azazellos_fang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Grief, and Toxic relationship
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book with very little knowledge of what I was getting into beyond "people who eat books" and that made every layer of context a wonderful discovery! I loved the ominous oppressive atmosphere, the literary references, the nonlinear timeline, the nuanced internal conflicts given the external circumstances. This book is fantastic for the story itself, and on top of that provided some much needed representation.
I think what keeps this from being a 5-star for me is that it is not invested in a lot of world-building. I don't think that hurts this story necessarily but I generally prefer books with more intrigue and complex details.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Death, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
bubbly_lara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The setting, atmosphere and mood were very dark and gloomy, but in a good way (reminded me a bit of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic").
I really liked the story, the characters and the writing style. Highlighted quite a lot of quotes, I'll put three further down below.
The themes of chosen/found family and trying to find who you are as a person outside of the people you grew up with, what is expected of you vs the pursuit of what makes you happy deeply resonated with me.
Highly recommend if you're looking for a slightly spooky, rather dark and grim story of a young mother trying to break her son and herself free from familial chains and expectations, hoping to one day have a better life for themselves.
"Memory was an anchor. It could ground you in a storm, keep you from drifting.
But anchors could also weigh you down and keep you from sailing free."
"For here was the thing that no fairy tale would ever admit, but that she understood in that moment: love was not inherently good."
"- What price do you put on love?
- No price. There isn't one. Love doesn't have a cost. It's just a choice you make."
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Infertility, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Body horror
Minor: Incest, Outing, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, and Adult/minor relationship
purplatypus'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: Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Pregnancy, Sexism, Injury/injury detail, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Trafficking, Acephobia/Arophobia, Cursing, and Infertility
cadence99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
To begin with, there is an undercurrent of ableism throughout in the portrayal of the main characters child being born a “mind eater”, and being portrayed primarily as a “burden” throughout the book.
Beyond this, the writing style frustrated me in many ways. It felt as if the author did not trust her audience to interpret even the slightest drop of material, as troupes were painstakingly spelled out, removing any chance for readers to explore this world themselves. The book is very guilty of telling readers what is happening instead of showing us.
In addition, many characters relationships and growth felt VERY unbelievable to me. Characters met and within days (with minimal interaction) were supposed to have developed deep feelings for one another. Other characters are portrayed as incredibly young children one moment, and the next are being expected to make life altering choices.
Overall, I would not recommend this book
1.25⭐️
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Pregnancy, Rape, and Gore
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Medical trauma, Infertility, and Fire/Fire injury
ofbooksandechos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Trafficking
trickphoenix'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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Murder, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Child death, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Trafficking
upperjackpain'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
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Murder, Trafficking, Injury/injury detail, and Body horror
Minor: Torture
keen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Misogyny
Minor: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Gun violence
xangemxv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Spoiler
"You're not scared of me because you're an even bigger, meaner monster than me. You'd eat the whole world to help me out and I think I'd do that for you, too. You're my monster and I'm yours [...] we must go together because we are a monster family." - Cai to Devon, pg. 252That spoiler up above is my favorite quote from the book, but it does reveal a plot point, so don't read it if you want to keep the surprise!
I love Devon. She's not painted as a hero by any means. She's just a mom, doing literally whatever it takes and sacrificing her whole being to care for her son in a world that is dead set against her succeeding. A world that very obviously favors men and sets women up to be no more than child-bearing cattle. (I haven't read The Handmaid's Tale, but I wonder if these two books would pair well together.) ALSO the Book Eater lore! Very interesting! And the constant parallels between their world and the old-fashioned fairytales. It's both very distressing and so good.
I also love the message: Love is simply a choice you make. The idea of "cost" or "worth" doesn't apply. You choose to love like you choose to live every day. And the "huge" choices Devon makes all throughout the story just seem so natural for her as a character because she talks so frequently about the "little" choices she made to support Cai.
One final thing that puts this book at the top for me: Neurodiverse author who loves "rolling d20s!" I'm honestly a fan of anyone who enjoys the click-clack math rocks. Definitely following on Twitter because the ending here has one loose end that can either stay unresolved or maybe spin into another book?? Hopefully?? 👀
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury