Heartbreaking. Visceral. Graphic. Realistic. Hopeful. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions reading this one, y’all. Following our main character, Lauren, we uncover and learn about the religion dubbed Earthseed alongside her. Told in the midst of climate disaster, societal downfall, and a nightmarish political landscape (it sure does sound like 2024, right?), Lauren finds a way to live each day and hopes for a way to enact change in the future.

Witnessing what Lauren and others endure was extremely painful, but Butler doesn’t hold back on the grisly details. This is not a book for the lighthearted - tread carefully and please read content warnings. Depictions of bodily harm, sexual assault, and results of molestation are common, though they are actually important to the plot and world-building - I certainly felt immersed, however begrudgingly, in the now-present-day horrors of the Earth. I’m very eager to read the next novel in the series and see what happens next to this ragtag Earthseed community. I’m curious to find out if their ideas about taking root among the stars ever comes to fruition.