Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

777 reviews

thislibrarianisreading's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

samanthabreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.25

“Not now,” I said. “I can’t see how anything is going to work out now. Everything’s too crazy.” 

“And what? Do you think it’s going to get sane? It’s never been sane. You just have to go ahead and live, no matter what.”

I struggled to review this book. There was SO much to think about, and it all continues to linger. Reading about climate change burning California in 2025 as California was and is actively burning is a heartbreaking foreshadowing (still in awe she wrote this in the early 90s but set the story in 2024 onward) on Butler’s part. She did not miss on the other aspects of this book either. Her exploration of the metaphysical aspects of change and belief, discussions around preparedness, and collective survival. 

At one point, the FMC states “It was a terrifying, looming, moving wall.” What a striking and horrifying symbol to what it feels the reality America is really moving towards. That is the biggest gut punch. I have not felt this reading other dystopian novels. This world does not feel very far off, especially when looking at the boundaries and interactions between governmental institutions and its society and interpersonal relationships in dire times. I had to know what happened next so I immediately jumped into book two. 

A final note, this book includes ALL the heaviness one can probably think of so please take care. Reading a lighter book in conjunction helped me. 💕

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Cannibalism

Minor: Trafficking

takarakeireads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

phew... this is a rough book to read because Octavia is a genius and she basically predicted the world we live in now 30 years ago

The book starts in 2024... a dystopian society, told from the perspective of a teenage girl's journal, who is trying to create her own new religion. Even though some really horrible things happen in the book, the overall tone is rather matter-of-fact and for that reason the storytelling arc fell a tad flat (it's just very different from typical plot pacing that I've read, so maybe that's why). I have to see how it ends so... yeah I'll read the sequel :')

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Rape, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Classism

maryellen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape

jad15215's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and Abandonment

Minor: Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Classism

erinmure5's review

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? Yes

4.0

This is a great book, and it definitely makes you think. I would not describe it as a “fun read” or a “good time.” Be prepared for feelings of existential dread amidst the hope and resilience, especially given today’s socio-political climate. Speculative fiction at its finest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Slavery, Grief, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

mintyr's review

adventurous challenging inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Grief

vee_eb's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense slow-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? No

4.5

Prescient novel. Butler drew from real history and then current events to accurately predict what the 2020s are shaping up to be. And it's dark.

Favourite quote:
"It's better to teach people than to scare them, Lauren. If you scare them and nothing happens, they lose their gear, and you lose some of your authority with them. It's harder to scare them a second time, harder to teach them, harder to win back their trust. Best to begin by teaching."

The only thing I would say is that because I'm not religious in the slightest, some of the belief system doesn't make much of an impression on me as I shy away from religion in all forms. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism

tfaydoyle's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

Riveting science fiction, though now seems more real than fiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

meganivonneth's review

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, and I'm glad I did. While I thought it was a bit of a hard read and wasn't too into it, it was definitely necessary. A dystopian world and the never-ending complications that come with it seem closer than we think in reality. It made me accept that there's not always going to be a happy ending. Some storylines were left unresolved, and we just have to sit with that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Violence

Moderate: Cannibalism and Classism

Minor: Incest