Epeolatry Book Review: The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

How far would you go for the ones you love? That question pulses through every page of The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, a darkly inventive tale that twists familiar fairy tale tropes into something far more unsettling. Part gothic horror, part chase thriller, and wholly unique, this book takes the idea of devouring stories to a literal and haunting extreme.

In Dean’s world, hidden away on the Yorkshire Moors, there exists a secretive species of book eaters—humanoids who consume books as sustenance, absorbing all the knowledge and stories within. The experience isn’t just metaphorical; spy novels crackle with spice, romances dissolve sweetly on the tongue. But for women like Devon, the book’s protagonist, life is far from a fairy tale. She has been raised on carefully selected stories meant to shape her into an obedient princess, a pawn in the rigid, patriarchal system of her Family. Her role? To marry, bear children, and then move on, with no say in her future and no control over her own life.

But Devon’s world crumbles when her son Cai is born a mind eater, an aberration in book eater society. Unlike his mother, Cai doesn’t feed on ink and paper—he hungers for human minds. Desperate to save him from the fate that awaits all mind eaters (enslavement to the Family’s enforcers, the Knights), Devon does the unthinkable: she runs. What follows is an urgent, emotionally fraught journey, alternating between Devon’s past and present as she fights to carve out a future for herself and her son, even as the weight of her upbringing and the monstrous hunger of her child threaten to consume her whole.

The worldbuilding in The Book Eaters is rich and immersive, full of carefully constructed lore that lingers in the mind. The Families are ancient, insular, and decaying, their traditions oppressive and archaic. The book eater mythos feels almost vampiric, blending the supernatural with a kind of grim realism that keeps everything feeling eerily plausible. The concept of ‘mind eaters’ is particularly chilling—especially as we see through Cai’s existence how their abilities work and the terrible moral dilemmas they create. Devon’s struggle is not just physical but deeply psychological; how do you raise a child who, by nature, is a predator? How do you balance love with survival?

Dean’s prose is both lyrical and brutal, weaving a story that feels at once whimsical and horrific. The book oscillates between fairy tale and nightmare, never fully settling into one or the other, and that sense of instability only deepens the tension. Devon is an unforgettable protagonist—fiercely devoted, morally complex, and constantly evolving. Her love for Cai is what defines her, but it’s also what forces her to confront the darkest parts of herself. Watching her transformation, from a sheltered pawn of her Family to a mother willing to destroy everything to protect her son, is as heart-wrenching as it is empowering.

There are moments when The Book Eaters feels almost overwhelming—so much worldbuilding, so many layers of history and oppression to unravel. Some characters are so despicable that certain sections are difficult to read, and yet, that discomfort is part of what makes this novel so powerful. The book forces its readers to sit with unsettling questions: What does it mean to be a mother? How do you fight against a system designed to erase you? And what happens when survival demands that you become a monster?

Dark, beautiful, and deeply unsettling, The Book Eaters is an experience that lingers long after the final page. Sunyi Dean has crafted something truly special—a story about motherhood, sacrifice, and the stories we consume, in every sense of the word. Highly recommended for those who love their fantasy with a sharp, bloody edge.

/5

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.