Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

74 reviews

chels_ro's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Butler crafts a masterful first person narrative around slavery in the antebellum south that confronts our ideas of race and racism and what it means to be moral in an immoral world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gore and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism

thequiltyreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

Sci-fi crossed with historical fiction. It had some outlander vibes, just based over the ocean in the US. The time travel element just felt a bit out there and the timing of visits seemed haphazard but can see why it was needed.

It was compelling, it was emotional, it was thoroughly frightening. Not only what was common practice in the time period in which they travelled to but the fact it didn't take long for them to slip into the expected roles of the time, albeit that would have somewhat been because of human instinct to survive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

Time travel stories can be a bit hit or miss for me - I find that a lot of the time they get too caught up in either the mechanics or the power fantasy, so they don't feel like they have anything to say. Kindred knows what it wants to say and says it effectively. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Abortion, and Fire/Fire injury

anniehayez's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is a modern classic for a reason. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it. I think for a long time I was scared away by the hard truths this book tackles. I’m glad that I got over that. I finally picked up the book because I saw a TikTok of a high school teacher saying that this was one of the best revived books she ever taught in school. She said that it convinced even the most stubborn non-readers to find an interest in it. I can see why. 

The writing is so accessible while still being poignant. The struggles that Dana faces are described so well and help open up lines of discourse about not only the horrors of slavery but how the nation has tried to distance itself from those horrors. Her struggle with her modern perspective on Blackness and how it clashed with the ideas of the era was also interesting. Both the white people and black people in the antebellum era had opinions on her blackness and how she should and should not act because of it. Through the book she tries to cling to her modern sense of self while trying to survive the demands of the time. The emotional conflict in the book is so moving and keeps you wondering what will happen next. All of the characters feel so fleshed out and create this rich tapestry of the world. Even Dana comments that he time in Maryland was more vivid than her “real” life in California. I think that the scale of the story was perfect and the mix of science fiction and historical fiction is perfect. I think this should be required reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Death, Gore, and Rape

irammy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective fast-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 devoured this book. The story throughout time so was well crafted and written. I was intrigued to find out how Dana played her part in shaping her ancestors. It was interesting to see how someone adapts to a different time and to slavery. Butler also drew comparisons to the injustice that still exists today (in the 70s). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Suicide

annasorr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Octavia Butler is absolutely brilliant. The novel is deceptively straightforward, choosing to eschew usual sci-fi plot jargon to get straight to the point. It’s tense, compact, dark, and philosophical— basically everything this novel needs to be to tell this story effectively and truthfully, lingering in darkness without stewing in it longer than necessary. Then, when the novel reaches its necessary conclusion, it leaves reader to make sense of Dana’s experiences, bringing history ever closer to the present. Certainly a difficult read, but also a riveting one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

bamlady's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

vivelarevolution's review against another edition

dark informative 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

This book is incredibly dark and heavy; I wouldn't advise reading it without first checking out the trigger warnings. That aside, Butler is an incredible writer with a transportive voice and engaging writing style. Everything that happens in this book feels almost real; she manages to make a history that is often taught in a remote and distant way feel visceral and present. Much of the message of the book seems to be a direct response to people who talk about enslaved people with apathy, pity, or derision. Butler examines the ways in which white people at the time talked themselves out of seeing Black peoples' humanity, and the complex and fucked up relationships that existed between Black and white people as a result.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

dixiecarroll's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was so interesting and horrific at the same time. I took off half a star because the complexities of slavery and how easy it *seemed* to be to adapt to horrible circumstances were a little too pointed in the first half, but the second half weaved this in very well. I listened to this and was audibly gasping left and right because I was so invested and heartbroken. Can’t believe I didn’t have to read this in school and hope that this can be required reading one day for everyone, especially white Americans. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mareltor's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

W. O. W. This book left me grappling with so many feelings. She really didn’t hold back. This book didn’t go the way I imagined it would, but it’s more impactful because of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail