Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

214 reviews

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" 

---

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

---

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

mattyb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Violence, Drug use, Blood, Rape, Police brutality, Death, Body horror, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Gore

Moderate: Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Chronic illness, Addiction, Kidnapping, Slavery, Rape, Sexual content, and Abandonment

sarahh87's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Slavery, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

tayngerous's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

Moderate: Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Addiction, Drug abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Racism, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Child death, Cannibalism, Death, Classism, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Incest and Pedophilia

jessife's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense 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? No

4.0

A slightly terrifying look at what climate change could do to our society - dystopian catastrophe but still gripping and hopeful

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Racism, Violence, Sexual violence, War, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Drug use, Death, Slavery, Drug abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

moriahleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Animal death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Child death, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, and Grief

itshrewsbury's review against another edition

dark emotional tense

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

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

dwarrowdams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

A fresh and interesting take on the dystopia genre, but with a lot more death and violence and other horrors (and a lot more detail about those things) than I personally care for.

I did like Butler’s writing style, and definitely plan to pick up some of her other books that are more in my wheelhouse.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Body horror, Child death, Death, Murder, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Animal death, Death of parent, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Child abuse

Minor: Rape, Racism, and Police brutality

bmt1005's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Slavery, Sexual violence, Violence, Gun violence, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Murder, Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Medical trauma