Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

89 reviews

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Sexism, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Misogyny

Moderate: Rape, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Torture, Child death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Alcoholism

shereadytoread's review against another edition

dark sad tense

• 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

3.5

This book presented a not so far off future where lack of resources, climate change and economic disparities have driven society to chaos and violence. 

I thought this book made so many bold choices in character and plot, but it felt like a set up for the second book rather than its own complete story at times. I found it extremely interesting but wondered about some of the choices. I really enjoyed the large variety in characters, the moral issues presented and while the violence of the society was hard, it was very well-written with very specific imagery. 

This is one I may revisit once I read the sequel to see if I think of the story differently. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Addiction, Cannibalism, Body horror, Death of parent, and Drug use

jabakken's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, Suicide attempt, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

rat_king6767's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Animal death, Cannibalism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Gore

rachelmerrie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The first half was very interesting, the second half lost my attention. I think the second half maybe was just as interesting, just dragged on? The concept is so captivating and challenging. Worth the read, tons of TWs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Gun violence, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Grief, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, War, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Child death, Animal cruelty, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death, Trafficking, Gore, Animal death, Addiction, Pedophilia, Murder, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation

ash_valkyreader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Series or Stand-alone: Duology  
Genre: post-apocalyptic, grim, afrofuturism, sci-fi 
First time or Reread: First time
Finished or DNF: finished 
Spice: 🚫 
Steam: 🚫
Representation: black main character, disability (in a way) 

Triggers: drugs, murder, rape (child included), death of children, canablism, sickness, brutalization, parental abuse, torture, animal harm, home fire, homelessness, suicide. Note: discriptions varied in intensity. No rate was in explicit detail. Deaths were. There are several passages I skipped over. 

Review:
This book was absolutely a brutal look at humanity. It is dark post-apocalyptic fiction that provides commentary on climate change and social inequality. It was pitched to me as “it’s kind of like if Handmaidens tale was written by Maya Angelou but darker” which is one hell of a pitch. And I can see where they are coming from on all accounts. I will never forget this book. The book is written in a journal format and told well with prose that stick with you. 

Plot:
Lauren starts off this book as a young girl navigating a California that is falling apart. She lives in a walled community that keeps out the desperate street poor and crazed cultist. By comparison her life is tranquil. Her father is a professor and preacher and community leader. They survive on community strength and his good sense. They are able to scrape by on farming and the little money they bring. The climate has left them with little water and much disaster. Slowly things fall apart. Those outside the wall are getting in the wall. Lauren is smart and keen so she begins to devise a plan to survive. She means to survive. Along the way she develops Earthseed. Her religion and her way of making sense of the world, surviving it, and maintaining her humanity. Eventually all her preparations are put to the test and she must make her way some place safer - better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Child death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Gun violence, Child death, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Slavery, Racism, Classism, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror

Minor: Animal death and Suicide

nojerama's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Terrifyingly plausible, absolutely gripping, should be required reading everywhere. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Vomit, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Hate crime, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Stalking, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Incest, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, War, Suicide, and Trafficking

gagereadsstuff's review

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Violence, Addiction, Cursing, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Child abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Classism, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Police brutality, Racism, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Sexual assault

themagpiereads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, Blood, Death, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Body horror

thatenbyisisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? No

2.75

Overall, I loved that this book shed light to the harsh truth of the state of our planet and the importance of community when it comes to survival within the state of our environment. However, I thought it was totally unnecessary of the author to add a weird relationship between the 57-year-old and the 18-year-old mc and to add the I slur twice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Body horror