Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

494 reviews

dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The actual written language is good, but the storyline is 75% build-up... And the ending is abrupt, incomplete. It almost feels thrown together. 

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Now that it's 2025, maybe get some context before reading...the book is terrifyingly accurate to the struggles we are currently facing in the US. I started it without really knowing what it was about and right as the wildfires in LA began ramping up. Makes a tough read even tougher, but wow I simply couldn't put it down.

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

An absolute masterpiece. You will double take at Butler's prescience and prophetic portrayal of a 2024 united states gone wrong, written in 1993. You will double take. You will say "wtf" out loud. Your friends will ask how your book is going, and you will respond "Terrible." with a smile. Readers be warned of a very, very long list of trigger warnings. Take care of yourself and be gentle. 

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Begging you not to read this if you’re mentally unstable or in general trying to have a good day. 

My major qualms (it feels illegal to critique Octavia Butler) include the main character and her Earthseed religion. Nothing Lauren does is consistent and she reads more as a robot than a human being who is supposedly hyper-empathetic. And tbh the Earthseed plot came across really culty and angsty, which I guess makes sense since she’s a teenager. 

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I don't know how to write this review because this was a deep novel that I don't think my thoughts could really do this book justice. This book is so deep and powerful, and it was such a journey that I also don't know how to rate it.
This book starts off nice, safe, the calm before the storm, if you will, and then you are thrust into the deep end, and have to face the unexpected like Lauren, our main character, does. It's like the covers being thrown off of you.
Except for the fact that Lauren's community burned down and all her family died.
.
A lot of it felt somewhat the same
because all the characters did was moving city to city, buying supplies.
But it was also a testament to human connection and that even though humans most of the time do only think about themselves, they also care about others, and to those around them.
It was a great novel except for the fact that
the main character was 18, and she had a relationship with a 57 year old man. Kind of weird....
But, other than that, this book was amazing, is worth a read, to the point where I think everyone should read it.

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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: No

This book gave an interesting parallel to today's society. While not everything is the same, there are many similarities between the book and today's society and where things could be going. The characters in this book were very relatable and even though they were diverse and coming from different backgrounds/walks of life, they were all in some way or another relatable. This book isn't a light read and could be hard for some people to get through. If you like dystopian fiction with a hint of reality in it, this would be a good book to try reading. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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