Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

136 reviews

lyunahal's review against another edition

The relationship between Lauren and Bankole

was really disappointing to me because it felt out of character for Lauren. I know that

she just lost her father, but beyond one line, the topic of her essentially replacing her father with Bankole wasn't explored more deeply, so I felt unsatisfied.

Rest of the book was good though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Gun violence, Classism, Death of parent, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, and Sexual content

clovelatte's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful informative sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

it’s been weeks and I’m still thinking about this book. Reading this in 2023, the year before the events of the book, is more than a little spooky. We’re not quite there but gosh does it feel possible. I think there’s so much here about the human spirit in crisis and ways our systems of oppression enact violence on all of us. I’ve already requested the second book and I’m gutted that Octavia never got to finish the third. Definitely would recommend if dystopian fiction is your thing and as someone with religious traumas I found it particularly interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child death, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Violence, Death, Pedophilia, Blood, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Abandonment, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery

aleksanski's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship

raelinrou's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, War, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence

jabakken's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, Suicide attempt, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

rachelmerrie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The first half was very interesting, the second half lost my attention. I think the second half maybe was just as interesting, just dragged on? The concept is so captivating and challenging. Worth the read, tons of TWs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Gun violence, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Grief, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, War, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Child death, Animal cruelty, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death, Trafficking, Gore, Animal death, Addiction, Pedophilia, Murder, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation

katsmedialibrary's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

She’s recently 18 but he’s 40+

catalyst226's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? Yes

4.75

Dystopian and in too many ways eerily similar to things going on in the real world. Definitely interesting that the narrator's condition is both a notable portion of her story but not a major plot point considering everything else going on around her. I'll have to take some more time, and perhaps read something a little lighter before diving into the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Cannibalism, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Child death, and Police brutality

vrkinase0411's review against another edition

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

3.5

I can now see why people find this work to be prophetic. When we stand still long enough to look around us we can absolutely see what our hypo-empathetic and lack of history will turn us into.

I can't say I'm not offended, however, in Butler's portrayal of poor and homeless people along with conflating middle class "privileges" as something inherently communal.  While, she does draw attention to the widening rich-poor gap, the ACTUAL poor seem to figuratively discarded for a sympathetic view of middle class destruction. Not sure that was her intention, but the demonizing of addicts and actual poor people while engendering sympathy for the loss of the middle class feels on brand for neoliberalism.

Aside from that, it was pointedly written to examine our current conditions and really look at where we are headed.

Olamina makes stark obersevations and creates a coping mechanism that drives her to action while allowing herself to submit to change.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Classism, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Police brutality, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Incest and Cannibalism

themagpiereads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, Blood, Death, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Body horror