Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - La luce del sole

Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

La luce del sole by Octavia E. Butler

118 reviews

lydiature_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this one.

On one hand, I’d give it 4 ⭐️ just for the plot. It was a fast-paced story that intrigued me from the beginning to the end. It had the right amount of gore without being disgusting and creepy. I could definitely see this as an A24 movie (which I wouldn’t watch, because horror movies scare the hell out of me & I like my sleep).

My biggest gripe with this book, however, is Shori’s age. So technically she’s a 53 year old vampire, but she looks like a literal CHILD. As if that can’t be bad, she gets into SEXUAL relationships with ADULTS. And these adults (at least two of them—Wright and Theodora) are sexually attracted to her before knowing her actual age. So again, she LOOKS like a 10 year old child, but that doesn’t stop them from being sexually attracted to her. That’s disgusting. Now, you can say whatever you want, but objectively speaking, there is no reason for Shori to look like a child. Butler could have made her 18 even, but she didn’t. And like I said, I have a really big problem with that. That just poisoned the whole reading experience for me (and why I won’t ever give this more than 3 ⭐️).

As far as the characters—they were kinda bland, including Shori. Wright was kinda just there (and a whole creep). Shori didn’t really have any personality beyond: “I’m hungry! I’m horny! I can’t remember anything!” But she wasn’t annoying to the point where I couldn’t enjoy the actual storyline. Towards the 60%, there were way too many characters introduced. Lots of name-dropping but barely any development. I don’t think half of them were even that important to the plot. The ending was unsatisfying, almost like a cliff-hanger. I’m not sure if this is a series, but if it is, I 100% will NOT be reading it.

Would I recommend? Eh. Depends on your squeamishness regarding idk ~ cannibalism, potential incest, lots of blood, adjacent pedophilia. I found a book that Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer would love, but I don’t know what this says about me for finishing this (don’t tell my therapist).

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gellyreads's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a hard rating to give. As per usual, with Butler’s work, there are some really dark, twisted, and traumatic topics. But they’re always there for a reason. I think the main thing that I find enjoyable about this work is the unique perspective of the vampire for. And I love the vampire politics that happen, especially at the end of the novel. This ended up being pretty fun, after a rocky start.

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erinbarton's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

2.0

an unnecessary amount of worldbuilding / info dumping for a 300 page standalone book — although the plot sounded interesting, reading became tedious because the entire plot became just shori meeting someone and hearing info about her past, moving on to the next place and meeting another person etc.

the fact that shori has the body of a child serves no purpose in the plot ie she is never mistaken for a child either to her advantage or detriment. because of this, it feels as if this detail was added solely to make readers uncomfortable from the sexual/romantic relationships in the book when her child body is described.

writing style also just wasn’t for me - the dialogue is very stiff and unnatural, and the characters lack any personality

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aubrey_cody's review against another edition

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Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.0

I love Octavia Butler books normally! But I can’t overlook the glaring, unneeded decision to make the main character a child. Could never recommend this book because of that. Uncomfy and gross. Even if that’s the intention of Butler I cannot see the reason.

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madelinesedai's review against another edition

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halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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 is the first book I have ever read by Octavia E. Butler and I am over the MOON happy after reading this.

The MC is a Black Vampire whom is desirable, courageous, brave, unforgettable and a refreshing character. She wakes up in a cave in excruciating pain with no memory of what happened to her nor who she is. We come to know the world through her eyes and who she is as the story progresses. Along with help from those on the way.

I did mentally clutch my metaphoric pearls (especially while driving) listening to the audiobook. This is definitely more for mature audiences. It's so difficult to express my love for this novel without dumping spoilers. Just impossible.

Found family, my favorite trope, plays a major role in Fledgling and I could 100% relisten to this again and again.

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thebookesquire's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative tense fast-paced

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

2.0

This was fine. Not bad and definitely not great but it did hold my interest until the very end. I enjoyed the mystery, exploring the vampire politics and vampire tribunal, and I really enjoyed the commentary on “pure” vampires vs “impure” vampires. However, I was perpetually disgusted throughout the entire book. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the pedophilia. Yes, Shori is a 53-year-old but she’s still a child both in physical appearance and a child by vampire standards in this world. I hated all her symbionts because I couldn’t comprehend how they could allow themselves to be with Shori sexually. Why is it that the Gordons did not allow themselves to mate with Shori because they recognized she was a child and much too young for sexual activity/mating but the humans couldn’t? It was too disturbing. Moreover, Shori’s age was clearly a deliberate choice by the author but why? The same story could have occurred with Shori in a 19-year-old body and at least help (although not cure) the cringe factor. Her age did nothing to enhance the story. Why couldn’t she have been a 53-year-old vampire in a young adult body? Why did she have to be a child?

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elizabethblue's review against another edition

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I couldn't look past the thought of somebody who looks like a child having sex with an adult. Even if she is technically of age, the mental image was too disturbing for me, personally. If it was implied, instead of explicitly show, I may have been able to continue. The writing was good, though, so I may look into some of her other books.

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benmeyer50's review against another edition

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mysterious 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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snowless's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I love Octavia Butler and this book did prompt a lot of reflection around some of the themes she often covers, but I found the scenes of intimacy disturbing given the age the main character appears. I also thought the book as a whole was a bit too dialogue-heavy, though Butler is a master of dialogue.

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