The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Dean, Sunyi. The Book Eaters. TQR Publishing Group, 2022. Kindle Version.

The novel is told from two alternating time periods. The first is that of Devon and her present day circumstances trying to save the life of her son. The second starts at Devon’s birth and moves forward to the present, explaining the life she lives as an eater and the culture she lives in.

Devon is born as a book eater. There are only a handful of book eater Families, and they are in danger of dying out because there are few girls born. Additionally, women go through menopause early and are able to have only two children at most before they can no longer reproduce. Because of this, girls are treated as princesses and are coddled. They are only fed stories of subservient princesses who wait for princes to rescue them. These princess stories show very little agency on the part of the princesses themselves. Devon believes this to be her life. At one point, she convinces her brother to go sneak into a part of the house they are not supposed to go in to see a dragon, a tamed brain eater. When they are caught, she cannot be punished because she is a girl, but Ramsey is taken and made into a knight, a painful and traumatic process. This leaves Ramsey with feelings of intense anger towards his sister.

Devon comes of age, and Uncle Aike arranges her marriage with a man named Luton. She gets pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, Salem. Luton is excited to have a daughter because of the privilege a daughter brings to a man. Still, he is antagonistic towards Devon. He wants her given pain medication during childbirth to keep her quiet even though this poses danger to the child. It also poses an emotional threat towards Devon because she will bond more with the baby if she is not traumatized, and bonding will make their separation harder. The aunts believe she is too attached to Salem, so they forcibly remove the child for a bit each day to try to break the bond. It feels cruel to Devon, but it is an act of mercy on their part because they know how much Devon will suffer if she is still so attached to Salem in three years when she is forced to give up the baby. Luton does not think the fight Devon puts up is worth it, so he stops the daily trial separations. He tells Devon that she will get to stay with Salem forever, but on Salem’s third birthday, he has Devon drugged and sent back to her Family of origin.

Next Devon is married to a cruel man named Matley. While living with Matley, she befriends his brother Jarrow, an asexual man. The two frequently play video games, and Jarrow tries to get Devon to see that the Families do not care about her. Devon gives birth to a mind eater, Cai, and Matley rejects this baby. He punches and chokes Devon when she stands up to him, but Jarrow stops the man from killing Devon.

Cai drinks breast milk but eventually needs Redemption, a drug that takes away his need to feed on brains. When the Family discovers that there is no more Redemption to be had, Matley plans to kill Cai. Instead, Devon attacks the two men with him, and Cai sucks the brains out of Matley. Consuming the brain of a grown adult is too much for him, and his life is in danger, but Ramsey brings him a baby to consume to set him back to normal. This horrifies Devon, but she feeds the baby to her son.

Devon makes a plan with Ramsey whereby she will track down the Ravenscars and get the Redemption they are hoarding. She does this because Ramsey has an explosive device implanted in Cai, and he will detonate it if she does not help him. Unbeknownst to Ramsey she also makes plans to escape to Ireland once she has gotten the Redemption she needs.

Eventually she meets with Hester, a member of the Ravenscar family. Hester tells her that Killock Ranvescar will give her the Redemption she needs if she promises to live at his estate and follow his rules. The two make it to Killock, neither knowing that the other is deceiving them. When they get to the manor, Hester tells Devon that all the people at the estate are brain eaters, including her. Her own tongue was just cut off. Devon tells Hester that her brother and his knights will come attack the estate. Devon is able to devise a plan whereby she will be able to steal a supply of Redemption to last her son years and also steal information that should help her figure out the recipe. Killock has Redemption, but he still eats the brains of innocent people in what he calls Communion.

Hester decides to leave with Cai and Devon once Devon gets the Redemption. Devon has gotten hold of a device that blocks the signal whereby Ramsey could detonate Cai’s explosive device, ensuring Cai’s safety. As they all try to escape, Ramsey and his men attack. When Devon is in danger of being killed by her brother, Cai sucks his brains out of his head, killing him. Once Cai has Ramsey’s memories, he tells Devon that he knows what happened to him is not her fault. Hester, Devon, and Cai escape to Ireland, and Devon plans to return for her daughter once Cai is safe.