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maurareads13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
2.5
⭐️2.5⭐️ I went into this book not having any idea what to expect. I’ve never read an Octavia Butler work, so this was new territory. I’m also not a vampire aficionado, having only read Twilight & ADOW, so I decided to take a step outside of my comfort zone.
What I liked- Ms Butler’s writing style. It did keep me hooked the entire time. )My lower rating was definitely not for lack of interest, but I’ll get to that later.). Her world building for the vampiric culture & society was intricate but I could understand it. It was a totally different take on vampires, or Ina, as they call themselves. Even with quite a few characters, the story was easy to follow & it was intriguing. I was also thankful it wasn’t as “horror” as I anticipated.
What I didn’t like- there was too much pedo-type things throughout. The MC, Shori, is a young 53-year-old Ina, but looks like an 11-year-old girl. She seduces a 23-year-old human to “feed” her and then have sex with her. I thought that once her true age was revealed & discussed, the pedo feel to the narrative would leave as the story progressed, but no. It was referenced & used to describe her often, from her flat-chested appearance to her height being that of a 10/11 year old. Also- everything with her feeding off of humans was sexualized, and coupled with the childlike references, I just didn’t like it.
I will for sure try another one of Octavia Butler’s books, as not all of them are this storyline.
What I liked- Ms Butler’s writing style. It did keep me hooked the entire time. )My lower rating was definitely not for lack of interest, but I’ll get to that later.). Her world building for the vampiric culture & society was intricate but I could understand it. It was a totally different take on vampires, or Ina, as they call themselves. Even with quite a few characters, the story was easy to follow & it was intriguing. I was also thankful it wasn’t as “horror” as I anticipated.
What I didn’t like- there was too much pedo-type things throughout. The MC, Shori, is a young 53-year-old Ina, but looks like an 11-year-old girl. She seduces a 23-year-old human to “feed” her and then have sex with her. I thought that once her true age was revealed & discussed, the pedo feel to the narrative would leave as the story progressed, but no. It was referenced & used to describe her often, from her flat-chested appearance to her height being that of a 10/11 year old. Also- everything with her feeding off of humans was sexualized, and coupled with the childlike references, I just didn’t like it.
I will for sure try another one of Octavia Butler’s books, as not all of them are this storyline.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Racism
gingerale06's review against another edition
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence
cinderrunner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Butler's writing is incredible. It's so simplistic and straight forward, so it's so easy to lose yourself into the novel, but she never looses the deep, powerful world building and commentary. I have genuinely never read anyone else who manages to do what she does. There is a "slice of life" feel to Butler's books and Fledgling is no exception. The concepts explored around racism, hatred, love, power and consent are so artfully done. I get where other reviews are coming from saying it is info dumpy or too slow/boring. I found having Shori loose her memory was an incredible way for us to be on the journey of discovering and judging the world of the Ina with her. I didn't find it info dumpy because of it being handled through that lens. And yes, the story isn't very action packed or over the top in the giant wars and mythic quests way a lot of fantasy/scifi books are. The drama, violence, and tension is much more of a slow burn that really allows you to melt into Shori and her journey. This is the most unique vampire novel I've ever read. It blurs the lines of scifi and fantasy really well. The vampire world of the Ina is so fascinating as is their relationship to humans. They hold themselves so far above humans but, as we see more of how they behave and the crimes they commit, are they? Absolutely love everything Butler accomplished here. I wish it could have been a series, I'd love to know what the future holds for Shori and her eventual children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
plainpaige's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Ooof. I would have liked this book more if not for the shadow cast over it by the explicit pedophilia of it all. Of course, some will say it's not actually pedophilia, the "child" protagonist was in her 50s! But let's just say, this book will never be made into a movie. Even disregarding the explicit relationships between this person who appears to be ~10 years old, I had trouble finding myself interested in the story or the characters. A third of this book was judicial bureaucratic boredom, and perhaps Butler could have expanded it into a more interesting series, but I personally wouldn't have read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Incest, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Alcohol
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
This is my second time reading this (it took me 2 days to finish) and my previous comments/review basically sum up how I feel about this book. I wanted to add that I always love how diverse Butler's characters are. Last time I rated this 3.5 stars but this time I'm bumping it up and rating it 4 stars. It's not my favorite Butler book but it was still good and well written. I really appreciate the commentary on racism and disability.
I still have an issue with the main character having sexual relationships with adults when she looks to be only 10 or 11 years old, but this time around I tried to ignore that it was happening. This would have gotten 5 stars from me if the main character had looked like she was at least in her 20s.
(Sept 14th, 2023)
---
It took me so long to finish this because I was triggered that the main protagonist, who looks 10 years old but is a 53 year old vampire, keeps having sex with various human adults. I finished this for book club and because I loved Octavia E. Butler but I couldn't get into it because of all the sexual content involving someone who looks 10 yrs old. This is my least liked and lowest rated Octavia E. Butler book.
I like the lore on vampires and the vampiric world building, and I liked the commentary on racism and disability. I just had a hard time with the triggering content. I don't understand why Shori wasn't just made to look like an adult.
3.5 out of 5 Stars rounded up because of the cool concepts and commentary on racism and disability.
I still have an issue with the main character having sexual relationships with adults when she looks to be only 10 or 11 years old, but this time around I tried to ignore that it was happening. This would have gotten 5 stars from me if the main character had looked like she was at least in her 20s.
(Sept 14th, 2023)
---
It took me so long to finish this because I was triggered that the main protagonist, who looks 10 years old but is a 53 year old vampire, keeps having sex with various human adults. I finished this for book club and because I loved Octavia E. Butler but I couldn't get into it because of all the sexual content involving someone who looks 10 yrs old. This is my least liked and lowest rated Octavia E. Butler book.
I like the lore on vampires and the vampiric world building, and I liked the commentary on racism and disability. I just had a hard time with the triggering content. I don't understand why Shori wasn't just made to look like an adult.
3.5 out of 5 Stars rounded up because of the cool concepts and commentary on racism and disability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
nikkiacat's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
impla77's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
The symbiont-vampire relationship is interesting and quite well thought out. Plot didnt feel quite fleshed out enough.
Also the questionable sexual relationships are never discussed after they’ve been ‘justified’ and don’t feel needed in the book. Just feels awkward and not thought through
Also the questionable sexual relationships are never discussed after they’ve been ‘justified’ and don’t feel needed in the book. Just feels awkward and not thought through
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Cannibalism
uhm_kai's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
i want to consume this book & i need 500 more but i can't have them and it sucks
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
leighae's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
A collision of fantasy, sci-fi, realism, and romance while speeding past looming social issues, including the nauseating sexualization of an apparent child. Generally be prepared for this bizarre kaleidoscope as it makes for a bumpy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Murder
mjscooke's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Butler tackles the fascinating premise of what it would be like to be a vampire with amnesia in such an interesting way that weaves together the very real human questions of morality, identity and justice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury