A review by tesslaah
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark mysterious sad 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

3.0

The world building in this book was interesting but I wish the actual storyline had been developed more. I loved that Butler used the avenue of fantasy and vampire-like people to discuss racism and genetics. Butler does force readers to reconsider notions of consent and perspective of the normalcy in the world. However, one of those avenues was through child sexual activity (abuse) which even with reframing felt like too much and I wish another avenue had been explored instead. 
Ultimately, Fledgling was interesting but ended abruptly and despite a lot of explanation there was not as much storytelling.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings