Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

138 reviews

dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Trafficking, Blood, Cannibalism, Police brutality, Torture, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual assault

gustgustgust's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

This book shocked me. It was written in the '90s and yet it felt prophetic. If it was written in this year, people would say it was too on-the-nose. 

The story is beautiful. the main character, Lauren Olamina, is such a beautiful, complicated character. The relationships are complicated and dense and tentative. The real shining moment is just the world Bulter weaved. It felt not only like it happened, but that I was watching it happen in front of me. It's not for me to adapt, but it is definitely something that would make an incredible series if given full opportunity to be as dark, grim, and haunting as it needs to be. 

The only thing that knocked it down for me was there was a lot of violence, and I understand that the world needed it so it's just a personal taste thing. I don't think anything was don't to scandalize or be outrageous, it was true to the world, I just got pulled out going "oh no, this is too much, too real" 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Child death, Death of parent, Torture, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

daysanchez'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? 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: Addiction, Body horror, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Animal death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Cursing, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, and Sexual content

sabrinazj's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Rape, Murder, Child death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Hate crime, Ableism, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Blood

Minor: Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Police brutality

Father is deemed dead by disappearance.

Minor religious trauma

itshrewsbury's review against another edition

dark emotional tense

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug use, Rape, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Child death, and Torture

florendie's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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? No

4.25

Octavia Butler is one of the greats when it comes to dystopia and speculative fiction. Her writing style (simple and to the point) and the realism with which the characters behave make this book painfllly relevant, scary and hopeful at the same time. I'm not a religious person but the way Lauren talked about change resonated with me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, even if I would have preferred

Lauren to be a less Messiah-like figure and a relationship with someone her own age.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Torture, Blood, Death, Body horror, Grief, Rape, Slavery, and Child abuse

akamuva's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Torture, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Rape, and Violence

retiredepisodian2robloxian's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

I really enjoyed Parable of the Sower, it’s message overall is compelling to read within the year it takes place in. I want to read the second book as I am interested to see where it will go. I highly recommend this novel and found myself always entertained and fully immersed when reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Torture, Sexual violence, Child death, Trafficking, Slavery, Rape, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Sexual content

julieallison's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Slavery, Incest, Physical abuse, Torture, Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Cursing, Cannibalism, Child death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Addiction, Classism, Death, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, and Drug use

happylilfaerie's review against another edition

dark reflective sad

2.5

The more I think about this book the less I like it. Americans have “become” evil and are raping, torturing and cannibalising each other. Where does evil come from? Why are women and girls being raped every page but not a single man is raped? Drug users are usually seeking an escape and to be able to cope with life, in this book they are evil people who want to set others on fire, why? 

None of the interesting aspects bought up were explored - hyperempathy, company towns, how to live off the land, and building community in disaster.

The masses walking on foot from one part of the country to another to seek safety and resources echoes very familiarly to me as an Iraqi. Just look at Falisteen right now. We help each other, protect each other, share our food etc.  I suppose a population as savage and uncivilised as the west couldn’t be expected to know how to behave when resources become scarce. 

Why was the unethical relationship between a teenager and a 57 year old, a whole 40 years older, normalised and made to seem okay? That man is a predator, I don’t give a shit how “mature” the child seems. 

The side characters kind of blurred together, instead of personality and development, they were given sob backstories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Rape, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Torture, Slavery, Violence, and Sexual assault