Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

106 reviews

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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. 

---

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

janiecekneppe's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Kidnapping, Slavery, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Rape, Trafficking, and Torture

tafeeeeee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It was interesting being in Olamina's head. I didn't agree with most of what she said and believed. I liked hearing her daughter's POV and being able to see Olamina through someone else's eyes. I don't know if I like Olamina as a character. On one hand she grew up in a horribly dangerous place and had to go through so much hardship and fear. On the other hand she was a charismatic woman capable of seducing people to follow her teachings. Whether you think Earth Seed is a cult or not, her methods were very cult-like. I'm left feeling unsatisfied by the ending, but dystopias usually don't end with rainbows and sunshine for all.

I didn't like the new narrator for Olamina. She stressed every other word so her sentences were constantly flowing up and down. It was distracting and made it hard to focus sometimes. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Slavery, Death, Violence, Blood, Gore, Physical abuse, Confinement, Rape, and Trafficking

bass_clarinet's review

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-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? Yes

4.0

Beautiful and spiritual. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Genocide, Kidnapping, Death, Police brutality, Violence, Torture, Slavery, and Trafficking

Moderate: Misogyny, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Gun violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Cursing, War, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Classism, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Confinement, Pregnancy, Death, and Sexual violence

reads2cope's review against another edition

5.0

It was still so jarring to read about the “2020s,” especially in reference to the plague and forest fires. Even more prescient political commentary, giving the increased book banning and attacks on libraries these days: “It seems inevitable that people who can’t read are going to lean more toward judging candidates on the way they look and sound than on what they claim they stand for. Even people who can read and are educated are apt to pay more attention to good looks and seductive lies than they should. And no doubt the new picture ballots on the nets will give Jarret an even greater advantage.”

I still hated the Earthseed "religion," despite loving the mutual aid work at its core. Especially in the epilogue, seeing that multiple spaceships actually took off felt ridiculous. Earthseed could have had a stronger environmental and community message - all the farming and land care they did at Acorn and all the environmental destruction that tipped the dystopia into what it was seems washed away with the sudden emissions of these new space homes that were only previously mentioned in lieu of a Heaven and never actually seen in the story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Gaslighting, Trafficking, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Torture, Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Police brutality

madihoney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Slavery, War, Classism, Violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Sexism, and Torture

thomasdj's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Rape, Murder, and Abandonment

saintswitchblade's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Classism, Religious bigotry, War, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Child abuse, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Slavery

victoria29's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

It’s a great story but a tough read.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Torture, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Racism, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Child abuse, Rape, Death, Classism, Violence, Slavery, Addiction, and Drug abuse