risaleel'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
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, and Genocide
Moderate: Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Racism, War, Violence, and Racial slurs
Minor: Gaslighting, Classism, Gore, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, and Drug use
halfbloodprincess_hogwarts'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
5.0
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.
Graphic: Violence, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Genocide
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
fenemiestolovers's review against another edition
Spoiler
Shori is not human and is actually over 50 years oldGraphic: Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
- 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
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)
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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.
Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
uhm_kai'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, and Racism
vee_nusflytrap'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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, War, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, and Grief
Moderate: Incest
redcapediver's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, Blood, Child abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
ceallaighsbooks'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
4.5
“If you’re right about what you’ve remembered so far, you’re not human,” he said.
“What if I’m not?” I asked. “What would that mean?”
“Ask me questions when you want to know things. Tell me whatever you believe I should know. Complain whenever you want to complain. But don’t talk to other people when you mean your words for me, and speak the truth.”
Spoiler
the Ina MC, Shori, gives her new symbiont, Wright, the option to leave, but neither of them want that, but they’re not sure why, not sure if their choice is truly freely made or if they’re compelled—Shori by her need for Wright’s blood, Wright by the compulsion in his blood to obey Shori“It was painful to listen to them. I wanted to scream at them. How could they blind all their senses so selectively? And how could they see me as so impaired? Maybe they needed to see me that way. Maybe it helped them deal with their conscience.”
Spoiler
-that-wasn’t-really-technically-pedophilia-even-though-it-absolutely-felt-like-it-was…. 😬 I’m not going to lie I was about to dnf after that scene which is like less than 50 pages into the book 😬 BUT then I went back and read the introduction by Nisi Shawl—which I had been trying to save to read until after I finished the book—as well as some reviews online and decided that it would be worth trying to finish the book anyway and I am happy to report that that was basically the only instance of that feeling in the entire book and by the end there is actually a reason (a good reason? I think maybe, actually, but other readers may feel differently)“What do vampires want?” “They want to go out into the sunlight.” — from the Introduction, by Nisi Shawl
- The Gilda Stories, by Jewelle Gomez
- Anne Rice 😬
- A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness
- Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
- What We Do In the Shadows (2014 film, 2019 tv series)
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Body horror, Pedophilia, and Blood
Moderate: Murder and Racism
literarylion's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
- Impeccable world-building without falling into the trap of over-description
- Well-paced and engaging
- A unique take on a trope
Cons:
- I wish Butler had continued this in a series!
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, and Racism
zgc's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror and Racial slurs