Reviews with content warning for Violence - Fledgling

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

96 reviews

halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This is the first book I have ever read by Octavia E. Butler and I am over the MOON happy after reading this.

The MC is a Black Vampire whom is desirable, courageous, brave, unforgettable and a refreshing character. She wakes up in a cave in excruciating pain with no memory of what happened to her nor who she is. We come to know the world through her eyes and who she is as the story progresses. Along with help from those on the way.

I did mentally clutch my metaphoric pearls (especially while driving) listening to the audiobook. This is definitely more for mature audiences. It's so difficult to express my love for this novel without dumping spoilers. Just impossible.

Found family, my favorite trope, plays a major role in Fledgling and I could 100% relisten to this again and again.

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mcfox5455's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No

4.5

i liked this a lot! i was skeptical of it being a vampire book since i never got into vampires books that much, but fledgling intentionally challenges the general idea of vamps. its pretty cool ! its fun to see what Butler kept from general vampire lore and what she completely omits. this book was a lot of fun to read after reading the parable series since there are a lot of similarities in the general feel. i think if you like parable, you'll likely like this book too! i found it to be a relatively quick, easy read and something to sink hours into at a time.

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thebookesquire's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative tense fast-paced

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

2.0

This was fine. Not bad and definitely not great but it did hold my interest until the very end. I enjoyed the mystery, exploring the vampire politics and vampire tribunal, and I really enjoyed the commentary on “pure” vampires vs “impure” vampires. However, I was perpetually disgusted throughout the entire book. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the pedophilia. Yes, Shori is a 53-year-old but she’s still a child both in physical appearance and a child by vampire standards in this world. I hated all her symbionts because I couldn’t comprehend how they could allow themselves to be with Shori sexually. Why is it that the Gordons did not allow themselves to mate with Shori because they recognized she was a child and much too young for sexual activity/mating but the humans couldn’t? It was too disturbing. Moreover, Shori’s age was clearly a deliberate choice by the author but why? The same story could have occurred with Shori in a 19-year-old body and at least help (although not cure) the cringe factor. Her age did nothing to enhance the story. Why couldn’t she have been a 53-year-old vampire in a young adult body? Why did she have to be a child?

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catalyst226's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Short Review: Damn, even vampires are racist...

Actual Review:
Vampire lore, critiques of bigotry and racism, mystery, and Butler's incredibly compelling writing style. Need I say more?

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benmeyer50's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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snowless's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I love Octavia Butler and this book did prompt a lot of reflection around some of the themes she often covers, but I found the scenes of intimacy disturbing given the age the main character appears. I also thought the book as a whole was a bit too dialogue-heavy, though Butler is a master of dialogue.

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kisara's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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taroroot's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

i don't read much vampire or sci-fi stuff but i like Octavia Butler so i read this. i enjoyed her unique take on vampires. the apparent age of the main character is difficult to accept and uncomfortable to deal with in many parts of the book. Shori is placed in a lot of sexual contexts while appearing as a 10 year old child (idc if she's really 53,

she's still considered a child by her own peoples' standards

) i'm sure this was intentional on the behalf of the author however i really struggled with not thinking of every character as a perv.

Wright is lesbophobic as fuck for saying that Shori's relationships with women didn't affect him as much but when she gets a male symbiont suddenly polyamory is a big deal.

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islandbookwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.0

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moonlitemuseum's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Fledgling is unflinching. Sometimes it feels like it might be a mercy to forget the reality within the book, not least its main character's incredibly young-looking body, but Butler never relents. You will see everything. You will learn about the strange, almost human nature of Butler's vampires and accept them. And in spite of yourself, you will enjoy it.
There were some moments I felt uncomfortable and disturbed, but they made the tale all the more satisfying when it reached its end. The characters that form Shori's unlikely pack have strong voices and interesting bonds, and the vampires—the Ina—are fascinating, thoroughly convinced of their own moral purity in a way that feels all too resonant many years on. A great book that would have made a great series.

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