Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Dawn

Some parts were disturbing, but I loved it. Will be reading more of this series/author. Gave it a half-star off because of chosen-one trope that serves the narrative but is nevertheless infuriating to read. Otherwise, a flawless story that drew me in from the first chapter and

Content Warnings

leabhar_love's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

4.75

Content Warnings

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

demo's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

tw: coerced rape

This book was recommended to me as it ticked a few boxed of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. Sci-fi is not a genre I ordinarily read or enjoy. I find invented alien races and their languages inherently contrived (sorry) which makes it hard for me to finish a novel. I was intrigued, though, by a sci-fi novel written by a woman of colour. I was told Butler's work used alien races to explore issues such as xenophobia, paternalism and colonialism instead of fetishising them or using them as a vehicle to assert human domination. This she does brilliantly, and her work is definitely unlike any other sci-fi work I have consumed through any medium.

Sadly, I found Lilith intolerable. The first half of the book? Awesome! But once she started to Awaken other humans? Hmm. I tried to find sympathy for her (perhaps the ooloi bonds are similar to a trauma bond or Stockholm Syndrome?) but after she was complicit and even took "perverse pleasure" in Joseph's coerced rape by Nikhanj I just couldn't stick by her. To go from "There'll be no rape here" to that? Nope. Sorry. You lost me Lilith. That's fucked. (If you're not sure what I'm taking about, this article breaks it down really well.)

To be fair, I don't think Octavia Butler wanted me to walk away from this book feeling jolly and content. It was meant to be disturbing. Perhaps her intention was to let us feel our convictions, projecting no explicit moral judgement of her own. I just can't help but feel that not clarifying that scene was indeed sexual assault is reckless. Another reviewer here said she thought Butler crossed a line in the last quarter of the book, and I think I agree.

In terms of writing style, the narration was a little repetitive and limited, and the range of human reactions was pretty much isolated to shrugging and jumping. That said, Butler's sensory descriptions of the ship were vivid. The novel was artfully well-paced (something I truly appreciate) and I was compelled to finish it, even though I stopped liking it.

I so wanted to love this book and I think after spending some time thinking about it I may grow to like it. I think I need to untangle my dislike of Lilith from my dislike of the book itself. Undecided as to whether I'll read the next two. I probably will, but not for some time. It's not light reading, that's for sure.

Content Warnings

More...