I received both a free e-ARC and an audiobook in exchange for a fair review. Thank you!

I wanted to read this book already when it was announced, but I also did not really know quite what to expect. What I got was a complex story of politics and fraught family relationships. I’m finding it hard to arrange my thoughts about this book without giving away spoilers but there were layers to it I didn’t see coming when I first started.

The author has referred to Devon as an unlikeable protagonist (I think? something to that point) and while she is definitely an anti-hero, and a murderer, I could not help but love her. Or at least, root for her success. In a way this is a story about surviving domestic abuse, misogyny and controlling, abusive families and carve a path of your own, and that makes her all too human.

The story’s written with two timelines, the present day alternating with memories of Devon’s childhood and young adulthood leading her to the present, and the contrast between the two is striking and part of what made me want to read more and quicker until I knew how she went from one to the other. And the idea of little girls being fed fairy tales to keep them obedient and pliable while boys could dream of adventures… hurt me a little, if I’m being honest. It’s not so far off from human gender norms as I’d like it to be. I don’t want to go too much into it as I don’t want to spoil important bits, but it ties in very well with the way sexualities other than hetero are represented within the Families, and that rounded out that aspect of the book for me. It’s a thoroughly entertaining thriller of sorts, but it’s also here to say something – subtly, or not so subtly – and does it very well.

At the same time the worldbuilding surrounding the Book Eaters was intricate and layered as well, from their creation myths to how their bodies work to how they survive and work in the human world!

It’s a dark story, and yet not quite horror, to my mind. It’s primarily about survival and making your own way in life, and creating your own family, choosing who you care about. And maybe getting one up on those who abused you. I’m not gonna say it’s light and fluffy, it’s really not. Ironically, it feels more like a dark fairy tale, the ones where the stepsisters get their feet cut off. Ultimately, Devon tries her best to escape the (heteronormative, sexist) expectations that follow princesses, and she identifies more with the monster characters, and the story subverts all these tropes in a way.

A few words about the narrator, Katie Erich: I thought her accent and tone were absolutely perfect for the story, she manages the innocence of child-Devon and the fairy tale quality of some of the earlier chapters, while also nailing the banter and the much darker moments, and I think it’s quite a skill to do both at the same time. She definitely brought the book to life for me and helped get me invested as well.

Y’know the premise of this sounded really amazing and interesting and it was. It’s very different to anything I’ve read before and it was a good storyline with some controversial character choices

It just didn’t wow me. At no point was I like ‘oh this is really exciting’ or ‘omg what’s gonna happen next I have no idea’. There were some dramatic tense scenes but I just didn’t feel it at all. But there’s not anything that I actively disliked about the book, just the lack of excitement on my part?!

Devon, our mc, I obviously really felt for at times and while some of her decisions were questionable she was doing it out of love for her son. I did like seeing her journey from how guarded she was from the real world as a child to being out in the open amongst normal humans and really coming into her own.

There are some truly horrible characters and in comparison to Devon’s choices they are the literal worst!!

Definitely a good read but just didn’t give me any kind of strong feeling

Ink stained pages and blood as black as night

The Book Eaters is the story of Devon. Of Princess Devon, of Devon the daft as well as Devon the Defiant. Devon runs wild in her families manor. She ignores her prescribed diet of fairytales - with maidens and princesses. She is wild and yet knows little. She knows her kind, with their book teeth and hunger. She knows her destiny as a princess - to be married off and bred to keep the line, and the species alive

There is some very heavy stuff depicted in this book. Triggers include sexual assault, physical assault, child abuse, forced marriage, kidnapping. I kind of wish I had done some more research before starting this book as it did impact my enjoyment of it. Devon is a princess is one of the book eater families, and we follow her and she struggles against the brutal patriarchal system that controls her world and her species. She fights for her child, with tooth and nail.

This book definitely reminds me if House of Hollow and Mexican Gothic. The writing is very gripping and almost haunting. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed and I wanted even more vengeance. The ending has a feeling of - wait for book two, so if you hate slight cliff hangers that’s something to consider.

Overall a spooky thriller/horror read with a unique twist on vampiric lore.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

A refreshing urban fantasy-horror mashup based around supernatural beings who consume books that will draw you in from the very first page!

The Book Eaters introduces us to Devon Fairweather, a daughter of one of six Book Eater families that covertly coexist with British society. Alternating between dual timelines, the narrative has an air of mystery to it with chapters set in the past depicting Devon’s upbringing and what life as a female Book Eater entails, slowly uncovering how she has ended up where she is in the present, on the run to protect and save her Mind Eater son.

With writing that effortlessly captures both emotion and atmosphere, trust me when I say it’ll be hard to put this book down. Truthfully I feel like my words are insufficient to sum up how brilliant it is.

Dean’s prose gives the story a fairytale-esque feel to it however, the suspense filled storyline that has our dear protagonist darting across modern day Britain also adds a realistic edge to it all. It sure sent my mind to questioning the possibility that this hidden society could so easily be more fact than fiction.

Though the inspiration from Vampirism is evident, the lore within this story is so wholly original and I can’t commend Dean’s creativity enough. The concept of Book Eaters hooked me in from the moment I read the synopsis and as with any good monster story my fascination as well as my dread only grew with each turn of the page. And don’t even get me started on the Mind Eater side of things.

If you’re like me and not really a horror person don’t let the label scare you away. Though there is a fair bit of gore, the horror elements in this are more eerie than panic inducing – the equally fascinating and unsettling kind that make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. Yet the true terror comes from the attitude towards women in the story and the views on body autonomy that mirror parts of the real world today.

Alongside outstanding commentary on the patriarchy, is the thought-provoking exploration of the themes of motherhood, morality and survival. Devon is such a well written character and watching her grow and come to terms with the lengths she will go to for the sake of herself and her loved ones was so compelling.

A powerful and gripping read that will stick with you as though you’ve ingested it yourself. Super excited to see what Sunyi Dean writes next!
Final Rating - 4.75/5 Stars

The blurb of this one, and rather unusual premise (they literally eat books), really appealed and it didn’t disappoint. It’s like it’s own fairy tale universe - with princesses, knights and dragons - but not the type you’re used to. I also really loved the popular culture references intermingled with this magical world (along with some brilliant characters - Cai, for me!) that Dean has created.

I also really liked how it inItially appears that the women, who are in short supply, are the ones that hold all the power, but I at the story unfolds, all is not as it seems (a note of caution for readers who might want to know about any content warnings - check out at the end). There are also some very dark acts committed by some parts of this society. This world had me hooked!

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⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: there’s the main theme of forced marriage and infertility. ⚠️

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I was left completely underwhelmed.

I was expecting something more gothic, and expected the fact that they're book eaters to mean more for the story. It felt like if you removed that, it would essentially be the same, which leaves a woman fighting oppression story - and that really wasn't what I was expecting here with how it's been marketed. I did like the structure with the present day alongside the flashbacks, but found a lot of the speech a little juvenile, and the story itself a little boring. I really wanted to like this book!! But it just didn't hit home for me.

I do think the comments about motherhood could resonate with others more than myself, though.

Additionally, a random paragraph at around 65% took me completely by surprise, as it used ableist and eugenics language. The paragraph refers to a baby who has had its mind-eaten, and who is killed rather than allow the mother to suffer raising a child that would miss its developmental milestones and wouldn't show emotion... This didn't match the author's own magic system, as by all accounts the baby should've just died (the MC is surprised when an ADULT survives a mind eating from a 5 year old), so why leave it alive to make this point? Additionally, at all other points where the effects of mind eating is discussed, it's clear it's a supernatural thing, there is no mind at all remaining - the body survives, but the mind does not - again, this paragraph doesn't match the author's own language elsewhere. I continued, hoping it was used to make a point, as I believe Dean has said the whole book is an allegory for disability (which I see in how the mind-eater babies/children are treated, for sure), however, this point and way of thinking was never addressed. So I cannot see the use of this language being justified, and hope sincerely it has been cut in the final text.

Overall, I just wish the story had been developed a little more, and the book-eating had been more central to the story.

A jump from my normal reads and I am thrilled I did it! A epic urban fantasy that I fully devoured and couldn’t stop reading! Such a wonderful book I’d encourage all to buy!

'The Book Eaters' is an unusual read and one I've not read anything like before. The world is split into dragons, Knights, book eaters and mind eaters. The Knights are able to control the dragons through means of torture, starvation and, eventually, words. Both book eaters and mind eaters need the thing in their name to survive. I liked the idea of the book eaters who consumed books for knowledge. The mind eaters I found quite disturbing, especially with regards their long tongue and how they sucked the life essence from people. Devon, a princess from one of the six Families, is on the run with her mind eater son. They travel from place to place looking for the drug, Redemption, so that Cai will not have to eat another human soul. I enjoyed this book if a little graphic and sometimes repetitive at times. I struggled also with the Americanisms as Devon was allegedly raised in Yorkshire so some of the language isn't quite right. That said, I liked the concept of this book and the idea of, quite literally, devouring a book.

The Book Eaters is a gothic, fantasy/horror story and whilst I’m not normally a fan of horror or anything too gruesome, this book was a good mix of the macabre and the magical.

What really intrigued me was the idea - eating books to survive but consuming the content of the book at the same time. Book lovers - how quickly would our TBRs disappear if we could just eat the book!

But the world of the book eaters is dark and heavily controlled by the patriarchy, where daughters are married off multiple times to have children they aren’t allowed to keep. If they do as expected, they will be treated like princesses (the locked in the tower variety) but if not they are exiled. There are plenty of trigger warning for this book around abuse etc so if you do have any triggers, I would recommend checking them out.

The story is told from Devon’s POV and set over a dual timeline - current day versus the past where we get to learn how Devon ended up where she is today. She isn’t your typical female protagonist. Generally I would say she’s not that likeable and she’s definitely morally grey. Having said that everything she does is for the people she loves and therefore you can’t help but root for her. Her relationships with various family members take centre stage for big chunks of this book and this reflects the impact they have had on her as a person.

I really enjoyed the eerie setting and the contrast between the families who were stuck in a bygone era versus the modern world that Devon escapes to. It felt like a meaningful and deliberate act by the author to demonstrate that stark contrast.

An interesting read packed full of action, fantasy and intricate family relationships.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, Harper Voyager) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

[4.5]

There's a lot to unpack here. I definitely don't think I got everything I could have from this book, so it's certainly something I want to reread in the future. It took me several days to read, but I think that played to its advantage in some ways. It's definitely not the sort of book I could devour in a day. Yes, it may be short, but it's also something that I think demands your full attention.

THINGS I LIKED
The setting(s) and the ~vibes~
The writing -- the ~vibes~ of a book sit on top of the writing, and it was rather rather good
I was very intrigued and kept wanting to pick the book up -- that's already a good thing with me and a book
Devon's relationship to her son Cai, it's pretty complex considering the circumstances, and I think Sunyi Dean wrote it very well
It's quite strange and I like strange, but not too strange that it can't be mass enjoyed if that's something you don't like in books.
There's a fairly significant asexual side character (yay!!!!! This never happens!). Also the main character likes women.

If this bothers you, there is some gore, but I don't think it's absolutely horrific. I don't know, maybe I've got a high tolerance to that sort of stuff, perhaps check out another review if you want to find out more about that...

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
I got a bit lost with what was happening at around the 100 page mark
I think there were too many characters for its length as quite often I would think to myself oh, who are you? What's your function in the story, you know

You will like The Book Eaters if you like:
themes of motherhood, family relationships, duty to family etc.
books set in Northern England
just a little hint of romance
books

Writing this review is making me want to reread it. My gosh stop, at least wait to get a physical copy first...

All in all this was a huge success!

I read this book to keep me occupied through long rounds of breastfeeding my 5 month old baby while my three year old played in the background. Which given the content, however much I always claim to love dark reads, and however engrossed I was, may in hindsight not have been the greatest plan.

Because for all that this pretty unique book is a fantasy horror with thriller elements and fairy-tale trappings, under it all, it’s essentially a story about motherhood. And it paints a picture of both the joys and horrors of bearing, giving birth to and above all, raising a child that’s more intense and more honest than almost anything I’ve read before, in fiction or non-fiction, and in genre or literary works. Aspects of the book read like a checklist of most mothers’ worst fears. From forced pregnancy to painful labour, to being made to give up your child, to being scared they are going to be hurt, to being worried they are growing up wrong or you’re a bad parent. Beyond that, a key theme is that love has no limits—brutally demonstrated by the main character, Devon, being forced to regularly capture people—including, in probably the most disturbing scene of all, another baby—so that her young son can eat their brains, without which he’ll suffer and die.

Beyond the whole motherhood piece, there’s some really elaborate and unusual world-building going on, centred around a hidden species of people who eat books to survive, as well as some offshoots who instead need to eat brains. There are six book eater families and centuries of tradition and it all feels very well though out and internally consistent and believable, other than one or two things where it seemed like the traditions were cruel for the sake of it rather than for good reason (eg. Why can’t brides stay with their second child? Or visit their first later on?)

Devon is a very damaged but very sympathetic MC who it’s impossible not to root for, even when her desire to protect her son forces her into some truly awful acts. And there’s one major truly awful villain, who happens to be her brother—I always love a good twisted family dynamic. There are also lots of lesser villains, from those who passively facilitate a deeply repressive and misogynistic society, to those who’ll happily beat a woman who’s just given birth. There’s probably a grand total of two characters who are genuinely pleasant and sympathetic, namely a female love interest and an asexual male best friend, and even they have some milder flaws. It’s definitely not a light or easy read and though dark and morally ambiguous are generally my cup of tea, and though I was really enjoying this, I sometimes uncharacteristically wished for just a few more chinks of light. Maybe blame my hormones…

The story is told in alternating chapters. Some are in the present day over the course of a few days, which is high-intensity action with Devon and her son on a quest, on the run, and triple-crossing people as they search for a cure for his need to eat brains (while feeding people to him in the meantime)—as well as a very gentle and slow-burning love story. The others start with Devon as a child, at her book eater family’s home in Yorkshire and span about two decades as she grows up, goes through a series of harrowing events around marriage and children, then ends up in her current situation. These are slower paced and more reflective, though mostly still horrifying in a different way. I’m a big fan of dual timelines, and it generally worked well her to build up mystery and backstory—although, towards the end, there’s a “past” chapter that is presented as though it’s going to involve some big shocks and revelations, when in actuality, everything that happens had already been mentioned and it was just fleshing out the details, which made it feel a bit anti-climactical.

Two other good things. Firstly, female book eater children are predominantly fed on fairytales (boys get adventure stories) and fairytale themes permeate the book in a way that’s very well done. Secondly, as a Yorkshire lass myself, it was great to see a contemporary fantasy that’s predominantly set in Northern England and Scotland, with a very developed sense of place.

Overall, I’d highly recommend this unique, intelligent and well-executed book. Just beware that it is very dark, on both a psychological and gory level. And though I was mostly joking in my opening paragraph, maybe tread slightly carefully if you’re pregnant or have a young baby…

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean is a wonderfully written book following the life of Devon and her difficult escape from the grips of the book eater patriarchy. The oppressive eater manors where Devon is raised are incredibly stuck in the past which creates a stark juxtaposition with the modern world she runs away to, I would forget the book was set in the present only to be brought swiftly back to the present. I found this an incredibly effective way to highlight the isolation Devon experienced being held captive within the families and the struggle she has when trying to adapt when thrown out into the outside world. This grim twist on a classic princess story kept me on my toes the whole way through and I didn’t want it to end.

The Book Eaters follows Devon, a book eater (someone who eats books for food and thereby absorbs the words contained into her subconscious), who is on the run trying to protect her 5 year old son, Cai, a mind eater (someone who eats people's minds and absorbs their memories).

When I first read the synopsis of this book I loved how gothic and original it sounds. However, upon finishing it, I was not blown away by anything.

The world building is so far-fetched that it needs multiple layers to make it feasible, in my opinion. It seemed every aspect that got revealed needed another explanation to warrant it and to be honest I got confused at times wondering why.

The characters felt flat and their actions sometimes unbelievable.

There was also an inconsistency with time. Mani met Devon when she was 8, but when she was 25 she met him again and he said it had been 22 years? The math seemed off, or am I reading it wrong?

The ending felt super rushed and then had a blunt finish.

All in all, it was readable and enjoyable until I got bored at about 65% and then I just wanted to be finished, but maybe that was just me 🤷‍♀️

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.

what a way to open up the story on. I was completely hooked from just through's few sentences alone instantly curious how the story unfolded. as the story went on you found out that Devon the main character she had no birth certificate, no passport, no driver license. because in fact she didn't belong in the world of ( normal ) to what you and i would know. Devon grew up as a princess in one of the families that lived in Yorkshire the Fairweather's, the families all six of them were in different regions of Britain. her uncle was the patriarch of their manor.in their home but libraries ! but unlike ( normal ) people like you and me who sit and read them. the families EAT THEM ! yes you read that correctly. they have special teeth to withdraw the books words and stories....
along with the families you have the knights and dragons, the knights help the families to arrange marriages.
one of Devon's older brothers Ramsey was forced into becoming one. growing up Devon and Ramsey were close, but you could say fate changes that. paths for them both going separate ways, Devon is rebellious and doesn't want to conform to the families ways, of forced marriage to marry a man she doesn't love or find remotely attractive. Devon sneaks and eats books she shouldn't learning things the families would frown upon, by doing so finds she's more attracted to the idea of her preferred sexual orientation been female but been in the families she can not act on that as she has a duty to up hold ! having children to keep the book eaters bloodline strong. one marriage, one child. on to the next family to repeat the same thing. but Devon struggles with letting go of her babies as she like all mothers have that first love and bond. so for Devon she had to find away of breaking free, especial when she's shipped off to the second marriage . Devon once again give's birth to another healthy baby, then the baby cries it's little tongue comes out like a tube with everyone around in total shock and will will the master of the house say the baby was in fact a mind eater ! which is only doomed to one fate to become a dragon with the knights. now Devon like most mothers becomes territorial over new baby. no one was taking that baby from her again she will protect it with all costs. that's what she did with the help of a pill that they called redemption that the family called Ravenscar created to help the mind eaters quench there hungry for more brains. after one day that family have disappeared and she has no choose to seek them out entering into the ( normal ) world in search of this family, because her child needs redemption to function without staving. along her journey in search of the Ravenscar family, Devon meets people asking them if they are good and kind when she takes them back to where she's staying, she can't stay in one place for to long Devon doesn't want to create suspicion with the police, so she moves on to the next location before anyone notices the bodies.
this book is so fantastically written, I have visually seen this story the entire way though not at any point did it slow down even down to the very last page i wanted more. I hope one day we get to know if Devon makes it to Ireland and doe's she go back to rescue her first child, who she never stopped thinking about.

if you love fantasy and thriller's along with gore and some slight romance. to be honest even if you don't id recommend reading this book. its brilliant and you won't be disappointed. I will say it's not for the faint hearted.
its's left me thirsty for more..... doe's this mean I need redemption as well to keep my thirst at bay ? I guess until then....

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this book. I’d heard mixed reviews before I started reading and now I understand why. I did enjoy this book, it was a really interesting storyline and I did like it, but I wanted more from it. My prediction before I started reading was that I was going to enjoy it, but wish the storyline went in a different direction - and that’s exactly how I felt at the end. It’s such a unique idea for a book and there was so much potential, but I feel like it fell a bit flat. I’ve been left feeling quite confused because not much is explained, and I’ve been left wanting more. It took surprisingly long for me to read this book and I can’t work out why - I was liking it, I was reading for long periods of time, but it was just going very slowly. I did like this book and I did enjoy it, but I was disappointed at the same time. I really liked the characters and was invested in the storyline, and if a book two is released then I will probably read it, but I just wanted a bit more from this one.

The Book Eaters were made by a Creater and they need printed words to survive, they even have book teeth, which I thought was a nice touch! Devon is our lead character and we go backwards and forwards from her innocent childhood to today, where she is a mother to a young boy who eats brains to survive and she facilitates this. At times bizarre, fantastical and hard to follow, overall this was an entertaining read but the last section took a while to reach the conclusion and it wasn't really my style.

I received an electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Sunyi Dean and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read The Book Eaters before its release.
The concept of The Book Eaters was one that instantly got my attention; beings who are sectioned into Book Eaters or Mind Eaters. Sent to earth by the Collector to devour information, they find themselves lost as the number of females able to reproduce dwindles down into single figures. Devon is one of those last six women; forced into marriage in order to produce a child before being ushered onto the next marriage. Due to their genetics females are only able to birth two children before becoming sterile.
I was quickly gripped by this book; the chapters switch between past and present tense as the disturbing world hidden within the human one is explored. I felt for Devon throughout the book and I found the lengths she would go to for her son to be admirable. The segregation not only by gender stereotypes, but also between Book Eaters and Mind Eaters was well written.
I read this from beginning to end in the space of just a few hours; I just couldn’t seem to put this book down as I was eager to see what happened with Devon and Cai.

I was surprised how much I liked this story. I especially liked how the writer explained the mechanics of the fantasy element from the very beginning. Even though the story jumped multiple timelines it was easy to follow.

Book eaters were made by the creator to absorb information and eventually feed it back to them, however the creator has disappeared, and the book eaters have been left alone.

Book eater women have one job, to have children and continue their rapidly dwindling species. Because there are so few of them, they are subject to short arranged marriages where they have a child, wean them, and are returned to their family for a new marriage to be arranged. They can typically have only 2 children each, so marriages are carefully monitored amongst the 6 families by the Knights and their Dragons - a different form of eater who consume minds instead of books.

When Devon’s second child is born a mind eater, she rails against the society she was raised in to protect him - especially since she was not able to protect her daughter. But her quest for Redemption will be harder than she could ever have imagined.

The Book Eaters is intriguing, creepy, and different. I wouldn’t call it horror, but it was certainly dark fantasy. If you like that and morally grey characters - this book is definitely for you.

It definitely does have a lot of trigger warnings for forced marriage, forced pregnancy, abuse, etc. so I would find a comprehensive list if that’s close to something that you don’t want to read.

Fascinating and refreshing story that can easily be devoured in one sitting. This mash up of The Handmaid's Tale, The Vampire Diaries and The Wicker Man pits brother against sister as one fights to hold onto power and the other is forced to become a monster to desperately save their monstrous child. Full of memorable characters, plot twists galore and an intriguing and disturbing world of secret monster book-eating clans. Would love to see more stories from this world and will definitely be keeping an eye out for future stories from Sunyi Dean

Recommended for fans of Anne Rice, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Victoria Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, A Discovery of Witches, The Mortal Instruments, Dead Until Dark, Ink and Bone

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.