Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Mind of my Mind by Octavia E. Butler

28 reviews

storyorc's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

Few prequels are able to turn their prequelness into such a roaring advantage. Since we already know the general trajectory of this world, the narrative is under none of the usual pressures to keep this collection of telepath's powers modest, controlled, or even particularly under wraps. This allows it to really dig into what telepaths could do to our society - or more broadly, what people with unanswerable power can do. Having one telepath positioned above the rest only adds nuance to the power structure. A lot of books will soften their hypothetical scenarios by making the powerful side pure evil or making a vigilante beloved by the people to excuse their extrajudicial violence but Butler does not shy away from the complications of her setup. There is a very specific horror in watching people grow accustomed to - even happy with - a lack of freedom. The greater good of society vs freedom of the individual tension is acutely felt. This gave me a similar mounting dread on the ideological level as the 2024 Dune II film.

Even as the book generates this great and horrible sense of hurtling toward tragedy on the macro scale, my ignorance of the details of the original novel kept me on the edge of my seat in regards to  the fates of certain characters. Doro is still the monster from Wild Seed but also still not without love and loneliness and a very human arrogance. Butler excels in seeding the reader with an insidious pride and curiosity in his millennia-spanning project despite its sickening cost simply because there is no-one else reaching as high as he is. Mary is easier to root for, but prone to an equally human pettiness, bitterness, and that same arrogance. She is no benevolent dictator, much as she might wish to be, and her abilities amplify her little cruelties through her impressive creations in fascinating ways. In the end, they are all just people struggling with issues far bigger than any single person should be. It makes the book hard to put down. Thankfully, the novel's final gift is that it's pretty short.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Misogyny and Racism

gabfat's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-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: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Sexual assault

larbster90's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Body horror, and Child abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Slavery, Abandonment, Incest, and Medical content

Minor: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs

kenrya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Incest, Slavery, Alcoholism, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Sexism, Child abuse, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

henlovesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Child abuse

scifi_rat's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Slavery, Incest, Infidelity, Death, Child death, Chronic illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual assault

Minor: Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Medical content, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Car accident

readwithcappy's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child abuse, Child death, and Death

featherwoman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, and Toxic relationship

missdanielle's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Minor: Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Suicide

reginacattus's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

4.25

Very compelling, a rich and interesting lore. Haven't come across a "superpowers" story like it. A harsh and brutal world filled with harsh and brutal characters, but also a sense of community that grows between the characters over time.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Incest, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Adult/minor relationship