Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Fledgling

The more I think about this the more I realize it just wasn’t for me. Which is a bummer, because I really wanted to like this! I’ve been meaning to read Octavia Butler ever since I began working as a bookseller, and since I’m so obsessed with vampires I thought there was no way I wouldn’t love this. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Mostly, I was just bored. She introduced such a refreshing take on the vampire mythos, yet applied it to characters that bored me to tears. I would have loved to see more time spent on the intention behind the genetic experimentation Shori was subjected to, but that storyline was dead before it arrived, literally!

Also, the pedophilic overtones were not something I could get past. The more I think about it, the grosser I feel. I understand her intention with including it, I just don’t agree with it. At all.

Sadly it might be a while before I try another one of her books. :/

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modernsapphic's review

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dark mysterious

3.0

Certainly not where anyone should start with reading Octavia E Butler's oeuvre. I genuinely enjoyed reading Fledgling, however Butler's other works have so much more to offer on the themes explored in this novel. After reading her Xenogenesis trilogy a few months ago, Fledgling was definitely a downgrade in terms of sophistication and character development. But it's entertaining enough for a simple vampire fantasy read. Major warning for what can be interpreted as pedophilia, as the main character is a sexually precocious child who has relationships with multiple adults.

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thegreatandwonderfulbookwitch's review

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I decided to nope out at the pedophilia.

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holasoyrohan's review

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I really tried, but the pseudo-pedofiliac aspect just didn’t ever make sense or feel redeemed and I couldn’t keep pushing myself to read this. DNF before halfway. I’d heard only good things about this author and was excited to get started on one of her books finally, so it was pretty disappointing that this book is where I started because of the bad taste it has left in my mouth. Might’ve been different if the adult/minor dynamic made sense in any way, but there was nothing that made it feel understandable as a creative choice or pushed a deeper message - it was just icky.

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fantastical_deonna's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is compulsory readable the pages practically turn themselves.

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redrockhoney's review

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I don't know about this one Octavia Butler!!

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charrlee's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Octavia Butler's work in this novel makes you squirm --- it is meant to, and her writing here has been one of the most uncomfortable reading experiences I've had. I'm unsure how to accurately summarize the journey Fledgling has put me through, but I will say Butler has yet to fail in her deliveries.

This is a text that will have you traversing the themes of blackness & fugitivity and hybridity & "naturalness" while questioning who assumes the role of monsters. Humanity is found in unexpected places as Butler subverts, complicates, and rewrites the expectations and rules of the common Western vampire trope. There is much to discuss about the moral quandaries this book offers. It was a challenging read and probably one of the more horrific books I've read to date.

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