Sunyi Dean is an author of fantasy fiction.
Dean was born in Texas, raised in Hong Kong, and lives in Yorkshire. She is biracial.[1] She is autistic.[2][1]
She has listed her favorite authors as Charlotte Brontë, Gene Wolfe, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Nnedi Okorafor.[2]
Book reviewers inspired her to try writing.[3] She began her career with short fiction.[4]
Reviews of her 2022 debut, a gothic fantasy titled The Book Eaters, were largely favorable.[5][6][7][8] A starred review from Publishers Weekly said, "Dean’s unputdownable debut gives the phrase 'voracious reader' a new, very literal meaning".[9] 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".[10] 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".[11] It was positively received by The Washington Post.[12] Terri Schlichenmeyer praised Dean's prose in a review for Marco Eagle.[13] Abigail Nussbaum of The Guardian called it an "intriguing twist on the vampire story".[14]
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.[14] It was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in 2022.[15] Booklist named it a top science fiction/fantasy and horror debut of 2022.[16]
Dean has said she may write a novel that wraps up some plot points of The Book Eaters.[17] She is under contract to write two standalone novels.[4]