Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

27 reviews

nstew16's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Classism, Racism, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Slavery, Animal death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Murder, and Self harm

lasafica_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Genocide, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Sexual harassment

nurseamandarose's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Death, Slavery, Violence, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, and Rape

saltycoffee's review

challenging dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Colonisation, Death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Slavery

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Racism, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

ce_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Gore, Incest, Kidnapping, Slavery, Ableism, Genocide, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Torture, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism

Minor: War

becksusername'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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Murder, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

aegagrus's review against another edition

3.5

The most captivating aspect of Wild Seed is the remarkable way in which Butler has imagined Anyanwu and Doro. Each immortal struggles with their own exceptional power in fascinating ways, confronting their abilities' depths and limitations, the costs of exercising such abilities, and the ways in which their power sets them apart from their own identity and from the world around them. They make a good pair: there is a streak of idealism and humanity in the generally malevolent Doro, and there is a streak of bloodlust in the generally beneficent Anyanwu. As a character, each is quite unique, making for remarkable and unexpected developments in their relationship. Doro's movements through the book, in particular, are sinister and frightening, all the more so because he is not a monochromatic antagonist. Anyanwu's acts of resistance, in turn, are all the more compelling because she is never able to shake a degree of complicity.

The story's morally ambiguous conclusion serves these tensions well.

Though gripping, Wild Seed also has hefty things to say about history and society. Butler's exploration of slavery through the extended analogy of Doro's breeding projects is always interesting and emotionally affecting. Her exploration of gender dynamics through the immortals' relationship (perverse, but still resonant with reality) is also generally of interest. Her gestures towards LGBT themes feel comparatively shallow and don't to me seem to add very much, despite the obvious potential in both main characters' gender-mobile personages. Themes relating to history and inevitability are occasionally curious ancillaries to more central themes, but are often inessential.

Wild Seed is well-written, striking a good balance between literary heft and engaging storytelling. At times, dialogue feels a little forced, and I was not entirely satisfied with the pacing in the third act. In general, though, this was a gripping read, and the sheer uniqueness of Doro and Anyanwu's relationship was of great value to me as a reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Grief

Moderate: Incest, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Suicide, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

thenonbinaryc's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Slavery, Murder, Incest, Grief, Rape, Suicide, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Death, Abortion, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

areadingstan's review

adventurous dark reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Incest, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Slavery