In this book, Octavia Butler made some choices I don't think we're necessary, like having her 53-year-old protagonist look like she's 11 years old. She definitely didn't have to do that. Yet, Butler's writing was so excellent, I was fully immersed and just enjoyed living in this universe with Shori as she unraveled the mystery of who she was and what happened to her. 

I really love novels told from the perspective of a character waking up with amnesia or a "white room story" as Brandon Sanderson coined it. That convention adds such an interesting layer to the story, the world building, and the development of the character since the reader is on completely equal footing in discovering everything with them. 

The world building in creating the vampires in this story was fascinating. It's a shame Butler never wrote another book in this universe. I was genuinely sad when the novel ended.