Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

272 reviews

njohnson246's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is an important book, but so horrifically dark. I’ve read a lot of dark books, but this was a whole new level. It was hard to get through at times. I think the worst part too is how scarily accurate Octavia Butler’s predictions are. It’s not hard to see that the future that she has laid out here is very possible if things in the United States continue in the way they are. I appreciated that the ending was hopeful though, and I think I will read the second one, although I will need a break to read something lighter. This is not for the faint of heart, but if you can read it, it will impact you significantly. I especially loved and resonated with the Earthseed verses. Overall, I would recommend, but check the trigger warnings before reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

library_bee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Cannibalism

shaynicole's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

sapphicsquirrel's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Murder

c_cant98's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

otherwordy's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

reading_bunny's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

My ratings:
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Review:
I only read this book because it was assigned reading for a university class but I really enjoyed it!

The themes and topics were really heavy but the way that Lauren talked about them makes it both more palatable and devastating.

The whole climate apocalypse theme is always fun to read, especially when it's written in the past, so debit seems to be more if a reality as the years go by. 

The whole book has the theme of perspective with how Lauren sees the world and her opinions, and how others see the world and their opinions, it's a huge point if conflict in the book and makes Lauren add to and change Earthseed 

I have MAJOR beef with that guy though! I don't even wanna wrote his name because he is the same age as my FATHER and that is gross!!!! Plus the way he sees Earthseed and Laurens want to spread the word and start a community pisses me off.

ANYWAYS 

would I recommend this book to others? No, not unless I knew they would be able to handle the extensive triggers and themes of the book. 

Would I personally read this again? Absolutely not, but I did really enjoy the read though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Classism

saramilli's review

adventurous dark reflective sad

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

mabuu's review

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, and Classism

maliyuhj's review

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Rape, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism