Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

87 reviews

grahk1107's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

2.5

Points for originality but eye-roll romance and

Spoiler

resolutions 

. Reminded me of house in the Cerulean Sea. Make-belive and moralistic but more complex. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, and Misogyny

bbrewer14's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

The Book Eaters is a dark fantasy thriller based on a vampire-like species known as book eaters that subsist on literature and the written word. The story dives into the patriarchal workings of the six families and their archaic communities that will do anything to help maintain their dwindling numbers. Using arranged marriages, nonconsensual intercourse and forced pregnancy, the families work to ensure their survival through the oppression of the women in their society. Valued and raised as princesses only to be married to different families and bred, then forced to leave the children behind, the women often whither away after their usefulness is diminished.

The story follows Devon, a female book eater and her son Cai, a 5 yo mind eater as they attempt to survive as they flee the families. As a mind eater, Cai craves eating the minds of people and needs a drug called Redemption to halt the cravings and allow him to survive off of the consumption of books. Only one family makes the drug and Devon has to find a way to get into their graces and obtain what she needs for Cai and still manage to avoid being captured by the other families. 

The story is told both from a past and present perspective. Devin shows what it is like to grow up as a female mind eater, the different roles of male book eaters, the forced controlled and violent mind eaters (dragons), and ultimately life after marriage and birth and fulfillment of female duty. Details about the taste of different genres of books and paper types, exploration of the absorption of knowledge through the book eating (or mind eating), how individual families thrive and produce income and societal status, and the exploration of various relationships helps fill out an otherwise simple plot. 

The action in the story is palpable and the creative way the author explains the demise of book eaters is just one of the many details that make this story worthwhile. The only judgements would be that there are some plot holes. Book eaters absorb knowledge by eating books, yet Devon and other characters act confused on basic skills (driving a car, directions, ordering food, counting change, first aid, etc). In one instance a map is eaten and yet they have no clue how to get to a town or where they might be. Small items like that detracted from the story after so many details and intimate handling of multiple types of relationships were explored so well. The book is left open for a sequel and hopefully one day the author will return us to the world of the book eaters so we can see what revelations may have been had and new adventures may have awaited the characters at the conclusion of this story. Were it not for the lack of full conclusion (the author admits she may not write a sequel) and the small plot holes mentioned above the book would have been a solid 4-4.25 which is great for a debut novel. However sticking to the 3.75 based on the overall feeling once I completed the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Infertility, Medical content, Abandonment, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Gun violence, Infertility, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cursing, Bullying, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical content, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Body shaming

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

I’ll admit that I just don’t like dark gothic stories. If you do, maybe give this interesting spin on a vampire story a try. The book eaters and mind eaters concept kept me intrigued enough, and the out of order storytelling was interesting. Check content warnings before diving in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Ableism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

Aphobia

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Rape, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse

ageckocalledachilles's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Body horror, Torture, Blood, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Sexual violence

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I’m so fortunate that A) this book exists, B) I added it to my TBR, and C) I got to read it. I don’t even remember how this ended up on my TBR, but I’m glad I did. This story is slow, layered, and beautifully written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Grief, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Violence, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Sexism, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Blood

Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Cursing, Infertility, Cannibalism, Car accident, Bullying, Pregnancy, Stalking, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Body horror

Minor: Incest and Child death

Eugenics

anishaaa's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I had a hard time getting into this one. The writing is overly flowery, and I'm not sure it adds much in this case. There seems to be an awful amount of telling, rather than showing, going on.

I would have wanted a deeper dive into the book eaters (and mind eaters) themselves. From the title of the book and the blurb, I thought this would be more about what eating books is like, and that this mechanism would be used for more than it was. This book could have been placed in many different societies (Personally, I see huge parallels with "women talking", and certain evangelical Christian groups), and nothing in the story would have to change. The fantasy/horror elements in this book detracted from the main storyline, which itself was nothing more than a formulaic pop feminist revenge story.  Amarinder Patel's little quotes at the begginings of chapters held much more intrigue for me - I want to know more about this collector, and history of this society! Why make a whole society of novel (haha) aliens, and then make the entire story one that needed no elements of fantasy at all? With the state of feminism, allegories like this leave a bad taste in my mouth when there's so much of this happening in the real world that's already well-understood by most people. I wanted sapphic yearning over snacking on romance books, and instead I got a reflection of our society with proboscis' and weird teeth thrown in for kicks.

In addition, Devon's insistence at referring to

Spoiler

Hester

as her "friend" is annoying. Good asexual representation though. It was interesting, but that's about as much as I can give it. I wouldn't have finished it if it hadn't been for book club, and something I read with my partner. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

_kathill's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Body horror, Gaslighting, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Violence, Cannibalism, Cursing, Murder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Trafficking

schausjk's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was mesmerizing. I really appreciated the worldbuilding, and even though I doubt a sequel would be likely, I'm really interested in seeing where these characters would go.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Gore, Trafficking, Death, Body horror, Blood, Child death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Lesbophobia

eggfartz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Cursing, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Vomit