Reviews tagging 'Murder'

La Parabole du semeur by Octavia E. Butler

427 reviews

bree_reads_too_much's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

Fitting that I read this book in 2024 the year this book begins in. I finished it while listening to the sirens outside that never seem to cease, as I live in a city and a state with a large drug and houseless problem. 

This book written and published, I believe in the early 90’s about a dystopian near future (2024-2027) and is about faith, question faith, community, perseverance and survival. I found it powerful, dark, painful and terrifying at times because with the state of the world we currently live in, this reality feels far too inevitable. Even as I was gutted by the terrible things these people saw and lived through, I couldn’t put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Rape, Murder, Violence, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

caseybones's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful sad 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? No

4.25

I put off reading this book for years because all I’d heard was how traumatizing it is and how difficult to read. I didn’t find that to be the case. The subject matter is distressing and difficult to face but nothing is overly graphic or unnecessarily explicit. Nothing feels gratuitous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Child death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Rape, Child abuse, and Cannibalism

eed8's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Slavery, Animal death, Cannibalism, Rape, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Drug abuse, and Racism

boombaeyah's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective 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

4.5

in a world full of greed, violence, and scarcity there is still hope for humanity in the form of one divine truth: change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, Rape, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual violence and Racism

tey_lynn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Gun violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Cursing, Murder, Gore, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, and Animal death

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

heemeeraa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Police brutality, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Trafficking, War, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Slavery, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Sexism

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