I’m a notorious hater of short books, but I couldn’t help but love The Book Eaters even given its short size. It’s a quick bite of a novel, rapidly changing between past and future storyline’s, and Sunyi Dean does such a remarkable job and keeping you equally invested in both. Devon is a character who is incredibly compelling, and Dean really puts the time into making you care from her, as you see Devon go from a young girl to a confident mother who would do anything (even murder innocents) to protect her son. Her fight and resistance against the Family was at both brilliant and terrifying at once, and I could keenly feel her sorrow at losing Salem and anger against the systems that caused such an act to occur in the first place. The worldbuilding, additionally, is done very well. Whilst I did find it frustrating how little we see of this world (I especially wanted to know more about this mysterious Collector), I could appreciate why we didn’t see the whole history of the Families. This is an intimate, character-driven novel, and is fully realised in that sense, with the worldbuilding elements we’re given directly correlating with what Devon cares about in the world. The themes of this book are incredibly explored as well, and there’s a lot of nuance and complexity that is put into that exploration. The book genuinely makes you question the morality of the characters, and whilst I do overall see Devon as on the “good side”, some of her actions definitely erred the line between good and evil. Overall, I adored this book, and I’m excited to see what Dean comes up with next

The Book Eaters covers some very dark topics across the whole of this story from grief and loss to forced marriage and separation from one's child. I think these topics not only added to the darkness of this story but, helped to outline where the hope actually was within it. Our main character Devon goes through a lot within these pages and I loved the dark world she was brought up in. Not only do we have her trying to be good in order to follow the rules, we watch her come out of those shadows to see how the lifestyle she has believed will keep her safe all of these years is just a lie. Following a cult like recipe, the Families in this story all twist their way of life to benefit them. There a lot of very bad people in this book balanced with those who were more morally grey. No one is perfect and I love that. This was a great book, perfect for spooky season too!

This is a unique book with a unique story, Unfortunately it wasn't for me. I expected something different. that being said it was wellwritten and i can see this being a huge fav book of some of my friends! I think this author will do well in her genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review all opinions are my own.

How far would you go to save you child? Devon is about to find out. Raised in the secretive world of The Bookeaters, Devon is a princess, raised to help The Bookeaters grow thei population. However, when she starts to question the family patriarchs, she finds herself on the wrongside of the knights and dragons.
The Bookeaters is a fantasty mix of dark fantasy and spelative fiction, offering a dark take on being a mother, and how it changes you!

A nicely different read. Enjoyed this and the writing was nice to read. Would recommend as nice to have something different than usual to read.

Sunyi Dean is an exciting new voice in the realm of dark fiction. This book lingered in my mind days, weeks, after finishing it.

This is perfect for fans of Laura Purcell’s work, particularly if you would love to read her level of dark fiction rooted in a fantasy premise.

The alternating timelines of our main character, Devon, growing up from childhood to her present circumstances as an adult and mother… Truly flawless. It served excellent suspense for the building tension and allows the reader to ruminate on all the plot’s threads. I genuinely cannot put it into words how exceptional it was. I give Dean a standing ovation. My stomach was in knots. The Book Eaters is toes an exceptional balance of tenderness, nuance and menacing…

The ending is a mostly concluded ending, but there is a thread that could be pulled on for a sequel, which I desperately hope Dean plans to write. I would camp outside Harper Voyager’s HQ to get my hands on it.

I’ll read whatever Dean writes next: she’s cemented herself as one of my favourite writers of late, certainly and most deservedly affirmed herself as one of the best debuts of 2022-23.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I typically prefer to review books very soon after I've finished them, when the story and how it made me feel are still fresh in my mind, but in this instance I'm actually quite glad I'm only just writing a review for The Book Eaters now, coming up to a year after I read it, because it's a book that's lingered.

I can't say this book was particularly high on my TBR last year even though I saw it everywhere for months and I might never have picked it up if I didn't receive it in an Illumicrate box, but I'm so glad I did. This is a debut that's truly difficult to categorise, with threads of science fiction, fantasy and horror that combine to make a speculative embroidery of motherhood, trauma and just how hard it can be to pursue a life with agency and dignity when living in a world where your compliance would make everything so much easier.

The Book Eaters follows Devon, a woman from a family of book eaters currently on the run from said family to protect her young son who, instead of books, eats minds. The story flits between Devon's present journey to prevent her son from falling into the wrong hands and her life from her childhood and beyond, as she's raised on fairy tales and married off to another book eater family to produce more book eaters. Book eater girls are very rare, so each one of them can be expected to married off to one of the other book eater families twice in their life time to keep their dwindling population going and avoid inbreeding as much as possible. It's almost dystopian - almost in conversation with The Handmaid's Tale - but by focusing on book eater society, which has purposefully distanced itself from the human population, it's so much more claustrophobic than a true dystopian novel. Devon can't really ask for help without revealing book eater society, and there's barely anyone within that society that she can really trust to help her. I felt so anxious reading this book, constantly hoping Devon and Cai would be able to get away from whoever had been sent to pursue them this time.

There's also a queer romance in here that I would have liked to have seen a bit more of, their relationship has grown on me in the past year and I didn't dislike it when I read the book but it also felt like the most underdeveloped part of the story. That said, the romance isn't the point of The Book Eaters at all. This is very much a story about family: having the courage to separate from a family that hurts you; protecting the family you love by any means necessary; and creating your own family with the people who make you feel safe.

I'm aware I haven't said all that much in this review, but honestly this is one of those stories it's best to just experience. I haven't really read anything like it before and I'm looking forward to re-reading it in future.

Oh my god this book was absolutely amazing and honestly I want more books in this world!

So I was always intrigued by the sound of this one but for some reason just never got around to it so I'm super happy that I finally read it because it was one of the easiest five stars I've given. The world-building, the characters and the atmosphere of this book was just brilliant and I found myself not wanting to put this one down.

I love that this story was told in two timelines as it allowed us to really get to know Devon and how she ended up in the situation she and her son find themselves in. Devon's character development in this one is amazing and I really liked seeing her fight for what she believed in.

Honestly, go pick this one up! It's the perfect book for this month with its unique premise and dark vibes!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read that got me in the creepy autumnal mood. This novel has a unique plot which is served well by its truly dark atmosphere and Dean’s writing style. It was engaging from the start having a perfect mix of context development, mystery, and creepiness. It has a very dark plot and there were certain times that the writing itself was so detailed that it made me feel uncomfortable reading, but that just truly added to the storyline.

I wish the romance element of the story could have been developed a little more as it felt rushed during the end of the novel and I also wished we would have spent a little bit more time with supporting characters to truly grasp the complexities of the plot and their motivations. Saying this though, everything included within this novel was thoroughly enjoyable and I see this as the perfect dark read for an autumnal day. I would highly recommend it.

TW: child abuse, graphic violence, domestic abuse, sexism, homophobia, cultlike groups, murder, forced marriage, rape, forced pregnancy, child abduction

The social structure of "eater families," "knight" enforcers, and "dragons"—those bred to consume thoughts rather than ink and paper—is complex and interesting. And while the story's main themes are patriarchal tyranny, family conflict, and fantasy, there are times when it borders on horror, particularly when it comes to specifics like Devon feeding "good" humans to her kid in an effort to keep him young.
This is a novel that builds slowly and then, when you least expect it, hits you full force with stakes, sentiments, and an inability to put it down. Although I have to admit that I was anticipating a gothic, the notion of book-eating families and their sporadic brain-eating kids was intriguing from the beginning. This is such a heartbreaking tale of the lengths a mother will go to save her offspring and loved ones. Although Devon has an incredibly strong moral compass, her actions to protect her son are quite questionable.

I don't really read a lot of dark fantasy but from the moment I read the synopsis of The Book Eaters, I was intrigued. I enjoyed the way in which Sunyi Dean wrote her characters as well as the world. Her world building was unique to this type of book and I can't wait to read more from Dean.

This is such an unique book plot with a great gothic theme perfect for halloween readers
the only issues i had was the speed of the book didnt flow, i felt there was section with i read in second but then others dragged so much that i nearly put it down.
please understand i did really like this book and would love to see more in this world but i feel the pace needs to be sorted in other book if there was to be more

With thanks to Sunyi Dean and HarperCollins UK for an advanced readers copy of this book.

4*

A great surprise!

Sunyi will be an insta buy going forward, they have a wonderful worldbuilding style that I definitely got swept up in.
The book eaters is multiple point-of-view book, with the focus being on Devon - the other POVs are very brief intermissions that sometimes feel a little unnecessary however they certainly help with the intricacy of the plot.
I'm a huge fan of quotes, and every chapter of this starts with a poinient quote from another other, that really helps to set the move.

The book is far darker than even I though it would be, and would really recommend for anyone who is a fan of darker fantasy.

It’s not a genre which I usually read so jumped in the book without any expectations, surprisingly it didn’t disappoint and I kept on reading. The writing style is lucid and it’s a gripping tale.

This book is difficult to describe. I enjoyed it while I was reading, but once I finished and could sit with the story for a bit longer everything fell apart. I disliked the way many characters were portrayed (especially the adultification of children felt lazy) and the offensive analogies the author decided to use.

I unfortunately could not get into this book. But this might be for another type of reader, and wish the best for the writers.

The immersive world-building and expansive character development was gripping! Thoroughly enjoyed the plot, pace and writing in this debut.

I adored this and could easily read more in this story.
Thoughts while reading:
Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger meaning I was hooked. I also loved that the chapters told you whether you were reading in the past or present and switched regularly.
The concept itself of book eaters and mind eaters was fascinating and I was hooked in learning more, especially in relation to the knights and dragons, along with redemption.
The families traditions of arranged marriages and leaving your child when they turn three sounds awful, but I’m also glad that we follow the story/characters we are following.
The IVF discussions - I’d love to get a second book surrounding this and D’s daughter!
There was also a brief scene discussing asexuality and being gay in this world - loved that it wasn’t a big thing but that these characters existed.

One complaint:
Cai doesn’t come across as a 5 year old at all - I genuinely kept forgetting he wasn’t a grown man. I understand why he appears older than he actually is but I feel like there should have been more childlike characteristics with him.

Imagine being kept separate from the world, growing up in a rigid world of tradition and arranged marriages in order to keep bloodlines strong. Imagine a world where, instead of food, you can eat stories. Now imagine you can consume *minds*, leaving behind the husk of a person. This is the life of Devon's second child Cai and she will do anything to protect him from those who wish to end him.

This is a dark, compelling story of oppression, betrayal and a mother’s love.

The worldbuilding is rich and fascinating with a social system of ‘eater families, ‘knight’ enforcers and ‘dragons’ – those born to eat minds instead of ink and paper. And while the heart of the story revolves around patriarchal oppression, familial drama and fantasy, it definitely verges on the side of horror at times, especially when it came to details like Devon feeding ‘good’ humans to her son to try to preserve his childhood.

In fact, this becomes a central question within the narrative: what compromises would you be willing to make in your values in order to protect or save those you love?

While the ending here resolves some of the conflict within Devon’s world, there were also threads left trailing with a tantalising potential for a sequel. After all, Devon has more than one child to save and many, many more wrongs to right… or avenge.