Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

70 reviews

jiayuanc's review

dark fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

💬: “You don’t look that threatening. Just … very different.” 
“Different is threatening to most species,” Nikanj answered. “Different is dangerous. It might kill you. That was true to your animal ancestors and your nearest animal relatives. And it’s true for you.”

Butler, Octavia E.. Dawn (The Xenogenesis Trilogy Book 1) (p. 211). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition. 

📖Genres: sci-fi, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, aliens, horror, speculative fiction

📚Page Count: 248

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 20min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5 
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Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is my first finished read of 2023! It was my first time reading this piece of work, and I really enjoyed it.

I have a phobia of aliens, which I've mentioned in the past. I was very creeped out going into this book, but I couldn't put the book down once I started (I finished it in two days!)

This book explores themes of gender, society, humanity - and what that means, sexuality, and I'm sure I'm missing some.

I enjoyed the world building.

The aliens and the ship were all so creatively designed.

This story just had so many great working parts, and it all came together to make a creepy but wonderfully written story.

I knocked off .5 stars because of how heteronormative the story was, with all the males trying to find a female within their groups to "hook up" with. Someone pointed out that was a unrealistic that everyone was so heteronormative, and I agree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 Stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer and Homophobia

raccooonhands's review against another edition

challenging dark

• 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: Confinement, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault and Colonisation

Minor: Homophobia

taroroot's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

3.0

i don't normally read sci-fi so this was an interesting departure from my usual reading. i think the world and the aliens Butler created were absolutely fascinating. i wish we as readers could understand more about the Oankali's physiology as well as how they communicate amongst each other. i dislike the way consent was portrayed in this novel which made me absolutely hate the ending. "you told me 'no' but your body told me you were ready" is not proper consent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Racism

vampslayer815's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

haylzno's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

By far my favorite of the trilogy. I loved following Lillith and her moral struggles (not the focus in books 2 & 3) 

I loved the introduction to the Oankali, their world, their customs, and their demands of the surviving humans. 

Truly, Octavia Butler is a genius.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Grief, and War

msagerber's review

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

nicolewhopickedthisbook's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Definitely an epic Scifi post apocalyptic adventure. Lilith is really stuck between a rock and a hard place when she wakes up to find out she’s basically been kidnapped by aliens (they say rescued) after Earth was wiped out. These aliens have a strange amount of control over Lilith and eventually other humans you meet, but everything is done their way and on their time and Lilith has to either fall in line or go back to sleep. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

There’s a scene where a group of humans are drugged before meeting the aliens and then sexual stuff happens

bookwisp's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I’ll freely admit this book went over my head. I studied English Literature at uni, so, alas, I’m extremely familiar with the sensation. This was one of those books where I know that I didn’t “get it” so I’m aware that I can’t fully appreciate what Butler’s aimed to achieve here.

This started off weird, tense, and gripping and I flew through the first parts. But there was a point in the narrative, probably around the 60% mark, where it lost me.

Consent is a key issue in the narrative. The way theses issues are explored was, to me, uncomfortable. I’m absolutely sure it’s supposed to be uncomfortable but a particular series of events tipped it over into the realm of Too Much and killed it for me, really.

I recognise it’s an interesting book - one I might’ve been better off studying for an essay because there’s a huge amount to unpack - but as a leisure novel it’s not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Cancer and Homophobia

allyreindl33's review

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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt