Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

133 reviews

blessi'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? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Rape, Slavery, War, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Murder, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Addiction

badbadwolf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Slavery, Abandonment, Classism, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Blood, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Confinement, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and Trafficking

rmperezpadilla's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Death, Sexism, and Slavery

Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Police brutality, Self harm, War, and Kidnapping

areesastock704's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Suicide, Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, War, Grief, Violence, Torture, Rape, Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

janfiler99's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Classism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, Death, Religious bigotry, Blood, Grief, Rape, Trafficking, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, and War

haerin's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

kinda wild how much closer we get to the america octavia butler wrote about in the late 90s. so many aspects of what happens is so relevant to today. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Slavery, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, War, and Trafficking

Minor: Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Car accident

heathernependa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

I still can't believe this book is real. Octavia Butler is a prophet. Parable of the Talents is eerily prescient, featuring the most chilling and plausible storyline in science fiction story I have ever encountered. Despite being grim and dystopian the novel is still aspirational and forward-looking. This is new favourite for me!! 

"To survive,
Let the past
Teach you
Past customs,
Struggles,
Leaders and thinkers.
Let
These
Help you.
Let them inspire you,
Warn you,
Give you strength.
But beware:
God is Change.
Past is past.
What was
Cannot
Come again"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, and Violence

sarahh87's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Trafficking

hannahgjenson's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

It’s hard to sum up my thoughts about this novel. This novel is so important- important to both your soul and to you as a reader. I loved the tension created by all the different view points, especially when one narrator knew or understood something another didn’t. This book also inspired me to really think deeply about how I can form deeper communities in my life, how I can show up for people who have “horrible ordinary things” just like me, and if I’m someone who has any skills that would be useful to a community during an apocalypse. I need to learn how to garden or build furniture or shoot a gun or something! Preferred this novel to its predecessor, though I loved Parable of the Sower as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Suicide

bisexualwentworth's review against another edition

• 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

Oooooooh I liked this one even more than Parable of the Sower. I loved the non-linear narrative and the multiple contrasting points of view. I loved how Lauren Olamina's daughter's experiences and viewpoints complicated the narrative from Olamina's journals. 

This book is just as dark as the first one. Many horrifying things happen. It is a true dystopian exploration of a possible future from an author who keenly understood the many horrors at play in the United States. Some of it is so on the nose that it was hard to read. Some, especially the technology stuff, felt unlikely at times, but much more grounded than in almost any other near-future dystopian or sci-fi books I've read. Octavia E. Butler was just that good.

Also, this book has multiple central queer characters, which I never see mentioned when people are discussing it. Don't expect happy queer stories--Butler is as realistic about violent homophobia as she is about all other aspects of this world--but it is very present in ways that felt good and right as well as being harrowing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Suicide, War, Blood, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Torture, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Rape, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Gore, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Vomit, Medical content, and Drug abuse

Minor: Incest