Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

86 reviews

mutua1core's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

theemeraldgirl23's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

A fantastic speculative fiction novel about our current times and what would happen if California became a dystopian wasteland. Lauren Olamina is a tremendous and refreshing protagonist from her view on God and community. It was unlike any book I've ever read before. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Cannibalism, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Incest, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Excrement

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

dark reflective sad

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Fatphobia, Excrement, and Vomit

Adult/minor relationship warning is also for a relationship between a grown adult and an 18-year-old.

julieallison's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

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

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

katadamz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.75

This will be a book that haunts me. I suspect it will cause nightmares for years to come. I think for that alone, this is an excellent novel. Prescient, as well. 

I’m still tossing around what I think about the portrayals  romantic relationships in the novel (both mixed race and age gaps). I wonder if those are just jarring against how accurate the rest of the novel felt. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

miss_fish's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

niebezpiecznygroszek's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective 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, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

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

corine's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.25

Interesting take on a dystopian setting, through the eyes of Lauren, who is coming of age and trying to make sense of her life and next steps through a new kind of religion. Lots of trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment