This is my first time checking out Octavia Butler's writing and, after finishing Fledgling, I'm thinking maybe I should have started with Kindred or Parable of the Sower. While this book has a great setup and an interesting take on vampire lore, there's just a lot of stuff that made it hard to read, namely the slight pedophilia. Sure, Shori is technically 53 years old, but when you start wandering into technicality areas in that kind of conversation, you know you're going the wrong way. I don't see a narrative reason why Shori has to look twelve years old, or why she couldn't have at least looked older. The consent between her and her symbionts is a bit muddied as well, so combining the two makes for real uncomfortable reading at times.

If there was a word to sum up this book, it would be abrupt, both in the plot and the writing style. Everything seemed so choppy and I wish it was able to flow a little better.