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nixter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The vampires very much fit established vampire lore in some capacity. The experimental part of it wasn’t well explained, in my opinion. I didn’t connect with any of the characters or have any affection for them, which includes our MC, Shori. She was just bumbling around clueless the whole book, which tracks because she suffered from amnesia, but for once, I wanted her to be in the know or have some clue as to what the hell is going on. There were also too many complicated relationships and dynamics to keep track of in such a short period of time, and I often found myself confused and having to think back and remember who is who in relation to someone else.
Finally, my biggest issue was the most glaring part of the book for me — the thing I could not simply get over — which is the fact that she is a literal child, engaging in these sexualized behaviors with adults. Not only is she child appearing to humans, but even by vampiric standards, she’s a kid. So the whole thing made me uncomfortable from the beginning, which may have been a goal of Butler, but I didn’t enjoy it. There were multiple times when I had to put it down and take a break because reading it forced me to imagine a 10 year old appearing person in these compromising situations when I simply rather not.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, and Murder
antitheticaldreamgirl's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
axel_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
charrlee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is a text that will have you traversing the themes of blackness & fugitivity and hybridity & "naturalness" while questioning who assumes the role of monsters. Humanity is found in unexpected places as Butler subverts, complicates, and rewrites the expectations and rules of the common Western vampire trope. There is much to discuss about the moral quandaries this book offers. It was a challenging read and probably one of the more horrific books I've read to date.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Colonisation, and Classism
nevenolson's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I loved this book. It is amazingly written. I absolutely love the way Butler wrote vampires(Ina). The ending felt unfinished, unfortunately the author passed away before she wrote a sequel.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence
amberleefowler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I could not get over the appearance of Shori and despite understanding that Butler was attempting to discuss the shift of power dynamics in this book (age, race, sex), the level of description of Shori's prepubescent body and her sexual encounters with other characters is revolting. I think this aim could have been achieved without the outright and glaring pedophilia throughout the entire book.
There were also some other disappointments where the book did not live up to the hype, including the plot and dialogue.
I did love the unique take of vampire families and symbiotes as well as the discussion around race and identity but yeah pretty disappointing for how eager I was to read this book.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Animal death
adiajamille's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I thought a bigger issue than Shuri’s appearance was the excessive ableism displayed during the final chapters of the book.
The continued discussion around Shuri’s appearance is interesting considering there are real human adults that have genetic conditions that make them appear as children. I would love to find out the reasoning behind Shuri’s appearance, although I felt it was thoroughly explained. (Potential spoilers)
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The part I felt curious about, and I’ll have to look in the book as I listened on audiobook and wasn’t able to rewind at the time, I’d was Wright actually a pedophile? I swear there was allusion to it.
Overall I think this book brought up a lot of things that need to be examined.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
sirbebop's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
qwends's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism