Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

250 reviews

jkreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

4.5⭐️

Kindred is a sci-fi/historical fiction/speculative fiction mashup and those genres blended together aren’t something I would normally choose, but I’m glad I picked this book up! It’s a classic for a reason. The time jumps between 1976 and the early 1800s were well-executed, they felt jarring and I as the reader felt a sense of dread and panic for Dana each time she was pulled back to the “antebellum South”.

This book deals with some heavy themes given the setting - racism, slavery and rape just to name a few. Kindred unpacks some big issues but what struck me was the idea of what it means to be a ‘good person’ and how this has evolved over the years. Actions that were considered kind or good in the flashback portions of this book are now (rightfully) understood as cruel and heinous by most. 

Kindred is such a well-crafted book that even though it was set in the mid-70s and this was mentioned frequently throughout the story, I kept forgetting that Dana wasn’t living in 2024. Nothing about the writing or the references felt dated, which is no mean feat for a book written almost 40 years ago! This book encompasses so many different genres, I honestly think just about anyone could read and enjoy it (and by enjoy I mean scream into your pillow every two seconds).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Trafficking, Hate crime, Slavery, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Self harm

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment, and Blood

disguisedposer's review against another edition

dark sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Violence, Self harm, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, and Rape

charliebites's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Death, Murder, Body horror, Death of parent, Police brutality, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Slavery, Physical abuse, Self harm, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Torture

Moderate: Chronic illness, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Classism, Child death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism

saphfics's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

5.0

I just finished the book and I honestly have no words to give. Only questions I have to ask myself.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Racism

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Suicide, Child abuse, and Rape

sniebel's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Bit whacky pacing in the middle, but the ending really hammered home the story big time! Absolutely enthralling read!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Slavery, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Self harm

scmiller's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Ableism, Body horror, Gore, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Pregnancy, Vomit, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Blood, and Drug abuse

samanthaleereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Self harm, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Torture, Cursing, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Gun violence

Minor: Medical content, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and War

jodean's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Infidelity, Violence, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Suicide, Self harm, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Classism, Death, Suicide attempt, and Trafficking

Moderate: Medical trauma, Drug use, Ableism, Sexual violence, Vomit, Rape, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Infertility, Incest, and Miscarriage

bougies_et_etoiles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

So many moments made me question why Dana was sacrificing her body and her sanity to ensure her white ancestor Rufus survived. Octavia Butler masterfully found a way to teach her readers how slavery was more than the inhumane physical bondage and horrifying violence: it was also an enslavement of people’s minds to groom them into accepting their condition. The only true hope Dana held onto was that it could all be a fever dream and end anytime she was in danger enough to go back home to 1976. Packed with symbolism and harrowing prose that left you feeling numb with only a sliver of hope for our protagonist to finally come home, Kindred is a book where the story gains momentum slowly but surely and leaves you confused and unmoored when it ends.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Racism

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Rape and Suicide

alpettit's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

A tough read but important. It explores the violence of slavery and the complicated relationships that can arise from it. It explores the boundaries of humanity. It explores the ethics of what is the norm versus what is right. This book will stick with me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Violence, Slavery, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Vomit, Pregnancy, Suicide, Blood, and Child death