Reviews

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

klparmley's review

3.0

Well enough written to keep me engaged. Not a rereader. Thankfully, the vampires don't sparkle.

owl_eerie's review against another edition

mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

lillieslibraryy's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

3.0

Fledgling is one of the most unique vampire books I have read and is truly something special. While it wasn't my favourite, it was still a satisfying read. Shori is such an interesting character and I'm so sad that we never get to see her once she had grown up and truly came into herself. 

This story focuses on Shori who has lost her memory and her family, and is trying to find out what happened. It ended up being a lot more of a drama than I really expected and focused more on the internal politics/ dynamic between the different vampire families. 

Honestly, this was a very difficult read, the relationship and racism were really tough to get through and quite confronting. It wasn't my favourite, but I'm glad I read it and still enjoyed (if that's the right word) my team reading this. The audiobook narration was fantastic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, and Pedophilia

teawithalibra's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

3.75

michellewalsh's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

jenbo's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death

melodys_library's review

3.0

Octavia Butler somehow managed to have a whole discussion on racial prejudice and intolerance while you thought you were just reading the trial of an amnesiac, genetically-modified vampire. The woman was a genius.

The vampire/human sex was a little weird for me though, as Butler likened the vampire to a 10-year-old child.

mrsmobarak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

graveyardpansy's review

5.0

4.5 - it’s kinda rare that i read a contemporary vamp book that i enjoy this much. octavia butler’s writing is simply right up my alley.