Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

110 reviews

tkat211's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.75

"If we grow up thinking that we're princesses and someone else will rescue us, then we spend our lives waiting for that rescue and never trying to escape ourselves."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Slavery, Vomit, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Homophobia and Trafficking

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Stumbled across this in a bookstore. The title and beautiful cover caught my attention, and when I read the description, I was hooked. Completely original, fantastic world-building, horrifying and un-putdownable. At its heart, this is a story of the power of a mother’s love in the face of some really nasty characters and circumstances. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy

audragio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The emotional depth and severe complexity of the relationships in this book are really unmatched. Devon’s complicated relationship with motherhood is everything. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

sleepyshelves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Violence, Dementia, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Body horror, Infertility, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol

dexkit10's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Pregnancy

crypticspren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

This book was tremendously outstanding. Devon is such a complex character that explores the cost of love in the patriarchal world of The Families. Watching her grow and come to terms with her own naivety was incredible and despite the myriad sins she commits, she might be one of my favourite characters ever written.
The plot itself and general lore is fascinating. The concept of eating books for knowledge, the 'Eater lore regarding their creator and mission, and their whole heirarchical structure with the Families, Knights, and Dragons was so well explored and explained.
The writing, too, was thoroughly gripping and this book was entirely unputdownable. I've been in a bit of a reading slump and this pulled me right out of it.

Overall, this was an exceptional read with drama, suspense, and moral conundrums that had me gasping for air.

Five stars!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Vomit, Trafficking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

vivivi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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

I appreciate the feminist themes woven into the story. It hits a few points that made me stop and think! 
There is such a strong portrayal of motherly love and questions of what makes you who you are. The bond between Dev and Cai is very dear. Ultimately, this book is about the bond between mother and child and the lengths someone would go to protect their family. I wasn't expecting the book to weigh so heavily into that theme, but it's a pleasant surprise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Sexual violence

luuleggelibri's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Stupendo. Di una profondità, delicatezza, emotività unica.

Fin da subito il romanzo è diviso in capitoli che riguardano il tempo presente e ciò che è venuto in passato; racconta in particolare di una ragazza che diventa donna; l'amore di una madre per i propri figli; la ricerca della forza di andare avanti e di trovare un nuovo futuro per sé stessi. Ciò che può potenzialmente portare verso la libertà o verso la dannazione; la possibile, non così probabile sopravvivenza.
Nel corso di tutto il libro abbiamo questa dualità: forse si intuisce il percorso generale, ma i dettagli sono tutti estremamente originali e difficilmente predicibili.

Si affrontano temi importanti come la famiglia, le pressioni sociali, quanto sia bello ma limitante vivere in una campana di vetro; il coraggio di fare scelte importanti, di lasciarsi dietro tutto ciò che si conosce per le persone che si ama; e come, per le persone che si ama, sia a volte necessario fare grossi sacrifici.

Mi ha sorpreso e appassionato; ho letto il libro blindfolded, e sapere poco o niente sulla trama ha fatto sì che potessi sorprendermi a mano a mano che la narrazione andava avanti.
Non avevo idea di quale fosse l'elemento "Fantasy" della storia, ossia chi sono i "divoratori di libri", ed è stata una sorpresa che mi ha incuriosito molto e invogliato a leggere. Mi piacerebbe che qualcun altro avesse la mia stessa esperienza. Magari si possono leggere i Trigger Warning, ma a parte quello consiglio di andare blindfolded.

(Continua su IG)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

meggles801's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.5

The story was very unique and I enjoyed it a lot. There were some overly sensitive parts I could have gone without however. Just a bit too heavy at times for me, and I don't think the story really needed those topics. 
*Check your TW*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence