Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Dawn

I'm not fully sure what I feel about this book. It's good, yes, but also part of me is unhappy with it in a way I can't really describe. It's worth reading and deciding for yourself. I'm interested to see where it goes from here in the next book.

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kri13's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

At first I really enjoyed this book. The heavy plot of coercion and sexual assault became too much for me. It's troubling how the captures are made to seem almost affectionate. I also thought the book worked under the assumption that men would rape women on site if they'd been alone for a time- and that all humans would want to quickly form heterosexual couples when put in a room together.

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miraclesnow's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

This book is made to be messy. As someone with a cursory interest in ethics, Octavia Butler made the Oankali truly alien in ways that go beyond their exteriors, while still feeling like sentient individuals. Nothing about this book is simple and it’s such a good way of making you think about not very common topics. I feel like I’m in knots just trying to parse everything that happened.

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reading_for_pluto's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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liormaleficent's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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finchthearcher's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective 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

3.75

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blazingquill's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective 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

This is a disturbing read that creates a horrific story about breaches in consent and the abuse of colonization. It asks the question, “what are you able to do when you’re helpless?” then weaves a complex answer considering love, hate, and resistance. It’s a story that could not have come from another author, and I think is an important read.

That being said, despite its discussion of gender, it maintains a very cis and straight perspective throughout, which effected my reading of the book. There is also a very complex relationship that edges into both abuse and pedophilia that I think was intended to be read as disturbing but I know could be interpreted differently. Heavy content warnings as well for: nonconsensual procedures, noncon relationships, rape, forced sterilization, and sensory deprivation torture.

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britreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

4.5

This was a hard book to read because of the subject matter. I absolutely despised the Oankali and how manipulative they were. The humans were also difficult to root for, though I certainly sympathized with them on some level. They're actions and anxieties felt reasonable given the situation they were in. I also empathized with Lilith. I truly felt bad for her by the end and wished for a better ending, though given Butler's close examination of the real world, it's clear Lilith was never going to have a 'good' ending.

I wish more time was spent developing the emotional connection between the humans. Once they were introduced, it felt like everyone immediately paired with someone of the opposite gender. (It seemed convenient that all of the humans were straight...though given the Oakali's tendency to deeply interrogate the surviving humans, I wouldn't be surprised if they intentionally selected people who were straight.) Even though Butler focused on a few reoccurring human characters, they seemed to run together.

This was a HEAVY read. It was one of the heaviest reads so far this year and while I want to read the entire trilogy, I will pace myself and recommend other people who are interested in this series spread out their reading as well.

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