Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

397 reviews

molly_boyd_'s review

dark reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

The had some really good reflective moments. It was written in the 1990s about the 2020s and it’s startling to see the similarities between the book’s world and the real world. It was a graphic read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and War

nexttopdumpsterfire's review

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

4.5

An intense read for the beginning of 2025 while fires consume LA and a fascist soon to be dictator just took office.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Torture, and Violence

loreleileee's review

adventurous dark emotional sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual content

hanlov's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change.

A uniquely difficult book to read but incredibly important and timely. Dystopia is so much scarier the more we see fiction represented in our world, Octavia Butler is truly an incredible writer. I love seeing this world through teenage Lauren’s eyes as she battles with her understanding of religion and her hyper-empathy while the world burns around her. Given the current events of the world in 2025, Butler’s work is haunting and hard to swallow, but really poignant and powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

brivar2019's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism

charliesshit's review

adventurous 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

clahorgue's review

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

jayeless's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

yxreads's review

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I found the novel to be very thought-provoking with regard to religion and what it means to believe in a religion. Perhaps I need more time to think about the novel itself (as I am unsure whether this was intentional due to the main character's main flaw), but I felt somewhat disconnected to whatever was happening in the novel, and it did not bring out as much emotions as I thought it would have based on how horrifying some of the events were. Overall, though, the novel was a very moving expression of community and tenacity, while exposing the darker sides of human nature.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism

hccranston's review

dark reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail