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meaghanslibrary's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
The story is extremely interesting and the author does a wonderful job of world building.
The idea of the power of what is lost in translation tied with the power of language and its influence on colonialism is well thought out.
The reason why this book isn’t a 5 is because I felt for most of the book that it was too long. I think this book could have been several smaller books instead of one be very large book. The pacing of the story drags in the middle for me. Also I found the characters while not quite lovable or despicable, just sometimes annoying, especially Robin and Letty. That also factored in a bit to my rating.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cultural appropriation, War, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Death
rlinnyc'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
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Racism, War, Blood, Bullying, Violence, and Body horror
lucy_shanners'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Body horror, Blood, Torture, Murder, Colonisation, Death, Violence, Suicide, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Classism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, War, Gore, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Medical content, Bullying, Alcohol, and Gun violence
Minor: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Vomit
edgaranjapoe'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Racism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Death, Classism, Torture, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Gore, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Child abuse, Grief, War, Misogyny, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Blood, Hate crime, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Body horror, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Bullying, Mental illness, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Vomit, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Rape, and Sexual violence
nichole_of_numenor'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
Like Robin, the main character, I was lured into the mysterious world of exclusive academia. The prestige, the exclusivity, the pursuit of pure knowledge for knowledge's sake. I don't want to give away spoilers, but the way his view of the world changed and the inevitability of the events that followed had me in shock, disbelief, and it was quite the wild ride.
As someone who is a student of language, Kuang's own pedigree and familiarity with language and translation was spellbinding. There is always something lost in translation and this became the foundation of the magic. The whole book was sprinkled with etimologies from various languages and I just ate it all up.
From a sytlistic standpoint, I absolutely loved the way she liberally used footnotes to explain historical events, translations, or other tidbits, as if the book were an actual history (as the subtitle of the book states). There was plenty of dialoge to keep it feeling like a work of fiction, but I appreciated the use of footnotes as a more practical way that Kuang was pulling us into the academic world.
I can definitely see myself re-reading this one.
Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Slavery
elisabeth_with_an_ess'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
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Blood, Deportation, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Murder
winterwoodbooks's review against another edition
- 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
One of my favorite books of all time, this feels like my soul.
For everyone who loves Addie LaRue!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Ableism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Body horror
leedolee'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? It's complicated
5.0
It was exciting, shocking, and filled to the brim with knowledge about words and languages that I never imagined learning while reading this novel. It was certainly a tough book to read due to various sensitive topics: namely racism, colonialism, and sexism. But it was a reality in the past and is still very much prevalent in the present.
The four main characters are each uniquely different and yet similar in some cases. It was quite the journey being able to experience the world of Babel through Robin's eyes and to cheer him and his friends on as the book progressed. I would highly recommend this as a must-read but also caution any readers who may be triggered by the vast sensitive issues found within the pages of this novel.
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Hate crime, Violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Torture, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Bullying, Blood, Body horror, and Slavery
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Islamophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
chloenk_1011's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
random19379'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: Racial slurs, Racism, War, Suicide, Gore, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Sexism, Body horror, Violence, Death, Colonisation, Grief, Torture, Genocide, Gaslighting, and Death of parent