Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler

7 reviews

almirareads's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Yo…in less than 200 pages, Octavia Butler created suchhhh an action-packed novel with exquisite world and creature building, and made the reader ponder the concept of doing anything by any means to get to “the top”, even if it soils your morals and ethics. Throughout the book, Butler is also begging the question: “what are you willing to do for your freedom?” in ways that challenge not only Teray, our protagonist, but also us as readers. Through the book, as “freedom” is dangled in his face, you can see how Teray’s thought process changes and stays the same.

Patternmaster also delves into the concept of the importance of community - of unifying a people toward one specific goal. With the ending of the Vietnam war, African countries  fighting for liberation, and the rise (and fall) of a Black consciousness movement during the era in which this book was being written and published, I wonder whose philosophies and methods inspired the way Butler wrote this book…like who influenced her so that i could read into them as well.

Because even though in the end, someone had to die, the question of whether this truly has to be the case is brought up throughout the entire book.

You see, as well, ways in which opposing bodies of people view each other as less than and WHY. And how propaganda and brainwashing from schools does this to us. 

The book was incredibly written and i WILL BE COMING BACK TO HER after i finish the rest of the patternist series. Only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5, is because some things that were put in there were just…very unnecessary like

why did Rayal and Jansee have to be married instead of just in alliance like i understand and it isn’t talked about except for in the beginning of the book but it’s just unnecessary. AND AMBER EATING HER OWN HAND?! WHY ARE WE DOING THATTTTT

. But yes, good book by an amazing author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Biphobia

Minor: Cannibalism and Incest

alecerachelle's review

adventurous 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Incest

scifi_rat's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Plot: 3.75★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.5★
Concept/Execution: 3.75★/4★
Characters: 4★
Worldbuilding:4★
Ending: 4.25★

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Incest, Pregnancy, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Xenophobia, Body horror, Chronic illness, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Biphobia, Sexism, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.0

Only a whole star higher because of the bi, harem-wanting queen known as Amber! This book was so confusing. I feel like the first two in the series were so much stronger. I didn't care for this protagonist either. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Classism, Murder, Death, Rape, Incest, Violence, and Slavery

becksusername's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Trafficking, and Torture

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Gun violence, Biphobia, Terminal illness, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Pregnancy, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

lottiegasp's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I liked but did not love this series. I did really love Wild Seed when I read it a few years ago (maybe because I hadn't read much fantasy/scifi to develop my tastes or Butler's writing improved as the first in the series was the last published?) But I read the 2nd-4th recently and found them all just okay. Sometimes the writing is disjointed, like the dialogue is unconvincing or the characters will act or speak in seemingly contradictory ways. But the ideas are quite interesting, I.e. the mind-reading "pattern" and the virus that creates the new species Clayarks, and the ways that power hierarchies manifest across gender, race (it's not so specific in Patternmaster but plays a bigger role in the other 3 books) and I guess you could call it "sub-species"/ability/neurotype (that is, the 3 fictional types of humans or human-like species, the Patternists, Clayarks and so-called mutes who have no powers and haven't caught the virus)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, War, Rape, and Incest

erikawynn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, and Slavery

Moderate: Death of parent, Incest, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Gaslighting

Minor: Miscarriage