Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

155 reviews

yzer2468's review against another edition

5.0

dark informative mysterious 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Blood, Toxic friendship, War

Minor: Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting

goldenlake's review against another edition

2.5

dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, War

Minor: Infidelity, Slavery, Alcohol, Deportation

allcapspyrex's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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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A book truly deserving of a 5 star rating, and one that immediately puts Kuang on the list of must read authors for me. Unique among fantasy novels, it tackles difficult themes with grace, power, and incredible intelligence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War

catanami's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective 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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Muerte al colonialismo

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Violence, Toxic friendship, War

Minor: Torture

growingpotato's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit

rotten_flesh's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War

squishmallow161's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

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: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, Police brutality, War

emsavors's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-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: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

allys_shelf's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Classism, Deportation

lizzie_b99's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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. Wow. Just wow. It's amazing. Make sure you check triggers as needed because this books has A LOT of triggers. I love the reimaging of the Industrial Revolution as powered by silver rather than coal and the focus on how academia is implicated in colonial systems. The ending was so good. I wished for more, but the elisions I think are intentional and are part of Kuang's point. I both have too many thoughts and no thoughts. Be prepared to stay up super late once you get to the latter parts, because you'll need to know how this book ends immediately. I'm going to have to get The Poppy War trilogy ASAP now to read more of Kuang's amazing work. 

Did anyone else see Ramy/Robin's relationship as queer-coded? I'm wondering if part of the reason Ramy doesn't see Letty in a romantic light is because he's queer? (Though to be clear, there are A LOT of reasons why Ramy might not want to be in a relationship with Letty. Like so many). In a lot of passages throughout the novel, but especially Ramy/Robin's instant connection and Robin's response after Ramy's death really made me see their relationship as being more than just a close friendship

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Slavery, Police brutality, Alcohol, War, Classism

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity