Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

59 reviews

asparagusisreading's review against another edition

FMC is supposed to be 50 something in her species years but is often described as young, innocent, and adolescent with “no hair, no breasts,” “tiny,” etc. Also, they have no memory or full understanding of things going on around them, similar to a child. The constant reminders that the FMC is a child but an adult, their sexual relationships with adults without  full consent, and their childlike but sexual power over others is not for me. I was uncomfortable and disgusted with the story, pausing and skipping ahead whenever she was described as young or engaging in sex. If the intention was to dive deep into messy power dynamics in relationships through a science fiction/fantasy lens, I can see it but the execution did not engage me. Instead of the story feeling thought provoking, it felt gross. I could not get my past discomfort so I am DNFing at 39%.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Sexual content

peachani's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

1. This is about vampires, but
   they work much like the aliens in Butler's other books.
2. Again, I struggle with understanding why Butler includes taboo sex acts. I don't think it's for shock value. 
3. The
   trial and detective work
   were the most interesting parts.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

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? No

3.5

I found this to be interesting and an engaging, intriguing story. I am glad I made my way through it.

But I do need to say that having the protagonist being called a “child” the entire time and looking like she was 10 years old is unsettling, even knowing she is an over half century old vampire. Vampire adults completely acknowledged their attraction to her and only being able to not act yet since she is still a child!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Genocide and Misogyny

Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, and Slavery

chrobin's review against another edition

challenging fast-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? No

4.0

While clear and simple in style, the convoluted mess of power dynamics will twist around inside you. Occasionally the prose will lull you into a sense of safety, only for you to round the corner on  extreme discomfort.

As someone who has been obsessed with vampire stories since I was a pre-teen, raised on Anne Rice, I always knew that vampire stories were allegories for sexual desire, lust, consent, etc. Many vampire stories are written as romantic fantasies of women losing agency, but wanting it so badly… romanticizing age gaps, enthrallment, violent acts of all natures, always coming back to pleasure, repressed sexuality. Just look at Twilight...  Butler takes all of these themes, flips them around, and makes you look hard at them, very plainly - which for me adds to the discomfort. And while many claim she didn’t address the pedophilia appropriately, I think that her ability to make you so very uncomfortable in so few words is a part of this matter-of-fact horror.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury

smorris2012's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Racial slurs

crimehaver's review against another edition

Lolita was easier to read than this. The internal justification for pedophillic acts was extremely triggering for me. From the other reviews, it's good that I did, because it's apparently a major theme of the work. Strongly advise proceeding with caution and knowing content warnings ahead of time. I love everything else I've read of Butler's and am dissapointed that this book, which came as a recommendation, was an exception.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

kemrick19's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

roseandivy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

2.5

this was kind of just... solidly mediocre? i want to try something else of octavia butler's, but i found the back half of this kind of boring and confusing (i couldn't keep the names of all the council ina and symbionts straight), and the fact that shori looked like a child was really off-putting-- which i suppose was the point, but it made it hard for me to focus on anything else in the book. i thought the take on vampires was interesting, but that couldn't make up for the fact that i found wright irritating and the plot dragged on.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Incest, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Infertility, and Pregnancy

tamara_joy's review against another edition

Too icky.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, and Cannibalism

littlepepperguy's review against another edition

I love Octavia Butler as much as the next guy, I've read most of her collection by now but this novel was too far for me. I know she doesn't shy away from graphic, dark themes but I just can't abide the rampant pedophilia present in this novel. 

The first 1.5 hours of the book are really uncomfortable the MC is introduced as a 10-11 y/o black girl who is picked up on the side of the road by an adult man and sexual desires and acts begin immediately. And Butler includes descriptions of her underdeveloped body and it being clearly that of a child. Just fucking gross. I didn't get far enough into it to see why she would use this thematically but idgaf that's just an immediate no from me. I am no cool with the over sexualization of black children. 

It's too Lolita-esque. like the young girl is the seductive one. Just yucky

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content