Hidden across England and Scotland live six old Book Eater families. The last of their lines, they exist on the fringes of society and subsist on a diet of stories and legends. Children are rare and their numbers have dwindled, so when Devon Fairweather's second child is born a dreaded Mind Eater - a perversion of her own kind, who consumes not stories but the minds and souls of humans - she flees before he can be turned into a weapon for the family... or worse. Living among humans and finding prey for her son, Devon seeks a cure for his hunger. But time is running out - for her family want her back, and with every soul her son consumes he loses a little more of himself... This is a story of escape, a savage mother's devotion and a queer love.