Reviews

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

tashasreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.25

mia756's review

dark medium-paced

3.0

leadabird's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Violence, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia

Shori, the main character of Fledgling, is a 53-year-old Ina (vampire) whose appearance resembles an 11-year-old human.

She has romantic and sexual relationships with several adult humans other Ina. Although she is really 53 years old, she is still a child by Ina standards. The novel includes descriptions of her childlike body in sexual situations and of how humans might perceive her relationships with her partners (as child/adult relationships). As in her other work, Butler pushes the boundaries of socially acceptable romantic/sexual relationships. She writes Shori as a consenting adult despite the assurances of the other Ina that she is a child.

This content is, at best, thought-provoking and uncomfortable to read and at worst, triggering and representative of dangerous human behavior.

katieinca's review

4.0

It's almost like Butler read [b:The Passage|6690798|The Passage (The Passage, #1)|Justin Cronin|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327874267s/6690798.jpg|2802546] and said "oh really, this is the best we can do for a modern re-imagining of a vampire tale?" and then wrote this in response, except that this came out five years earlier. It's got genetic engineering and creatures that are-and-aren't vampires, but they're matriarchal, generally don't kill the people they feed from, and the one with the greatest powers is the young female with the dark skin.

Con: Butler's dialog often feels more like a Socratic dialogue than anything real people would say.
Pro: Suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of an exciting courtroom drama!

hippiekittie's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

zachybubu's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

My first Octavia Butler read. Really enjoyed this take on vampires. 

stole123's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

resing's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Yet another creative interweaving of race with fantasy, this time in the vampire genre. The dark color of the main character's skin makes them more powerful and a target of other vampires. Loved the storytelling and creativity of Octavia Butler once again.

seereeves's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.0

This book was immediately disturbing and off putting. 

The protagonist presents as a 10-year-old child to a man who picks her up on the side of the road and almost immediately has sex with her. He is well aware he’s having sex with someone who appears to be a child and comments on how he has to keep her hidden. The whole she’s actually a 53-year-old vampire does not make it better. Nor do all the descriptions of all the other older men who want to have sex with her holding her on their laps or picking her up.

With all the polyamory in this book, you’d think it was Heinlien. The female protagonist doesn’t make it feel less dated because of the weird pedophilia overtones and the constant questioning if the participants are actually willing seeming like consent, but not really. 

Overall this was a strange, unsettling book that didn’t include ideas that made the unsettling elements worth it. 

curiouscauliflower's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5