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ams5x9'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
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Sexual assault, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Abandonment, Blood, and Animal death
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cannibalism, Racism, and Police brutality
thirdtimesacharm'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: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use, Child abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Slavery, Racial slurs, and Child death
Minor: Vomit
rauvolfia'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
Moderate: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Sexual violence, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Slavery, Child death, Animal death, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
tobias_ewing's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence and Suicide
maggiegirouard's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Cannibalism, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual assault, Addiction, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Animal death, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Drug abuse, Rape, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence
lindseygcarden's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Incest, and Pregnancy
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: Gun violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Racism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Abortion, Outing, Animal death, and Blood
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: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, and Alcoholism
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: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Murder, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Ableism, Slavery, Sexual content, 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: Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence