Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

96 reviews

dahliapyne's review

4.0

Would not recommend for kids/teens because of many problematic/disturbing behaviors from a main character, but I really enjoyed it! It was an intriguing plot, interesting characters, and had a mostly satisfying ending. I loved seeing characters grapple not only with  fantastical elements but also the side effects of those! Very thought-provoking!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, and Murder

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Incest, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape and Suicidal thoughts

kenrya's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I love the writing, but I hate one of the main characters. I am eager to finish this series and move on to a new world. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bilal_shumuus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and War

bonriki's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Minor: Cannibalism

sydapel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

I feel like I've been meaning to read Octavia Butler for so long, and boy I'm so glad I bucked up and got on the train. I feel like this book may have been a weird place to start, since it's a prequel to a series that was previously written, but the idea of two immortal beings diving in and out of each others lives was so compelling I couldn't help myself. There's some pretty graphic and taboo stuff that happens on page, but Doro and Anyanwu's contrasting approaches on how to create life and use their gifts creates a incredibly compelling game of tug of war over centuries. Butler writes a fascinating character study on the nature of immortality, power and legacy - this would be such an interesting book to discuss with a group and I, personally am so excited to dive into more of her work

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

caitgreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation

ams1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Slavery, Violence, and Murder

catsbreadbikes's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

What can i say about this book that hasn't been said by people way more qualified than me? Octavia Butler simply doesn't miss. Read all of her books. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Colonisation

Moderate: Incest and Pedophilia

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy

pinakamataas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

This was an almost 5⭐️ read for me. And mostly the rating went up from the contrast to previously reading the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. 

This was a gripping piece that can make you question anyone’s sanity, it deals with truly dark subject matter, so I would not lightheartedly suggest it to anyone, but to those who were deeply disappointed by Addie LaRue, and maybe because it hinted at darkness it definitely didn’t deliver, this will in spades. But it’s unfair to make this review mentioning both books, because this clearly stands on its own.

I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the next instalments of the Patternmaster (soon or if ever), because it gave me something (or took something from me) that I will need a while to recover.

Doro is and will be one of the most disturbing characters who must kill, and yet kills for pleasure as well. Throughout the book he goes through so much character (I can’t say development) change, that it’s admirable (in spite of everything), and here if he says he loves someone, as a reader you understand that love is nothing romantic and while it’s disturbing and with very little humanity, it is not a lie.

Anyanwu Is the character that teased me with the potential 5⭐️ rating, and in the end while I didn’t hate the place she ended up in the book, approximately 5% before the final reveal of the ending I exclaimed to myself “She WON” and while she didn’t lose the battle with Doro, she definitely didn’t win it either, and it was a huge disappointment to me. Some people might not have that reaction.
Anyanwu sometimes feels like an even more interesting character than Doro while she goes through a lot less character development, her development was more along the lines of the power over her abilities and coming into her own power, but otherwise she is a strong willed character, that I admired a lot of the time.

Anyanwu and Doro play this very separate black and white, yin/yang, good and evil dual POV, and during the course of the book the roles soften, and this feels like the beginning of Doro’s future journey where he has embraced a lot more greyness. And in a way, he ended the book a little less dark than he began it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Slavery, Suicide, and Medical trauma