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janiecekneppe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism
teej7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
For a while, I thought this book felt very juvenile. In a YA type way - and I couldn’t figure out if I just thought that because our MC is 15 at the start. I think the problem is just what N.K. Jemison speaks of in her forward, Lauren feels too much like what a middle aged woman THINKS a 15 year old is like. I get that she’s very mature for her age, but it felt a little trite during some parts. Specifically Earthseed which I felt lacked depth -- a lot of it was just too surface level for me to consider it believable for these fully grown adults to be following her blindly into the seed.
I wish we learned more about Lauren’s abilities and the drug her mom took that left her with these abilities. Hopefully that’s expanded in the sequel?
You might finish reading this and think I hated this book. My opinion is far from that. I really enjoyed this book as I do with most of Butler’s books. Despite the icky age gap relationship.
Minor: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
maxicosi's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Abortion, and Outing
ashleybakerwrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, and Rape
apple_atcha_reading's review against another edition
- 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
This is a deeply unsettling and uncomfortable novel to read, but I still enjoyed it. It took me a few weeks to read on audio because I took breaks due to heavy content, but this is a novel I can see myself re-reading every few years or so. There's a graphic novel version I'm interested in reading for comparison as well.
The main character, Lauren, was on unlikeable, but in a relatable sort of way that made sense given her circumstances. She was making uncomfortable decisions that no one else in her community was willing to make, although she should never have been in such a position. Lauren, her family, her community, and frankly the world, are living in an extreme climate crisis where water is treated as a luxury commodity instead of a life giving necessity, and the police and emergency services are (expensive) for hire workers instead of working in the best interest of a community. (wow, this isn't familiar at all /s) These are just some of the extreme measures being taken against the regular people in this universe. Because of the extreme state of the world, there are "company towns" being constructed eerily similar to the mining towns of 1800s Appalachia or even slavery within the United States empire. Money is rarely given for payment, prices are intentionally inflated requiring workers to go into debt, therefore ensuring the workers are unable to leave because they owe the company labor (even though they were unfairly compensated and grossly overcharged for goods and services).
It was so frustrating to me that the adults in Lauren's life refused to acknowledge the truth surrounding them. Her father was the only one to admit that things were "bad", but no one else was willing to accept they lived in a dying town in danger of being
Lauren's relationship with Bankole was essentially my big issue with this novel. I'm not a fan of any age gap relationship, but especially not one where the older partner
Overall, this was an amazing work of literature. I know understand why Octavia E. Butler is such a well respected author and so many people say her work was so influential to modern science fiction writing today.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
cafejessnyc's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
annakagrace's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
seph268's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
erikwmj's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, and Death of parent
dragon_s_hoard's review
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism