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.

Hidden just outside of modern society we find a supernatural race of, not quite humans. Who eat books and consume their knowledge, or for some, human minds.

This book runs across two timelines of our MC, allowing us to see her motivations behind the current storyline. However I will admit I found the ‘flashbacks’ far more interesting and compelling than the current day plot, which was a shame. I really enjoyed the voice of our MC, however it was difficult to relate the other other characters as honestly the interactions never felt that well fleshed out - although potentially this was the point!

Having said this I really enjoyed the world building and how cleverly this was integrated into our current society and the parallels drawn.


A solid 3.5 stars!

Rating: 2.5 stars.

The concept of this book sounded so interesting and intriguing, but overall I was rather underwhelmed. It's less horror than I initially anticipated - more gothic fantasy I guess. I felt it was a little too long and repetitive. I wasn't shocked by the twists or reveals as it all seemed rather obvious, and certain elements were left as loose ends. The ending lacks solid resolution.

It kept my interest enough to finish, but didn't build the emotional connection I'd want in order to really care for the characters and their journey.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most original and extraordinary books I have read. This is a modern fairytale where the knights and dragons are twisted humans who keep 6 princesses captive. These princesses are bookeaters, a sub human species, like ordinary humans but they eat books for food. They can't read, they have to ingest books to obtain knowledge. But their species is dying out and there are only 6 bookeater women left, who are kept isolated and sold into different bookeater families to produce children before being moved on. This is the story of one of those women who manages to escape with her son before he can be taken away from her. It's part Game of Thrones, part spy novel, part action movie and part magical fantasy. It's a really excellent and compelling read and I really hope there is a sequel.

This isn’t the usual type of book I read so I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this but once I started reading I was hooked and was up late at night listening to the audiobook.

This is a dark story and does not shy away from describing the gore and murders so do take that into account before reading.

The story revolves around the relationship of a mother and her young son so we get lots of discussions about motherhood and how the patriarchy has failed mothers in so many ways. I really loved seeing this in the book and its something I think we should see more of in books.

Devon grows up believing in the fairytales she eats and is raised to believe she is a princess in her family and yet as she gets older she gets rebellious and others have to face the consequences of her actions so she learns to hide that part of herself. When she grows up she is married off to “the best match” essentially so she can give that family a child.

Devon is given no options or choices and her opinions and wants do not matter. She is just there to have the baby for the benefit of the men. She doesn’t even get a choice in who to marry and once she’s had the baby she cannot raise them or have contact with them again. Despite Devin being taught this is the life of women she fights against it and is beaten, lied to and manipulated to get her to stay quiet and in her place. I truly felt for her and was really rooting for her to get the life she deserved with her kids.

There are so many parallels in Devon’s story with the story of countless women in similar situations. They suffer and their children are used against them to ensure their obedience and even escaping doesn’t always mean they get to be free. Sometimes they have to leave their child behind like Devon did, and we see her guilt and worry about leaving her daughter to suffer the same fate she did. But she had to choose between her and her son and even that had its own issues.

I loved seeing who Devon was as she grew up and who she became, who she had to become to protect her son. She is ruthless and has to make awful choices but everything she does is for her son. In this book all the characters are morally grey, though some more than others. The men treat women as objects they own and even those who claim to be different aren’t. Though I did like seeing that Devon is able to meet at least one man who truly tries to help her as much as she can and they become friends.

There is also very little romance in this book which was really refreshing to read and the main focus being the mother son relationship. We need more books that show different types of love because they are just as important as romantic love.

This was such an interesting read and I really enjoyed it though I do wish we had been given a little more than the ending we got because I want to know more!

Based on the title and the premise, I was very much looking forward to this book.

It started off interesting, so it had me intrigued for a little while - but unfortunately about 50 pages in, I figured out that this was not what I expected, and unfortunately it wasn’t something I enjoyed or wanted to finish.

It’s a shame as I was very interested before the book came out! I’m sure some people will enjoy it though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion,

This book was unlike anything I've ever read before, it had the perfect blend of magical realism and spookiness!

It's definitely a good set-up for the series, it introduces our world, characters and their backstories perfectly. PLUS THAT ENDING? Book 2 soon - please!

A perfect creepy and spooky read for autumn!

Devon is a Book Eater, but when her second child is born a Mind Eater she must flee the carefully controlled lives of the Book Eater families to save her son from a life of being used as a weapon or worse.

While the concept of this book really intrigued me, I unfortunately found it to be underwhelming and largely unsatisfying. There was something about the writing that prevented me from really sinking into the world and getting invested in the characters' journeys- they felt as though they were kept at a distance. As a reader we were told the stakes, and their emotional investment in the events was explained to us, but I didn't feel it for the most part, the emotional connection just wasn't there.
I also found the princess and fairytale motifs to be very repetitive, and made it feel as though I was being taught a lesson, which felt out of place in an adult novel. Some of the dialogue was a bit unnatural, it may have been intentional to show the effect a book eater's diet has on their vernacular and social skills, but in practice, it was just jarring.
The pacing was mostly able to hold my interest, as I do typically enjoy a dual timeline, and this used it well. Unfortunately, it fell down in the final act as it ended up being very rushed and solidified the feeling of dissatisfaction. There were more loose ends and unanswered questions than there needed to be. Certain elements of the story (such as Devon's first child) could have been omitted without a major effect on the plot and removed some of the ambiguity at the end.

Overall, this book was fine, but nothing special.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an original concept that was really well executed with a plot that kept me interested throughout. I thought the relationship between Devon and Cai was fascinating and heartfelt, with a dynamic that blurred the line between parent and child and equal partners in pursuit of the same goal. Similarly, the world of the book eaters was vivid and full of lore that was given to the reader in small chunks throughout the narrative. Part adventure story, part horror and part poignant tale of the lengths we go to for those we love, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see what Sunyi Dean comes up with next.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hidden in plain sight, across the United Kingdom, six families of Book Eaters live. These people appeared from nowhere, unaware of their origins, and they literally consume books to survive. This fascinating conceit for a novel is the brainchild of debut author Sunyi Dean - the result is a hugely compelling piece of Gothic fantasy that mostly hits all its marks.

Devon Fairweather is a princess of one of these families, but when we meet her, she’s on the run. Her second child has been born a “Mind Eater” - anomalies of her kind who feed on human minds, not books. Usually, these Mind Eaters are killed or exiled, but Devon yearns for a better life for her son - whatever the cost. What follows is a twisty, compelling plot that brings the reader into some very dark places, but what a thrill ride it is.

Devon’s passionate, sometimes frightening love for her children is the core of this novel - she says herself that she will do anything, at any cost, to keep her son safe - despite his monstrous need to consume human minds. Her desire to do so has led Devon down some very dark paths, and things only get darker as the novel progresses. Devon is such a compelling character, pushed into corners that have driven her to do unspeakable things; things which Dean shares with us and are absolutely toe-curlingly horrible. Nevertheless, we end up rooting for her, because of how empathetic the narrative is. Is Devon an anti-hero? Absolutely. Do I love her? ABSOLUTELY.

The novel has two narratives, past and present, so the reader learns how Devon ended up on the run from the Fairweather family. Dean uses these past sections to explore and condemn the misogyny of the families; women are increasingly rare, and so they are forced into short-term marriages with the aim of producing more Book Eater children. This is easily one of the most horrifying aspects of the book, and Dean does a brilliant job of Devon slowly learning how messed up her family system is. The bonds between Devon and her family break down when she realises the misogynistic horror of it all - soon, her son is all she has left. The criticism of misogynistic power structures here is well done, if slightly unnecessary, but the truly horrible Book Eater families make utterly fantastic villains and cast Devon's crimes in a new light for the reader (see: anti-hero).

The Book Eaters is not a perfect novel - I’d have loved some more book eater lore and history, and the plot is overstuffed at times. I also felt the love story was somewhat undercooked and not needed to further the plot, or my connection to the characters. Nevertheless I absolutely adored this book - perfect to curl up with on a cool autumn night, preferably during the spookiest of seasons.

4.5

'The Book Eaters' is a dark, gripping horror fantasy novel filled with mystery and intrigue with poignant themes of love, motherhood and expectation. Book eaters are an ancient society of supernatural creatures who eat books for sustenance and knowledge acquisition. Amongst them, there are those known as mind eaters who eat minds instead of books to live.

This was truly a book to get lost in; one that makes you forget you’re reading thanks to the well-executed, captivating plot and writing; a well thought-out page-turner filled with twists and reveals. Written in a non-linear narrative, we are taken from our main character Devon’s present day to her past. This narrative style aids a gradual introduction to more of the book eaters’ society, increasingly uncovering how truly oppressive and outdated their ‘Families’ are. In particular, the oppressive nature of patriarchy and the way it treats women as mere commodities is constantly examined.

> "Just small, angry men, clinging to fading powder. They feared living without privilege because they’d abused it against others, and were now terrified of suffering the same cruelty they’d routinely dealt out.”

In addition to examinations of patriarchy, there is powerful commentary on morality and the extents to which we’ll go for those we love, particularly through the unique experience of motherhood as we see Devon go to extreme lengths to protect her child. There are complex family dynamics and history, which lends to an ongoing exploration of what family is and isn’t.

> “[Love] had become a flood sweeping her to darker and darker places while she burned and fried under its many hideous demands.”

Overall, a captivating book I really enjoyed reading and will definitely remember for a long time.