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mmmaitai's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual harassment
jiwiz's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
I'd describe this book in one sentence as a very loud 'Fuck you' to western colonialism. I've seen people criticise how on-the-nose it is. It drives its point home in such a glaringly obvious way that it's impossible to misinterpret it. I think it definitely could stand to deliver its message in a more subtle, nuanced manner. That being said, it was a solid read. I think R.F. Kuang does a good job at writing less-than-perfect protagonists and the magic system is very fresh and unique.
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
There are several characters that I wish had been explored more
It also would have been interesting to see the effects Britain was having on other places in addition to China, which may have helped cement each of our four main characters' motivations a bit better. We know explicitly that Robin and Ramy want to help their homelands but Victoire is a little unclear and Letty is Letty.
There is a really great quote about Letty and how her upbringing shapes her world:
The ending was unsatisfactory because of the epilogue.
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
We see body horror-esque violence precisely in one scene. There is a lot of blood-related description from that scene on.jess_polishedcomma's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mereas's review against another edition
- 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
Besides the foundation to this historical fantasy, the found-family trope touched my soul. I am a sucker for the most of unlikely friends to become a group of four. Between the lines, there are undertones of queer sentiments that also resonated with me, though they do not go further than just that. This, I did not mind because the characters are constantly in survival mode whether physically or emotionally. The reality underneath Rebecca F. Kuang's words is like a goldfish peaking above the water's surface--the social arguments always felt natural and fluid, which hurt the most.
Language holds so much power, yet it can just as easily be lost.
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On a side note, I love to find authors' favorite diction. Rebecca F. Kuang is biased to: teeter, tranquility, translation.
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"'Because you're a good translator.' Ramy leaned back on his elbows. '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'" (535).
"Oxford relied on silver, how without the constant labour of its translation corps, of the talent it attracted from abroad, it immediately fell apart. It revealed more than the power of translation. It revealed the sheer dependence of the British, who, astonishingly, could not manage to do basic things like bake bread or get safely from one place to another without words stolen from other countries" (471). This, made me question what else can stand in for silver. Oil. Petroleum. Fast fashion. And, at what cost?
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
navayiota's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Deportation
mementomoriiv's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Vomit, Islamophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lucakocsis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Overall I would highly recommend this book but only to those who are really interested in linguistics.
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body horror, Gun violence, and Blood
annamary54's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism