Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

232 reviews

bexrecca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

My first Octavia Butler and now I'm wondering what took me so long. While it was a little strange having a much older woman narrating for a teenager, Lynne Thigpen's voice was so soothing and wonderful for this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Racism

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

mads_reads_books's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Colonisation, Child death, Animal death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Body horror, Classism, Cannibalism, Slavery, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Death, and Ableism

mald626's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Religious bigotry

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

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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

hurlyburlywitch's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring sad 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? Yes

5.0

This was so profoundly emotional. I picked it up as a frequent reader of junky dystopia, and instead found myself thrown into a meaningful consideration of the human condition and the nature of God. I am getting the urge to discuss this with everyone I know. The slow development of a relationship with the characters offered rich rewards as the horrors of their world, and their own personal depths, became apparent to the reader. I chewed through this in a single sitting, and I can be certain I'm coming back for this time and again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, and Child death

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.

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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

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

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

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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

miorinsa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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

3.25

The first half of this book reads like a prologue in that our narrator is preparing for a journey and we learn everything she does in that time. The first half is definitely a necessary part of the book to understand the journey in the second half. There were some odd aspects of the narrative in that some small things were described in great detail and some more important plot points were glossed over. Overall, the concept of the book is gripping and the main character, Lauren, is a strong, adaptable, and determined heroine with unparalleled compassion in a world that lacks it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Child death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Rape, and Slavery

Dystopian