How did one give shape to absence? Fill a black hole with light?

I added The Book Eaters to my reading list after seeing it was nominated in the 2022 Fantasy category. I'm no stranger to fantasy and enjoy different takes on the genre. The Book Eaters is a low fantasy story with a very unique magic system.

It's a fun concept simply told. Right off the bat I was enthralled by the idea of a book eater.

There is also Victorian era/Bourgeoisie/Vampire vibe to the story where families can be comprised of different types of eaters, they are self governed but also have to work together to keep the harmony.

It is one thing to have a repository of data, and quite another to use it.

Unfortunately the story, albeit short, wore on, felt repetitive and I didn't find myself as interested in the characters.

I could see this book being excellent if it was within the larger eaters universe. Perhaps a different perspective from Harrow (right? the cousin?) or a glimpse into what the eaters society was like earlier. And then when we arrive at Devon's story there is a bit more investment in the characters.

One reviewer said this was a story "about motherhood, womanhood, and humanity, and less about the actual concept of mind & book eaters" and that may be the difference here. I wanted a story to understand the eaters universe but it's a story about a mother keeping her child nearby (sorry Salem, guess we'll get you in the sequel?).

Going by the Goodreads star rating, the story was okay but I didn't "like it". There were elements that were interesting and could appeal to others, as evident by the pretty high rating of the book. If there was more focus on the eaters, how their reproduction challenges are being faced, include some social commentary that you get from a secret society of mutants, etc. then maybe that little extra would give me something to grab on to and I could enjoy the story more.