Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Wilde Saat by Octavia E. Butler

38 reviews

nidzi_c's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Racial slurs, Murder, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Incest

shawnista_incolor's review against another edition

adventurous reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Even though it is slow, character-driven, and didn't have much excitement building to a climax, it still felt thoughtful and intriguing. I look forward to reading the second book in the series.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Incest, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Slavery, and Suicide

becksusername's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Murder, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

emilyready's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Incest

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

aegagrus's review against another edition

3.5

The most captivating aspect of Wild Seed is the remarkable way in which Butler has imagined Anyanwu and Doro. Each immortal struggles with their own exceptional power in fascinating ways, confronting their abilities' depths and limitations, the costs of exercising such abilities, and the ways in which their power sets them apart from their own identity and from the world around them. They make a good pair: there is a streak of idealism and humanity in the generally malevolent Doro, and there is a streak of bloodlust in the generally beneficent Anyanwu. As a character, each is quite unique, making for remarkable and unexpected developments in their relationship. Doro's movements through the book, in particular, are sinister and frightening, all the more so because he is not a monochromatic antagonist. Anyanwu's acts of resistance, in turn, are all the more compelling because she is never able to shake a degree of complicity.

The story's morally ambiguous conclusion serves these tensions well.

Though gripping, Wild Seed also has hefty things to say about history and society. Butler's exploration of slavery through the extended analogy of Doro's breeding projects is always interesting and emotionally affecting. Her exploration of gender dynamics through the immortals' relationship (perverse, but still resonant with reality) is also generally of interest. Her gestures towards LGBT themes feel comparatively shallow and don't to me seem to add very much, despite the obvious potential in both main characters' gender-mobile personages. Themes relating to history and inevitability are occasionally curious ancillaries to more central themes, but are often inessential.

Wild Seed is well-written, striking a good balance between literary heft and engaging storytelling. At times, dialogue feels a little forced, and I was not entirely satisfied with the pacing in the third act. In general, though, this was a gripping read, and the sheer uniqueness of Doro and Anyanwu's relationship was of great value to me as a reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Grief

Moderate: Incest, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Suicide, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

thenonbinaryc's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Slavery, Murder, Incest, Grief, Rape, Suicide, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Death, Abortion, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

rebekahg876's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Death, and Slavery

Moderate: Rape and Suicide

simareading's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Self harm, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Incest, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Death, Deadnaming, Confinement, Colonisation, Child death, Blood, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Abandonment

hanna782's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.25

I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. I thought it was great. I probably would have gave it 5 stars but, honestly, Doro made me uncomfortable. However, I think that was the point.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Suicide

azrastrophe's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Gore, Slavery, and Death

Moderate: Incest and Suicide