What I Liked
Octavia Butler is a phenomenal writer. She creates worlds and races and ideas that have never entered my mind until reading her works. The Xenogenesis series has impacted me and caused me to think about the human Contradiction. Are Butler's observations of humanity's flaws true? Can we actually continue without destroying each other as we create bigger and more lethal weapons?

Akin as a character was interesting. I found myself struggling to become absorbed in his character, as he was so different, but his humanity is very evident. He was the perfect protagonist for Butler to write after Lilith.

What I Didn't Like
I struggled with Akin's physical appearance throughout this story, which I suppose makes me succumb to the xenophobia that plagues all of the humans in the book. But reading a story from the eyes of a human-looking child who is only a few months old and cannot yet walk but can reason as clearly as an adult? I was distracted and struggled to picture seriously what it would be like to hold a young infant and reason with him maturely. It was easier for me to envision Akin after his metamorphosis than I could when he was a super intelligent baby.

The plot became a little slow for me. Towards the final sections of the story, I found myself putting down the book and moving onto other things. Adulthood Rites spans over a couple of decades and covers a lot of territory. Something that bored me was that Akin's entire life seemed so predestined. In the beginning of the story, even though his age was strange to accept, there was uncertainty and tension. But towards the end, everyone knew and repeated again and again Akin's fate and even how his emotions and personhood would change. Since I already knew what to expect, my attention began to wander.