Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Dawn, by Octavia E. Butler

12 reviews

readingsofaslinky's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Murder, Grief, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia

britreads's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.5

This was a hard book to read because of the subject matter. I absolutely despised the Oankali and how manipulative they were. The humans were also difficult to root for, though I certainly sympathized with them on some level. They're actions and anxieties felt reasonable given the situation they were in. I also empathized with Lilith. I truly felt bad for her by the end and wished for a better ending, though given Butler's close examination of the real world, it's clear Lilith was never going to have a 'good' ending. 

I wish more time was spent developing the emotional connection between the humans. Once they were introduced, it felt like everyone immediately paired with someone of the opposite gender. (It seemed convenient that all of the humans were straight...though given the Oakali's tendency to deeply interrogate the surviving humans, I wouldn't be surprised if they intentionally selected people who were straight.) Even though Butler focused on a few reoccurring human characters, they seemed to run together. 

This was a HEAVY read. It was one of the heaviest reads so far this year and while I want to read the entire trilogy, I will pace myself and recommend other people who are interested in this series spread out their reading as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Confinement, and Rape

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, War, and Sexual content

Minor: Cancer

crowcollected's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Amazing book. It talks a lot about consent, and blurs the lines between consensual and nonconsensual. The line is not clear-cut, and you have to figure out where some actions fall on your own, not just based on the objective facts of the situation but also the environment the actions are made in. It also talks a lot about choice, and the choices people make even when they've been stripped of all their choice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Confinement

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, and Violence

haylzno's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

By far my favorite of the trilogy. I loved following Lillith and her moral struggles (not the focus in books 2 & 3) 

I loved the introduction to the Oankali, their world, their customs, and their demands of the surviving humans. 

Truly, Octavia Butler is a genius.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child death, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Genocide

frida_epilogo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Cancer, and Murder

Moderate: Medical content, Violence, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, War, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, and Chronic illness

mizelse's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Xenophobia, Genocide, Abandonment, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Cursing, and Infertility

veganecurrywurst'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

5.0

Eins der faszinierendsten Bücher, die ich je gelesen habe. Ein Science-Ficton Buch, dass unglaublich wichtig Themen in der Gesellschaft durch einen neuen  Blickwinkel anspricht: Geschlecht/Gender/Sex, sexuelle Gewalt und körperliche Autonomie, romantische Beziehungen, Kolonisierung, Hierarchien in der Gesellschaft und Ausgrenzung. 
Es ist unglaublich gut geschrieben. Manchmal weiß man nicht was richtig oder falsch, was gut was böse und was gerechtfertigt und was unverzeihlich ist. 
Das Buch ist auf jeden Fall empfehlenswert, man sollte sich aber vorher die Triggerwarings anschauen.
Die deutsche Übersetzung ist ganz okay, sollte aber bezüglich der Pronomen nochmal überarbeitet werden.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Racism, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Infertility, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Grief, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Homophobia, Car accident, Death, and Cancer

shoohoob's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I think this book solidified that I am not a sci-fi/fantasy reader. My brain is just not built for the world-building. 

That being said, this book was fascinating. It was deeply uncomfortable, unsettling, and infuriating to read at times. It’s so interesting that way you almost want to root for both the Oankali and Lilith, but both make it so hard. 

Octavia Butler does such a wonderful job commenting on colonization, xenophobia, and even gender in this book. I found myself referring to the ooloi as he/him but Lilith’s commentary on other people’s reactions to it really put a mirror in my face. 

That being said, I’m not sure that I’ll continue the series. I was almost too uncomfortable and I didn’t really find myself caring about what happens to the characters. I connected more to the commentary than the actual story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Colonisation, Pregnancy, and Confinement

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Minor: Rape

lisaradocchia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

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

4.5

Some parts were disturbing, but I loved it. Will be reading more of this series/author. Gave it a half-star off because of chosen-one trope that serves the narrative but is nevertheless infuriating to read. Otherwise, a flawless story that drew me in from the first chapter and 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Xenophobia

leabhar_love's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Self harm, Racism, Sexual assault, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, and Grief

Minor: War and Cancer