A review by keysmashhh
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Plot: 4/5
Character: 4/5
Relationships: 4.5/5
World-Building: 4.5/5
Genre: 5/5
things I liked
- Jarrow <3 bestie, i love you
- honestly, most of the characters were cool, i was intrigued by the evil brother, and the mc was fine, Hester was cool but i didn't feel like we got to see enough of her to really cement her in my heart
- the settings!! i loved seeing so many different bits of the uk - especially Brighton, it was so accurate (apart from the fact no one here actually calls it the Palace Pier haha) also Newcastle and Edinburgh - made me feel like I was on a magical mystery tour of the uk
- the lore! the history! the family systems! fascinating - i loved the intricacy and the customs - it was so clear the author had put such care into the creation of this world
- the one bit where Hester and our MC just walk off and leave the men to fight basically calling out how stupid fight scenes are when their focus is self-preservation - so funny and such a girl boss move
- the concept of the princess and how it relates to the culture of abuse - is really eloquently written with a great deal of love and care put into it
- secret lesbians! i honestly didn't know this was an LGBTQ+ book until halfway through, I actually liked that there wasn't really a relationship in this book - whilst Hester and our MC were cute, a relationship would have seemed out of place so this book did a good job at that
things i was meh on
- the horror, i wasn't expecting for it to get so intense and traumatic
- when explaining what I was reading to people having to keep prefacing it with: this book is kind of weird man... - wasn't the best
- some of the attempts at "British slang" just didn't work - like as someone who is British - I went huh? i don't think people talk like that - some of the more specific regional bits were better but the "generic" stuff felt a little bit like a poorly done British accent in American movies
- i love love loved the religious-style cult of Hestors family but we got to see so little of it - i really thought the book would show Cai being lured in by their beliefs and Devon loosing control over her son (which would have been fascinating to read) but instead they all rejected it too quickly and the ending subsequently felt rushed
things i didn't like
- there were some pretty gaping plot holes tbh - the lack of women. the way all the women treated Devon. the daughter. just tbh everything going on in the background. it wasn't so much underexplained as mentioned and then annoyingly not resolved/mentioned again.
Character: 4/5
Relationships: 4.5/5
World-Building: 4.5/5
Genre: 5/5
Spoiler
things I liked
- Jarrow <3 bestie, i love you
- honestly, most of the characters were cool, i was intrigued by the evil brother, and the mc was fine, Hester was cool but i didn't feel like we got to see enough of her to really cement her in my heart
- the settings!! i loved seeing so many different bits of the uk - especially Brighton, it was so accurate (apart from the fact no one here actually calls it the Palace Pier haha) also Newcastle and Edinburgh - made me feel like I was on a magical mystery tour of the uk
- the lore! the history! the family systems! fascinating - i loved the intricacy and the customs - it was so clear the author had put such care into the creation of this world
- the one bit where Hester and our MC just walk off and leave the men to fight basically calling out how stupid fight scenes are when their focus is self-preservation - so funny and such a girl boss move
- the concept of the princess and how it relates to the culture of abuse - is really eloquently written with a great deal of love and care put into it
- secret lesbians! i honestly didn't know this was an LGBTQ+ book until halfway through, I actually liked that there wasn't really a relationship in this book - whilst Hester and our MC were cute, a relationship would have seemed out of place so this book did a good job at that
things i was meh on
- the horror, i wasn't expecting for it to get so intense and traumatic
- when explaining what I was reading to people having to keep prefacing it with: this book is kind of weird man... - wasn't the best
- some of the attempts at "British slang" just didn't work - like as someone who is British - I went huh? i don't think people talk like that - some of the more specific regional bits were better but the "generic" stuff felt a little bit like a poorly done British accent in American movies
- i love love loved the religious-style cult of Hestors family but we got to see so little of it - i really thought the book would show Cai being lured in by their beliefs and Devon loosing control over her son (which would have been fascinating to read) but instead they all rejected it too quickly and the ending subsequently felt rushed
things i didn't like
- there were some pretty gaping plot holes tbh - the lack of women. the way all the women treated Devon. the daughter. just tbh everything going on in the background. it wasn't so much underexplained as mentioned and then annoyingly not resolved/mentioned again.