypes, forced marriage, sacrifice and the blurry lines of ones own morals. There are many twists and turns in this dark and at times thrilling story, plus there’s the whole imagination aspect of eating books for knowledge, of being able to assign flavours, textures and smells to books in a completely new way – imagine how many books it would be possible to ‘read’ if we actually ate them instead!

I know without doubt, that I would have ended up reading this book regardless of the identity of the main characters (it really is that fantastic!), but The Book Eaters is all the more sweeter for the presence of an array of queer characters, not least Devon’s blossoming relationship with Hester, which whilst it’s never explicitly stated, is implied to be Sapphic in nature. It is however worth noting that this aspect of the story is a subplot, it’s there but it’s not the main reason for the story and in all fairness, I don’t think I would have wanted it to be.
The Book Eaters is a tale that should be read for what it is, a dark and thrilling urban fantasy, which will set your imagination on fire, anything beyond that is a bonus in my eyes.

By the end of the story, despite any loose ends having been nicely tidied up, there is an overwhelming feeling of there being more to come from Devon et al, wishful thinking or not(?), the ending of this book is such that there is scope for a sequel, and I truly hope that this is something the author pursues.

"Trauma became routine, and cruelty mundane."

The Book Eaters is a story of motherhood and family dinamics in a cult-like society of humanoid creatures that feed on books.
The story follows Devon, a book eater who goes to great lengths to protect her son, who on the other hand is a mind eater and is viewed as a threat.

When I came upon this book and read the description I was immediately drawn to it. It gave off gothic fairytale-esque vibes. Sad to say that's not what I got.
Book eaters consume books but are not physically able to write and are said to lack any sort of creativity. Mind eaters have a proboscis tongue that they use to consume people's minds by sticking it into people's ears.
I found this book very strange, but not in a good way, and poorly executed. A lot is left unexplained such as the origin of the book eaters or why some of them are born mind eaters.
Also Devon brings home people for her son to feed on and these victims often die or end up mindless. Despite this happening there never seems to be any concern from the local authorities.

For these reasons I would not recommend this book.

In Sunyi Dean’s first novel, we’re introduced to book eaters; a humanoid race who consume the written word to survive, literally living off of stories, and benefitting from the ability to retain and access all the information in the texts they consume. But, where one might imagine the state of enlightenment this might lead to, the shadow society of the book eaters is straight out of a Regency romance, with patriarchal dominance, unbreakable gender roles, limited willingness to accept new ideas, and a devotion to tradition. Indeed, in the culture that our book eater heroine Devon grows up in, controlling the diet of books that are consumed is a profound metaphor for how societies will seek to control the ideas its members are allowed to have.

As a rare female book eater, Devon is greatly prized, but only as a brood mare. Indeed, there is a moment in the book, as Devon is being taken to her first marriage by her uncle and they come upon her soon-to-be in-laws on horseback, leading her uncle to suggest that the sizeable dowry she’s brought in will allow her own family to enjoy such expensive animals themselves soon, where the imagery couldn’t be less subtle. It is from this oppressive society that Devon is running, her son Cai in tow, when we meet her at the start of the book.

The fugitive state is not just because of her status as a female book eater, however, but because Cai is himself a rare variant of book eater as well, though not a prized one. Cai is a mind eater, unable to live off eating books, but needing the the minds of living humans. Her society would kill or weaponise such an abomination, but Devon is committed to saving and protecting her child, and the book chronicles the dark lengths she is forced to go to in order to do so.

There’s a clash of tone here–Gormenghast meets Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files—and while the work that’s been put into the world building is careful, it’s still somewhat ragged round the edges and unconvincing at times. The book is slow-burning as a result, but the character work is compelling for that. This is a book about motherhood and womanhood, uniquely told from the perspective of central characters who do not embody the usual tropes of mother and child, of woman or boy, and who aren’t leaning on any crutch of likeability or sympathy to make their suffering more palatable. Devon is all the more tangible and compelling a character that she demands what she needs from a world that doesn’t want to give it to her, and without seeking the readers approval to justify her actions, which is a powerful feminine message. You do end up siding with her and Cai, but might find that getting to the point where you care—at all—for these characters takes so long to reach that you may not count the wait as worth it.

Thank you so much HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the arc of Book Eaters by asunto Dean in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I had been hearing about this book for a while, but wasn’t quite sure it would be for me, but was intrigued and couldn’t resist giving it a go. I am so glad I did! This is a book that examines a world within present day U.K. that dares to address a huge number of societal issues, including forced marriage, rape, toxic masculinity, misogyny, women as a lesser class, enforced child/mother separation, removal of the mother’s rights, violence as a tool for enforcement of power and more. All wrapped up in a powerful, but sensitive modern gothic fairytale style of storytelling.

Devon Fairweather is a Book Eater, a society of people who feed on a diet of books, rather than traditional food, and by doing so can consume, literature, knowledge, and practically anything imprinted on paper, but they cannot write. This is a society dominated by a male hierarchy and impacted by reducing numbers of female book eaters, and dwindling procreation rates which appears to justify the use of women as child bearers…yes, it does feel very reminiscent of Handmaids.

When we meet Devon, only 6 book families remain across England and after what appeared to be an idyllic childhood, raised on fairytales, Devon believed she was the princess she had always been told she was. Until she goes to her first marriage, and subsequent events soon turn to educating her on the cruel world she lives within, only serving to worsen when her second child is born a mind eater - a dreaded distortion of their species!

Devon finds herself with no choice, but to run, to save her child’s life, but to do this she will need to navigate a whole new world and manage her son’s growing mortal hunger!

This book is beautiful, horrifying, charming, and so damned hopeful. It tells a story of hope, escape, love, and determination against all odds to survive and protect those you love.

If you only read one book this year, make it this one. I totally fell for Devon’s story and did not want to put this book down…even if the idea of destroying books food was totally alien to me!

A fairytale in its own right, the Book Eaters is a convincing account of what someone is capable of doing for love. It might not be a knight in shining armour kissing the sleeping princess, but Dean weaves a tale asking simply, are you a good person?

The pacing and time shifts really helped to keep me engaged and questioning. I feel like I have a better understanding of what it means to be a mother, how generational trauma manifests, and I appreciated the queer representation.

It took a very crazy turn toward the end but all the better!

The premise of this book was good, I did not expected to defined as horror than fantasy as I thiught itvwas mainly fantasy. For that reason, unfortunately I DNF early on. Nothing wrong with the book, just not for me as is too cultish and dark for my taste.

I feel like as a writer, it takes some pretty impressive craft work to create a convincing world where people eat books without it becoming farcical - and The Book Eaters does an excellent job of creating a journey that's worth investing in. The dubious moral choices of the characters and difficult decisions they face as they navigate this unusual world makes for a really interesting read - and a worthy one! Really enjoyed it.

Sunyi Dean writes a stunning dark urban fantasy, of disturbing fairytales, the ruthless oppression of women, with elements of horror, the nightmare that is your controlling patriarchal family living remote and separate from normal human society, that asks who are the real monsters, and details the impact of a terrible love. The tall Devon Fairweather is a book eater princess, growing up in the Yorkshire Fairweather Manor, close to no-one, not knowing any women, raised on a diet of fairytales and cautionary tales, not missing a mother she cannot remember, blissfully unaware of the invisible iron bars of the prison she is trapped in. However, the first tentacles of disillusion set in after her first arranged marriage to Luton Winterfield, when she becomes a mother, with her first inklings of the bitter knowledge that she is completely powerless.

As Devon has to confront broken promises, it dawns on her that Bookeater families did not value families, daughters, who are rare, are purely commodities, valued only for their ability to have children, and sons are expendable. Devon gives birth to a 'mind eater' son, Cai, feared as a monster with his desperate and addictive dietary need to consume brains. Feeling a mother's love for her son, Devon is forced to escape to save him, and is currently living in a flat in Newcastle, seeking suitable humans to feed 5 year old Cai, drinking in her search for oblivion. She is trying to track down Redemption, a drug that will save her son by transforming him into a book eater, although the desire for minds remains, but the Ravenscar family that produces Redemption has imploded and supplies have dried up. In a narrative that shifts from past to present, Devon tries the outrun the powerful and dangerous controlling forces arraigned against her and Cai, her chosen family including Hester Ravenscar, but will they survive?

Dean engages in richly descriptive world building, a universe in which practically everyone is a 'monster', including the complicated central protagonist, Devon, becoming the wrong kind of princess, willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to save Cai. In the process, she becomes clearer about her sexual identity when she meets Hester, and struggling to trust anyone, Devon finds unlikely support from Jarret and his sister, Victoria. This unsettling story is interspersed with excerpts from a book by London journalist, Amarinder Patel, and the private journals of Killock Ravenscar. This is a stellar and thought provoking read that touches on the issues of motherhood, parental love, the status of women and girls, whilst raising the question in a society of monsters, who are the true monsters? Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Uniquely imagined, gripping writing and a profound tale of a mother who would go to any extent for her son, the flaws of traditions and found family. The Book Eaters captivated me from the beginning with its alternate past & present way of storytelling and I found myself rooting for Devon soon into the book.

This was seriously - nothing short of imaginative and magical. I loved every second of this: the concept itself was so unique I was in awe. I first heard of this book through a friend who had put this on her most anticipated books of the year. And of course - expectations met. I will 100% keep Sunyi Dean in my list from now on. This overall was a 10/10 for me. I had so much fun

"We can only live by the light we are given, and some of us are given no light at all. What else can we do except learn to see in the dark?"

This is a beautifully written fairy tale-esque gothic horror meets urban fantasy with lesbian book eating vampires. And they say perfection doesn't exist.

At it's heart this is a love story of that between a mother and son. But it's about love that is not always easy and certainly not always kind and the lengths that someone will go to to protect the person they love. It's about sacrifice and family and blood and monsters.

Read this for: atmospheric and gripping writing, thrilling chase, rural england, casual brain eating and a six foot, leather clad book girlfriend.

Such a unique story and world that has been created. This book had me hooked from the first chapter and is definitely a "just one more chapter" sort of book. Loved every second of it. Fingers crossed there will be a sequel so we can learn more about the world and the characters.

This book is so different. Dark but I really enjoyed reading it. Would definitely recommend it to others.