A really enjoyable, chewy (hah) book that allows one to experience the thrills of a good vampire gothic without being, well, about vampires. (It’s not a criticism, I really appreciated the feeling, because god knows I haven’t felt excited about actual vampires in a long time). The build-up was superb, the tense, traumatized air chilling, and lore fascinating — my only complaints, if any, is that the ending, or rather the final standoff didn’t live up to the buildup in either tenseness or escalation. It was a bit like, “i’ll tell you how this is how this conflict going to end, and lo, it did end exactly ended this way”. It was a bit bewildering, especially after scoring so high on most aspects throughout the first three quarters of the book.

Overall, though, inhaled the book and will be looking forward to more from Sunyi Dean for sure!

Thanks to #Netgalley for the arc of #TheBookEaters.

Very interesting story with truly unique world building and fascinating characters.

Devon is a monster. She’s a book eater who has a mind eater for a son. It’s all in the description. Being a book monster isn’t monstrous in itself but Devon will go to any lengths to save her son and is willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone that gets in her way. Even though he’s the mind eater (he eats people minds and personalities) she’s the one that goes out hunting for them and luring them into their trap. She is unapologetically single minded and dogged in doing whatever it takes to get to her end goal.

To quote from the book - “Everyone is scared of me, even the other mind eaters here. You’re not scared of me because you’re an even bigger, meaner monster than me,” Cai said, face muffled against the join of her shoulder. “You’d eat the whole world to help me out and I think I’d do that for you, too. You’re my monster and I’m yours, and even though I’m sad you lied to me and I’m sorry that we have to hurt more people, we must go together because we are a monster family.” “

This book is really about the patriarchy and what happens when women are constantly belittled and stifled. It’s also about familial love - the love between a mother and her children, as well as the bonds of family (the ones you are born into and the ones you choose).

The character development is sublime - particularly for Devon and Cai. We see Devon in particular grow from fairy tale princess dreaming of marrying her prince to realising she’s property to be passed around to perform a duty and then return to be locked up in her tower. From a young age we saw her chaffing against her bonds and then the slow realisation that she is the only one that can save herself and her children. I also enjoyed seeing the motivations for the other characters unfold as the story progressed.

The pacing is a bit slow in parts especially in the beginning but starts to pick up in the middle and then race to the end. I really enjoyed this and would give it a highly recommended 4 stars.

A gripping and unique story unlike any that I have read before.

From the very first chapter of this book, I was completely and utterly gripped. I was so intrigued by the world that Dean has created and being so incredibly unique meant that I was constantly kept guessing from start to finish. To match the incredible world, the writing is completely and utterly stunning with many very quoteable moments.

I went into this book believing that this is a standalone but the ending leaves it very much open to sequel and all I can say is SIGN ME UP!

The Book Eaters takes the central concept of being able to absorb stories as food and runs far and wide with it. Set in a very patriarchal world but with elements of modernity the book uses names like Dragon, Knight, Mother Bride alongside characters wearing modern leather jackets and riding motorbikes. Book Eaters has a parallel structure where we both follow Devon after she’s living outside the life she’s known with her son and her growing up at the heart of the Book eater society. This is really effective for the story Dean wants to tell, and my usual complaint of parallel storylines that you already know the end, very much isn’t the case here. It also helps balance Devon’s understandable and needed passivity in the past, as well as highlighting that all of the mother brides start out fighting but are ground down by their surroundings and the lies they’re told throughout their lives. The present timeline increases her agency as well as introducing an element of urgency and pace of action which otherwise might have dragged down the book.

One of my favourite elements of the book is how it addresses motherhood. The reader gets a maelstrom of emotions around caring for a child, and the difference in Devon between her two children emphasises the range of experiences mothers can have in parenting. The scene when Cai is born and Devon fights not to connect with him and bond is especially evocative. This leads to the second element I like which is this is a book where you have a) an alive mother that’s allowed to have adventures, and a queer mother who’s sexuality is not the focuspoint of the story. Whilst the relationship with Hester is not my favourite in that it verges on an instant relationship, it’s nice to have it within the book and the FAQ produced by Dean shows it was part of a larger story and edited down.

Which brings me to my final point. On my first read I gulped it down, finding lots to love and just being carried away by the story it gets to tell on the page. The second time round I was more aware of bits that were unexplained or didn’t go anywhere and the FAQ explains this. For me, this isn’t to the book’s detriment even though one of the unique things about the story is its lore, but it might be for someone else, which is why I’ve mentioned it.

Otherwise, in conclusion this is a deeply emotional, well crafted tale that I loved and would recommend everyone pick up, particularly those that are frustrated by the gaps left behind by mothers in fantasy.

Individuals who consume books and store their knowledge - what an incredibly unique concept for a fantasy. The Book Eaters follows Devon as she tries desperately to find the drug that will help her son, a mind eater, stop killing people for food. Between this we travel back and see Devon's upbringing as one of the six remaining groups of Book Eaters, a reclusive group who struggle to procreate, and the challenges associated with being a girl within such a clan.

I really loved the concept of this, and found the overall plot incredibly well paced and intriguing. It's brimming with atmosphere and tension, as Devon is constantly fighting against time to save her son from a terrible fate. I also liked the conversations on women, motherhood and the continued affects of the patriarchal society on women. The Book Eater women are treated no better than property to be shipped out and used as pawns to gain power for their fathers, uncles and brothers.

However I never really bonded with Devon or her son Cai. Devon is a very closed off individual who doesn't give way to her emotions all that often. She has to do some pretty terrible things to keep her son alive, and this has clearly affected her emotionally, but I just felt that the reader never really gets to see what goes on in Devon's head. This then also makes any kind of romantic relationship feel a bit off and underwhelming. I also thought the whole concept of book eating was really underused and had a lot of missed potentially to expand the world building. It really is such an interesting concept that had a lot of scope for the author to run with.

I'll look out for future novels from Sunyi Dean, as their ideas are really intiguing. I just want a bit more character development.

I really enjoyed this story - the depiction of Devon's motherhood were raw and realistic. The story was set in the real world so apart from the concept of the book eaters I wouldn't have classed this as a fantasy - more of a dark gothic horro . I think the concept of the book and mind eaters was brilliant but could have been explored a bit more, it seemed a convenient way for them to have the correct information they needed at the right time and I'm not quite sure if they were aliens or supernatural? Apart from that, the plot was great and hard to believe it was packed into 300 pages! I don't normally like stories that flit back and forth between the past and present but I didn't mind it this time, and actually preferred the past chapters for character development and world building.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. It felt very original both in the premise and the writing style, although reminiscent of an adult version of a Frances Hardinge novel. I loved the concept of the book eaters and the world-building was very good. Devon was a strong main protagonist and the supporting cast of characters were also engaging. My only quibble was that there were a few Americanisms that crept into the text which jolted me out of the British setting, but still one of my favourite books of the year.

The Book Eaters is a delightfully weird read which I absolutely loved!

The premise is so dark and imaginative, with world building that is just brilliant. From the synopsis, I was a bit worried that it would be slightly too out there making it hard to pick up but it pulled me right in from the beginning with strong imagery and writing. Among the fantasy elements, the book also explores some big themes such as loss, abuse and motherhood which roots it in reality,

The story moves between the present day and the past of the main character, Devon. How it all unfolds is absolutely masterful, I was always fully invested in both time periods and they brilliantly come together at the end. Devon is a very morally grey character, as most of the characters are, adding to the layers of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant fantasy debut from Sunyi Dean, I loved this (resisting the urge to use the phrase ‘devoured it’). It’s a neat twist on a vampire story, but is so much more. It’s a tale of survival, of a mother’s love for her son. It’s dark and gory and violent and at the same time a beautifully written fairytale.

Can’t recommend this highly enough

I don’t usually read books classified as horror, but something about this book drew me in from the first time I heard about it. The concept just seemed so unique, and I found myself excitedly counting down the days until release (and then waiting for the arrival of my Illumicrate copy).

It doesn’t happen often that a book exactly matches my expectations, but this one did. It was exactly what I wanted and needed from this book, gripping me from early on and keeping me hooked throughout. I’ve had a hard time focusing on books that aren’t audiobooks lately, but I finished this one in only three evenings, and I think that’s entirely because of how interesting and well-written this book was.

For such a short standalone book, Sunyi Dean did a fantastic job of fully enmeshing us into the world of book eaters. There was so much depth to this society, so much history, that it’s honestly remarkable that it was able to fit in a 300-page book without feeling shallow or rushed. I felt like we learned more than enough about this society, from the way the arranged marriages work to the politics between the Families and the Knights. We even get a lot of detail regarding actual book eating, from the taste and impact of certain kinds of books over others, and the general anatomy of a book eater compared to normal humans. Sure, a lot of the big mysteries are left unsolved, but it’s intentionally done and lends an air of mystery to the existence of the ‘eaters, one that affects both the humans that are aware of them and the ‘eaters themselves.

My favorite parts of this book, however, had to be the characters themselves and the writing style. Both of these were quite interconnected, as I wouldn’t have been as connected to the characters if the writing style didn’t force me to feel for them and understand them, and I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the beauty of some of the written lines if I didn’t already appreciate the characters saying and thinking them. It was all just so beautiful and poignant, and I love how this book explores love and the depths we go to protect and serve those we love. I’ve not read many books with mothers as characters, and while I don’t necessarily seek that kind of future for myself, Sunyi’s portrayal of Devon’s motherhood and her love for Cai was heart-wrenching and raw, and I found myself deeply understanding everything Devon and Cai did, and were willing to do, for each other. Even just writing this out and remembering some of the scenes is giving me goosebumps!

Overall, this book is a new favorite, and a perfect read for this fall (spooky season!) or this winter. I can’t wait to read more from this author, and reread The Book Eaters for years to come!

(Blog review up September 24th)

Such a beautiful story, that had me invested from the very first page. It was so well written, with characters that I couldn’t help but love. So good.

My thanks to NetGalkey for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"The Book Eaters" by Sunyi Dean is an anazing Fantasy - Horror.
The concepts of book eaters and mind eaters were trully original and well crafted.
The society of the "Six Families" with their rules, their customs and dynamics were so engrosing. Their dark and twisted secrets, combined with their fight for survival and desire of control kept me invested all the time. But the highlight of the book was the teme of motherhood. Seeing Devon's growth, the transformation from a book eater princess into a fierce and protective mother was my favorite aspect of the book.
The atmosphere, the family dynamics, the book references, the exciting characters and of course my joy of seeing representation of the Romanian customs and traditions made this work a wonderful experience for me.
I would highly recommend "The Boook Eaters" to anyone looking for an ejoyable read with unique ideas and some creepy feels.

3⭐️

Unfortunately I did dnf this book not because is was terrible but it just wasn't for me. I got to 47% and it was a bit of a slog. The concept of alien like people who survive off eating books and consuming the information inside is original but none of the characters were very likeable to me and I was a bit bored. I kept thinking I would read some other books and come back to it but in the end I just didn't want to. I have given the book eaters 3 stars because it really wasn't bad it just wasn't for my personal taste.

THE BOOK EATERS is a dark contemporary fantasy about secret societies, motherhood, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect the ones they loved.

I loved the idea of the book eaters, people who need to consume books to survive, the words in printed form (but not shredded) to be sustained and then gain that knowledge. The idea that types of print have different tastes as well as the genres themselves. It's such a small little detail that wouldn't have been missed if it wasn't in there but it made it all seem more realistic. As soon as it was pointed out, I was all "of course they'd taste different, duh" but it hadn't crossed my mind until then. (Also as someone who's spent about eighteen months researching Old English literature, the Families' preference for older books absolutely made me want to see them toppled because they were clearly to blame for me having such a hard time due to the lack of literature surviving.)

The book is told across two timelines - the present day of Devon trying to find the people with the pills to help her son, and the past that led her to that point right from childhood. The past was very interesting as it showed how rigid and outdated the society was, the way it used women like broodmares and then tried to break all parental/filial attachments. Devon does not do what is wanted and the book is her coming to terms with what it means to be part of the society and then deciding what to do about that.

Which leads to a story of motherhood. It's messy and imperfect and involves lies and sacrificing herself and others to protect her son, but it's motherhood all the same. Not the rosy picture society often paints, but something brutal and raw. And OK, the book eating people and sheer amount of death is not what happens to most mothers, but the fact it's not all happiness and contentment and ease is so realistic and I loved seeing a mother be fierce but also be defined as something more than a mother.

This is a dense and chewy fantasy which reads like a vampire novel without being about vampires. Secret societies, closeted operators, brutal violence, and patriarchy - patriarchy everywhere. It's thoughtful and layered, careful and well-developed. Devon, our main character, has grown up utterly isolated from human society, experiencing it only through consuming books. The mysterious and clandestine Eater society has its own rules and structures, and these are gradually revealed through parallel timelines as Devon and Cai run from unknown shadowy figures, juxtaposed against Devon's fairytale childhood as a princess in a palace.
There were plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader entertained in this, but I found it easy to put down, and slightly too dense and chewy to pick up at times. This was definitely a me problem, rather than a book problem, because when I was in the mood, this was a really engrossing and fascinating read.

The premise of this book sounded fascinating with book and mind eaters, but really it was just a book about women being raised in a cult that only prized them for their childbearing abilities. The book/mind eaters was vaguely interesting, but didn't feel like it was explored fully. They could have been replaced by any other supernatural type being and it wouldn't have made a huge amount of difference to the story. I felt that the characters were all at arm's length and I never really cared about any of them. I also found the romance very unsatisfying and underdeveloped, with no real reason they liked each other, other than I was told they did.

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.

The Book Eaters was a quick, but by no means light, read. For such a lean book at just 300 pages, I was astounded at how much Sunyi Dean was able to pack into it: unique, imaginative world building; an atmospheric, contemporary gothic setting; a tightly paced plot featuring converging timelines; thrilling action sequences; a sapphic romance; a fight against the patriarchy; well developed secondary characters. All while exploring themes of motherhood, love, acceptance, queer identity, survival, and trauma.

Despite the inclusion of a child that literally eats human minds, this book is at its most chilling when exploring Devon’s backstory, unpacking the trauma she faced as a young woman. It was unsettling and uncomfortable to read Devon’s story, but her willingness to do anything to ensure the survival of her children and the right to be their mother at all personal cost was infinitely rewarding and inspiring.

The Book Eaters was a gripping and complex horror-tinged fantasy thriller. An accomplished debut from Sunyi Dean with plenty of substance for readers to sink their teeth into.

This is a wonderfully chilling debut by Sunyi Dean: a perfect mix of fantasy and gothic horror.
The Book Eaters is story of Devon Fairweather and her desperation to protect her second child from becoming an aberration, with a hunger for the minds and souls of humans rather than the stories and legends of their people. But, she is running out of time.
This is such a unique story. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it, but its mix of horror, family, betrayal, a fight for survival, kept surprising me right to the end. Although I didn’t feel the inclusion of a love story was needed, I would highly recommend it.

I enjoyed the premise and the plot line, absolutely loved the vibes … overall really enjoyed but just felt a little lacking sometimes.. still couldn’t put it down though. Highly recommend

This has been one of my most anticipated books of the year as I really liked the premise. It’s dark and twisted, with some morally grey characters. That being said, I really liked Devon and I was willing her to succeed with her son, Cai. I really liked the atmosphere and the locations the author took us to. Especially Eastleigh, Southampton and Brighton, all places I have lived and know how beautiful they can be. I liked the magic system, that you could just eat a book and retain all the information contained in it. Think of the TBR I could make if I only had to eat. All in all, I though the plot was an intriguing idea but the author could have delved in to the books more and it seemed to me to be repetitive in parts. I will definitely look out for books from this author in the future.