Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

117 reviews

bron01's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, War, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic

jewel318's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism

Moderate: Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent

Minor: Confinement

julesadventurezone's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I didn't like it as much as I hoped I would. Really struggled to keep reading at times.
It's a lot of worldbuilding up front and then when the plot really kicks off there is still a lot of waiting interspersed with violence.
I thought the magic system was super cool and was interested in the themes, though. I also thought Robin had a good arc.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Alcohol

rptomey's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, Classism, Deportation

Minor: Bullying, Rape, Police brutality, Car accident, Sexual harassment

ronan_lesh's review against another edition

3.0

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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So we kill ourselves? KILL OURSELVES!?!?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Homophobia, Terminal illness

kochiscookin's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional 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

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Gripping and immersive, if a little heavy-handed at times. “Enchanted” silver is a perfect metaphor for colonialism’s exploitative nature

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation

Moderate: Death, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder

Minor: Child death, Classism

endlessallison's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

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This book is so relevant to today and captures the perspectives of both the colonizers and the colonized on such beautifully blunt painful ways I truly believe everyone should read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation

This is a book of fiction that uses a slightly fantastical element of silver/magic to be a placeholder for any and all resources valuable to an empire. It deals with sexism, racism, colonization, revolution, workers revolt, strikes, rebellions, war, academia, and more. Within those topics there are really heavy pieces of content but it is handled tactfully and effectively to convey a message to look at the world today through the lens of this narrative.

slimejules's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury

46jjsg's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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: Yes

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I listened to the AB intermediately and I'm so delighted I did- I don't often listen to ABs but I wanted to accurately understand the pronunciation of all the unfamiliar foreign words I expected given the context of the novel. I thought the narrator was very engaging!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent

mrgilgamesh95's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I can summarise this book no better than the line from the inside cover/blurb: "Every act of translation is an act of betrayal".
A delicate balance of hope and revelation, this book cannot be recommended. It can only be experienced. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Classism

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol

This book is a deeply researched and carefully explored examination of the impacts of colonialism and the long shadow of imperial hegemony. Approach with caution and with expectation of what that would mean for a person of colour in England.