Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

540 reviews

kjcrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Drug use, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

emelye's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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: Child abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Drug abuse

bertabuecher's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-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

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Violence

mackjonezz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Huuuuuge bummer of a story. Loved the premise, but prose was tedious and hard to get through. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, War, Sexual assault, Child death, and Rape

Will be very disturbing for sensitive readers.

jgrant512's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Death, Drug use, Child death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Cursing, Rape, and Physical abuse

Minor: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Addiction

camst24's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, and Violence

gar42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I had heard so much about this book, and it was on my TBR forever, but I knew I had to start it this year, 2024, which is when the book is set. 

This is a dystopian novel to end all dystopian novels. Deeply unsettling, yet steeped in reality, in trends of the past and hope for the future. 

Lauren’s character was so compelling throughout. Her wisdom and her hope, despite having no reason to believe in a better world, pushed me through the darkness and grittiness of this novel. I can understand why this book has found itself in “current events” sections in bookstores and libraries. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Police brutality, Slavery, Pregnancy, Animal death, Blood, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Torture, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Drug use, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

lisacanteven's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

This is my first Octavia Butler book to read, and I wish I had done so sooner. This book is brilliant. I am not sure what I was expecting, maybe Octavia's prose to be a bit less accessible. But I just clicked with it right away, and I think that is very important when writing a book that is such a powerful glimpse into our country and the faults that it has. Sure, we aren't there yet but we could be in the future. Lauren was such an intriguing character. Dare I say that I loved her? I think I did. Her strength and tenacity had me cheering for her the whole time. Does that mean I would be a great cult member? I won't look too deeply into that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Gun violence, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Slavery, Abandonment, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Trafficking

Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Incest, Suicide, and Alcoholism

woodiefrog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective 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

4.75

Octavia E. Butler’s one of most astoundingly beautiful and cruel works. The apocalyptic future she painted in this book made me shiver in the dark, the realism foreboding. But as in her fashion, she always gives us glimmers of hope, and in this book the light to guide the way that if we choose to see, is community. Also a very clever way to check protagonist’s power and adding (even more, lol) tension to the plot with that special genetic mutation. Do give a read if you love sci-fi and are/or looking for sci-fi that’s  brutally honest but not gratuitously graphic, and grim for grim’s sake. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Slavery, and Misogyny

Minor: Murder, Violence, and Rape

yolanda_h's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Rape, Death, and Fire/Fire injury