Scan barcode
sammykat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Devon is a woman with a mission and the power of love behind her. The story is thrilling, fantastical, drawing on folklore in some places, but also firmly set in 21st century UK.
I couldn't put it down, it was excellent and kept up the same level of excitment and intrigue throughout. I was second guessing every twist and I loved it.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence
Minor: Trafficking
Child birtharialien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Slavery, and Trafficking
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Infertility, Rape, Torture, Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Vomit, Trafficking, and Acephobia/Arophobia
chelseainthesky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, Trafficking, and War
msgslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
esme_may's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, and Trafficking
looseleafellie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
This is a relatively short read that packs a wildly imaginative premise into its pages. The Book Eater concept is so WEIRD, but I happily ate it up.
The point isn’t the biology or abilities of the Book Eaters, but rather how their society is set up. Just like real oppressive systems, there are any number of “logical” reasons for Book Eater society to function the way it does, but no amount of logic can justify the way the system strips its marginalized members (in this case, women and mind-eaters) of their agency.
Devon is a sharp and savvy character hardened by her circumstances. I guess she’s a classically “unlikeable” protagonist, but even before I learned about her past that made her that way, I couldn’t help sympathizing with her motivations for doing questionable things.
The story is told in both the present day and flashbacks, which propelled the plot along while revealing more about Devon’s backstory and the Book Eater world. Toward the end, when the flashbacks got close to the present day, I felt like they slowed things down, but I generally liked the dual timelines.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those who want a dark, imaginative, compelling fantasy read. Also if you like books. But if you’re reading this, that’s probably a given.
Spice level: None.
CWs: Violence (inc. toward children), gore, murder, domestic abuse, misogyny, forced marriage, forced parent/child separation, childbirth, and mentions of human trafficking, SA, and acephobia.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Acephobia/Arophobia
assembledbats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol
cakrolik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Trafficking