Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

204 reviews

chaoticenby'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? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I am sitting here after finishing this book, unable to form words and thoughts. The detail of the plot, the amount of research needed, the depth of character emotion and ethics and life. Kuang weaved a brilliant story of colonialism, resistance, history, and (sadly) present.

I am so utterly moved. As a person of color living the current moment in the US (Nov 2023), I cannot help but reflect heavily on how much we continue to fight the same fight for  freedom, for justice, for the end of a colonial empire. This book is not one easily forgotten, as the stories it is based off are not either.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Classism, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, and Abandonment

slinkmalink's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

I seem to be reading a lot of books inspired by the British empire at the moment but it's a very interesting subject and this one was really excellent.
In terms of world-building I love magical realism and the magic of the silver was just so well integrated with the setting and the history, especially incorporating British industrial history with the imperial history bc as it says it's all connected, workers of the world unite and all that jazz. I thought oxf*rd was really well described too in terms of creating that atmosphere of the simultaneous disbelief at everything around you when you stop to actually look at it and the getting used to it being part of your life, and I could really feel Robin's whole dilemma.
I thought the characters were really fleshed out, I felt like I understood all their motivations and got a lot of insight into experiences I have not experienced anything like, and platonic love being the most important relationship is <3.

in hindsight I felt like I should've but I did not see Letty's betrayal coming or her just shooting Ramy and I was very sad about it

The concept of magic in words is always good but I just loved the way it's described every time and the idea of power in those slight differences of translation and also made me want to learn a language bc it's so interesting.
Overall my fave book of the year tho (and the year is nearly done so it's probably gonna remain so)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation and Death

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, and Addiction

starlitpage's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Violence, Classism, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug use, Slavery, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Addiction, War, and Hate crime

kriti's review against another edition

informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, War, Sexism, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Racism, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction and Toxic friendship

Minor: Slavery

aristarcodisamo's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Death of parent, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, and Gaslighting

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

hayley98's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Racism, Blood, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Suicide, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, War, and Slavery

Minor: Addiction and Alcohol

sohva's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This book is approximately as subtle as a brick about its themes. Apart from the main character, the characters are rather one-dimensional and work to provide the message of the story. Despite taking place in a world where languages are the source of magic, the world is built like there are only about 10 languages in the world, and the effects the existence of the other languages would presumably have in the world, its economy and politics appears to be ignored.

All the flaws aside, I really enjoyed the book. Robin's internal struggles and conflicts were a constant source of tension, and I was interested in seeing how they would be resolved. I loved the magical system built on languages, and enjoyed the tangents on translation and descriptions on what was lost in translation. The atmosphere of the university was immersive too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Slavery, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, War, and Addiction

tattooedbibliophile's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Wow wow wow wow wow. This book is incredibly timely, and at the same time hopeful and devastatingly tragic. This is a thesis on colonization while at the same time being a legit dark academia entertainment piece. Sometimes you read a book and you know it’s going to be a classic of this age. This is that book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction and Racism

Minor: Violence and War

tbd24's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

this book was my niche exactly so I feel a little biased but I liked it a lot. The writing was very good and evocative, I found myself literally gasping aloud or beginning to sweat during tense parts of the book. Very good character writing and development, though I was a little disappointed

Rami and Robin were only ever subtext, I would have been a bit more satisfied if they had a proper conversation about it, even once, especially since they were gonna die in the end anyway so what did the author have to lose. I feel like the reason it was never explicit is because the author didn’t know how to write a conversation like that and still keep the historical realism, though others have done this well. idk, it just disappointed me

. Overall, the only reason this was not a five star read for me was the pacing was a little bit too sporadic for my taste. There were drawn out moments that I wish had been shorter and quick fly by scenes that I wish we could have relished in. But other than that, loved it, and will defs read again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Trafficking, Addiction, Islamophobia, Ableism, Toxic friendship, War, Slavery, and Sexism

dezzella's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

Historical fiction with a tiny bit of magic. Heavy themes of racism and sexism and being in a society where you are a person being discriminated against. I really loved the parts where we are studying at Oxford, and the lead up to that and the end result were also exciting. Loved the narrator for the audiobook as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Death, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Violence, and Addiction