Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

76 reviews

audwild's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Slavery, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Racism, Addiction, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, and Kidnapping

cynopsis's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

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

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

specklecommittee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Trafficking, Grief, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail

cheyison's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Slavery, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Kidnapping, and Blood

emisabelleruby's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

There was so much duality to this book. It was slow, but also fast paced. It was desolate, but uplifting. It was painful, yet beautiful. Some of my favorite moments were when Lauren would notice the little pockets of beauty, like when she saw the water sparkling through the trees out of the corner of her eye. Somehow I expected more to happen plot wise, even though thinking about it now sooo much did happen…I guess all that I can add now is that I really enjoyed being in Lauren’s head. The 3.5 stars is because though this book was great, it didn’t particularly move me enough to get into the four star range. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Violence, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death, Grief, Child death, Physical abuse, and Trafficking

twu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Child death, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Vomit, Grief, Violence, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Slavery, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, Addiction, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

elaichipod's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

4.0

I ended up enjoying this book more than I expected. The entire story felt like a journey because of the diary format, and it makes me wonder how the next book will carry on. The plot was not explicit at first, but I still liked the flow and sequence of events. Coincidentally, I was driving right by the San Luis Reservoir around the time the group passed through it, and that made me excited to get through the book. I’m still curious about what exactly happened to Lauren’s dad, but I think his disappearance was necessary for Lauren to grow. However, her whole Earthseed thing is not something I’m completely on board with. I can understand that in desperate times, the idea of some direction and togetherness helped keep Lauren’s group together but Earthseed itself still is a distant idea. I did love watching her little group grow in numbers and in trust.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, and Rape

imogenclendinning's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death of parent, Slavery, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Murder, Child death, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy

decie's review against another edition

4.75

I'm usually not a fan of dystopian books, but this one is stunning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Murder, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Blood, Violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Animal death, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Excrement, Child abuse, Child death, and Rape

Moderate: Slavery, Drug use, Drug abuse, Torture, Domestic abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Incest