Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

107 reviews

codifyy's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I liked the notes at the bottom of the pages. I found them informative and they added an extra level of depth to the story. I liked that each character got their own chapter as a backstory, even though I had to read more about Letty. Ramy deserved better. They all did actually but especially Ramy - he was my favourite. I thought their dynamics and their friendships were interesting and the way their relationship breakdown was foreshadowed added more intimacy to the plot and the message. I have never read a book where the author's opinions are so obvious and I wasn't sure I liked it at first but I think it's necessary for a novel like this to not be as open to interpretation. I loved discovering and learning the origins of words and the interconnectedness of languages - it made me realise there was so much I didn't know. At first, I was slightly confused about how quickly Robin changed mindsets but then it quickly became justified and more understandable, especially when he began to reflect Griffin. Although the ending was tragic, it was also necessary and it made me appreciate Robin and Ramy's relationship even more. I'm glad I read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Slavery, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Toxic friendship, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Racism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Police brutality

Minor: Addiction and War

athryn's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I mostly enjoyed this book, especially the first half. I really found the exploration of languages and translation to be good.

It ultimately ended up a bit stale to me, like the author had a really good grasp of the translation and language stuff, and yet wasn't all that great at actually writing historical fantasy. The characters at Oxford really didn't resonate with me as much as I'd like. The constant modern phrasing in the dialogue just felt off. Don't get me wrong, I love a "fuck the British Empire" and "fuck capitalism" book, but this just ... I dunno. It feels overrated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Slavery, Gaslighting, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, War, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Car accident

black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Abandonment, Sexism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Torture

Minor: War, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Deportation

meganfletcher's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Torture, Classism, Colonisation, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Gun violence, War, Grief, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Alcohol

leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, War, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Blood, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Violence

Minor: Slavery, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Torture

carina_dreamer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Rating🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 + my heart

• Let me start by saying that I'm not a person that re-reads books (only if it has been close to 10 years), but I could make an exception for Babel.
This was such a masterpiece that I know I haven't grasped all of it on this first try!

• Basic summary: It's historical fiction because it happens in the 1800s during the British empire
(so we have colonialism and racism, it's after slavery has ended *but not in terms of white mentalities & supremacy*, women don't study, etc.).
It's magical realism & dark academy because Babel is a tower in Oxford where academics study translation to help the Empire deal with the colonies and on the 7th floor they do what seems like magic... They engrave silver bars with one word in English + the equivalent in another language = to magical enhancements to objects or environments.
Overused languages have weakened the effect on silver so they decide to snatch some native kids from colonies, instruct them in the Englishman ways, and make them study to prepare for Babel and in the future work for the Empire.
That's what happens to the group that we follow throughout the book.

• I wanted to try RFK writing through this standalone first before the Poppy War (cause I buy entire series from the go 😅) and it's marvellous!
It seems like a classic, but without the excessive adjectives that can make me fall asleep. It can be a little overwhelming in the beginning cause it's a slow start and we are as lost to the plot as poor 7-year-old Robin is.

• The character development was what made this book for me.
It spans for like 10 years and my view from the start to the end shifted together with the characters. They started scared, innocent, and mesmerised by the grandeur of Babel - A little found family in their solitary upbringing - but they discovered there's so much more going on around them.

• I studied translation and what I learned is actually discussed during the classes in Babel, which made de experience even more enjoyable! Also, my language nerdy side got a field trip with this book! 😍

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Torture

Minor: Addiction, Sexual harassment, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Grief

lexihworth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Suicide, Slavery, Murder, Genocide, Violence, Racial slurs, Child abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Blood, Colonisation, Death, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Slavery, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Misogyny, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Death, War, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Alcoholism, Blood, and Bullying

marissasa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Babel rocked me to my core, and left me reading for 5 hours straight until 2am because I couldn't stop and just needed to finish it. R. F. Kuang is a brilliant literary genius and I don't know how she could break my heart this many times in one book and then set it on fire with the flames of revolution and expect me to be okay at the end. Everything about this story enraptured me. The immense amounts of research that you can feel went into it, the incredibly detailed magic and world-building that still closely mimics real life, the nuance and depth of colonial discourse and how it feels to actively participate and benefit from it as a person of color, the setting of academia and ways in which research and higher education contributes and sustains imperial power, the layered and flawed and beautiful realness of the characters, the academic writing and footnotes that make you feel like you are actually reading a history book, and the devastating plot moments that will leave hauntingly gorgeous quotes stuck in your head for days. This is a new all-time favorite book for me, it is truly amazing how much Kuang captured in one book and how this story left me both broken and emotionally devastated as well as completely awed and profoundly satisfied. What a stunning piece of literature, I have truly read nothing else like it.

"That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, War, Vomit, Alcohol, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Confinement, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

katrinarose's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

An ingenious blend of historical fiction intersecting with fantasy. The fantasy elements are so interesting and logical and serve to greatly enhance the historical setting. I thought it was so well done and so smart. The author’s intelligence really comes through in this book in a way that is rare in the majority of books, even by smart people. I also learned a lot of historical nuance that I only had a general idea about. The major theme of the book is a cruelty of colonialism and I think she drove the point home in an extremely effective way. The characters were well done too, I only wish Victoire had more of a role throughout the book because I really liked her. My biggest criticism that kept my rating from 5 stars for me personally is I felt like it dragged on in some parts in the first half. It’s a long book and covers a lot of history without seeming like nonfiction but I found myself putting it down for several days at a time. I did fly through the last 40% though. Overall would recommend for anyone with an interest in history and/or etymology (being a fantasy reader is definitely not a requirement for enjoyment but it was a big plus for me).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Classism, Torture, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Murder, Slavery, and Sexism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, and Gun violence

_annika__'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, War, Colonisation, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse