A review by mfrank
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

Wow, this was a tough book to read. I really loved it, but didn't expect anything that happened in it at the same time. It was an amazing exploration of what it means to be human and what defines humanity. I do want to forewarn anyone getting into this book that there is a lot of references to sexual assault. I wouldn't say it's graphic(I've definitely read worse), but even knowing the dark themes of the book I wasn't expecting it to be quite so frequent. It's kind of funny that there seems to be this thread of hope throughout the book that humans aren't bad and that the Oankali are destroying humanity, meanwhile there is very little that makes you want to defend the greater population of humans shown throughout the book, which could very well be the point.
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