Reviews with content warning for Cannibalism - Fledgling

Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

18 reviews

buttercat42's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Left me wanting to know more about the world and the characters, although I preferred the first half to the second half

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yeahnaar's review

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adventurous fast-paced

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

3.25

This book feels very young adult - which isn’t bad if that’s a genre you like. The plot is overly linear, and thematically it doesn’t engage with the topic of race in an especially interesting or engaging way. Most problematic is that the book seems to needlessly promote paedophilic relationships, and goes out of its way to make the main character resemble a small child and then have sexual relationships with adults. If you can get past that then it’s an ok book, but normalising pedophilia is a weird and not at all ok thing to do. I would rate the book more highly if not for this element of it

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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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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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elizabethblue's review

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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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elizabethlo's review against another edition

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Ugh. I'm talking myself out of pushing through this one, because life is too short, you know?

I am only a fairly recent fan of Octavia Butler's, having discovered her in the last few years. I've loved everything I've read so far and am feeling so conflicted about disliking this book so much. I made it 45% of the way there, but just don't feel like I can drag myself through the rest of it.

I'm sure it was intentional, but the sexualization of the main character (who is a child both in physical appearance as well as by Butler's vampire universe standards) is really uncomfortable. Sex scenes are introduced very early and there is little to no moral dilemma to be found between any of the adult characters who become her sexual partners. Obviously she's done this for a reason, but she absolutely does not let you forget that this is a 10-12 year old girl's body (and a vampire child in mind) who is participating in these sexual acts. Very difficult to push past, but that's not even the reason I'm giving up on this.

Fledgling focuses on a lot of the same issues that Butler covers in her other stories - racism, sexuality, non-monogamous relationships, consent - so that was familiar for me. What was unfamiliar was how much this dragged. The dialogue between characters was stiff and unnatural, and the exposition was repetitive and dull. I can't stress enough how bored I was before throwing in the towel, which I find shocking for an Octavia Butler novel.

Definitely a tough one to set aside, but I'd rather spend my time on finding new favourites. This ain't it.

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impla77's review

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dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

The symbiont-vampire relationship is interesting and quite well thought out. Plot didnt feel quite fleshed out enough.
Also the questionable sexual relationships are never discussed after they’ve been ‘justified’ and don’t feel needed in the book. Just feels awkward and not thought through

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