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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I’m a big Octavia Butler fan but this one was too weird for me. The alien sex thing wasn’t for me
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A first contact novel that convincingly describes the horror, revulsion, and resignation to being controlled by and living amongst an alien species.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Colonisation
Minor: Cancer, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5 stars ⭐️
Idk if I had high expectations for this book bc of how much I’ve heard about the author, but this was a really complex read.
Likes:
•The premise of the main character having to figure out how to assimilate the aliens after Earth has been destroyed by the war
•The manipulation of the aliens towards the humans is very interesting.
Dislikes:
•Main character, Lilith, is aware of the alien’s manipulations and says she doesn’t like them, but continues to work and have sex with them??
•The awakening of the humans towards the later half of the book is so pointless bc there’s 40 of them and it’s hard to distinguish them by their lack of characteristics from the author.
•The writing is written to where I would’ve thought this was a book in the 60s and not the 80s.
•The violence is overbearing. Especially, the sexual violence, rape, and violence towards the female characters in this book.
Idk if I had high expectations for this book bc of how much I’ve heard about the author, but this was a really complex read.
Likes:
•The premise of the main character having to figure out how to assimilate the aliens after Earth has been destroyed by the war
•The manipulation of the aliens towards the humans is very interesting.
Dislikes:
•Main character, Lilith, is aware of the alien’s manipulations and says she doesn’t like them, but continues to work and have sex with them??
•The awakening of the humans towards the later half of the book is so pointless bc there’s 40 of them and it’s hard to distinguish them by their lack of characteristics from the author.
•The writing is written to where I would’ve thought this was a book in the 60s and not the 80s.
•The violence is overbearing. Especially, the sexual violence, rape, and violence towards the female characters in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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:
Complicated
After humanity has nearly destroyed itself in a mega-war, an alien species called the Oankali rescues the few surviving humans from Earth. In exchange, they offer a gene trade: they will help humans to recolonize Earth, but humanity will be forever altered by the exchange. Will they even be human anymore? Lilith has been chosen by the Oankali to help teach and lead one of the first groups of humans to re-populate Earth, but after her own interactions with the Oankali and her growing closeness with one of their kind, she has difficulty getting the other humans to trust her.
This is a weird one that I still haven’t fully wrapped my thoughts around. I feel strongly that if I were in this world, I would side with the group of people who distrust Lilith and the Oankali. Yet, reading from Lilith’s perspective I can totally see why she makes the choices she does. This really is a Book One, in that it doesn’t feel like a complete story on its own, so I hesitate to draw conclusions in what feels like the middle of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault