Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

243 reviews

theonlysentree's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

julieallison's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

woweewhoa's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Slavery, and Death of parent

Minor: Incest and Police brutality

brittburkard's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Cannibalism

cynopsis's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

katrinarose's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective 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

4.0

While a little slow to start, this book absolutely gripped me. It’s definitely the best bleak post-apocalyptic survival book I’ve read (although in this story there’s no distinct apocalyptic event, it’s just the degradation of society). It reminds me a bit of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, and I think it’s impossible Parable of the Sower didn’t inspire it, but this came first and was done better. 

I really liked Lauren as a character and the development of her religion. She is a very stoic character for all the trauma she experiences but yet I don’t find it that unbelievable - between her religious beliefs and the fact that the whole story is her journal she wrote (she could be writing in a more serious tone than if we got a first person POV narration) - I think it makes sense. I admire her a lot. The other characters aren’t quite as well-developed as her but I liked how every character had something unique to add. 

I do wish there was more explanation for how the world devolved to this point (yet they still had to pay property taxes while arson and murder were everyday occurrences?) but it didn’t take away much from the story. Overall this was depressing and full of triggering topics but very hopeful at the same time, and I would recommend it for anyone interested in a semi-realistic dystopian.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy

c_kuehner's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism

Minor: Child abuse and Drug abuse

doramag's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

djeanine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bloodiedorange's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

1.5

The book started off entertaining and easy to read. I enjoyed the plot, and savored bits of the political climate.

However, as this novel trudged on, the main character became increasingly annoying, entitled, and controlling. She believed her 'Earthseed' to be absolute truth, and continued to share it with anyone she could. I didn't like this at all. Then, toward the end, she, a newly eighteen-year-old girl embarks on a romantic and sexual relationship with a fifty-seven-year-old man; a man older than her father. No, this is not talked about much. Characters make some comments on the age gap, but I suppose in apocalypse, 'mature' children and old men make the best of pairs. 

Also, it isn't even science fiction. Drugs and mental illness don't count.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gore, Incest, and Death of parent