A review by tishtashohmygosh
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous dark reflective 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

4.0

 

Octavia Butler expertly explores themes of racism and ageism—among others—in a take on vampires that I haven’t encountered before. The novel follows a young Ina named Shori who awakens in a cave heavily injured and with no memories. She learns of the history and culture of the Ina, the political ties between Ina families, and the conspiracy that led to her being injured in the first place. 

Things I Liked: 

The characters feel like authentic people rather than tropes or caricatures and the relationships they build with each other are engaging. There is LGBTQ+ representation in the cast of characters which is something I'm always seeking out. The pacing is consistent and at no point did it feel too fast or too slow to me. The world building is thorough and in depth and feels naturally integrated into the modern setting. It has the found family trope, which I am always on board for.

Disliked: 

My primary dislike/discomfort with the novel comes from

the explicit sexual scenes between a person who has the physical appearance of a 10-year-old (even though she is said to be 53 years old) and multiple adults.

I know that this is an intentional discomfort, but it is something I wanted to mention also as a potential trigger warning. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed Fledgling as much I have enjoyed reading some of Butler’s other works. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Blood and Violence

I didn't tag it as pedophilia because the characters are technically all adults (which is explicitly stated in the novel), but the main character has the appearance of a child and she does engage in sexual acts with adult characters.