Sunyi Dean-Cedar Herald Index

Sunyi Dean is an author of fantasy fiction.

Career

Dean was born in Texas, raised in Hong Kong, and lives in Yorkshire. She is biracial. She is autistic.

Sunyi Dean

She has listed her favorite authors as Charlotte Brontë, Gene Wolfe, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Nnedi Okorafor.

Sunyi Dean

Book reviewers inspired her to try writing. She began her career with short fiction.

Sunyi Dean

Reviews of her 2022 debut, a gothic fantasy titled The Book Eaters, were largely favorable. A starred review from Publishers Weekly said, "Dean’s unputdownable debut gives the phrase 'voracious reader' a new, very literal meaning". Library Journal'''s starred review called it "a fascinating debut with shades of gothic fantasy and contemporary thriller, wrapped in a narrative full of vivid and detailed characters and worldbuilding, and an unusual premise". A starred review from Booklist noted, "Dean’s debut novel is a powerful story of overwhelming mother love, as something both powerful and potentially horrific". It was positively received by The Washington Post. Terri Schlichenmeyer praised Dean's prose in a review for Marco Eagle. Abigail Nussbaum of The Guardian called it an "intriguing twist on the vampire story".The Book Eaters debuted at #2 on the Sunday Times bestseller list for fiction hardbacks in the UK, and reached #2 on the Vancouver Sun's list of bestselling international books in August 2022. It was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in 2022. Booklist named it a top science fiction/fantasy and horror debut of 2022.

Dean has said she may write a novel that wraps up some plot points of The Book Eaters. She is under contract to write two standalone novels.