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Fantastic story, writing, narrative devices, all-in-all a complete book.

⭐️3.75-4A really good book and surprisingly easy to read, especially considering how heavy the subject matter is. Once I got into it, it became a real page-turner, and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down.At first, I struggled a bit with Octavia E. Butler’s writing style. It felt very plain and stripped back compared to other historical fiction I’ve read, and that’s honestly the main reason I can’t give it a full five stars. I’ve read books with a similar setting and vibe, like 'Yellow Wife', where the writing felt more polished and really stood out. That said, the more I read, the more I got used to Butler’s style. It started to feel raw and unfiltered, which actually worked well for the story and made it feel like I was right there with Dana, experiencing everything alongside her.The plot itself is interesting and unique, and the mix of historical fiction and sci-fi is done extremely well. This is definitely a book that made me feel things, it made me angry, anxious, frustrated, and worried at different points, which says a lot about how strong the story is.Some of the dialogue did get on my nerves at times, especially between Dana and Kevin. They could come across as naïve or a bit simple-minded in certain conversations.Overall, a great book and a strong introduction to Octavia E. Butler’s work. Even with a few small issues, it’s a powerful and memorable read, and I’d definitely be interested in picking up more of her books.

Such a weird book. I love the writing style and the plot.