Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

234 reviews

broken_biscuits's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

3.5

As a political thought piece, great. As an actual story, a little rough. While the magic system was *so* cool, I was a little disappointed in the character writing. Still felt like a worthy and important read. I feel like it did a lot of telling the reader how to feel about things, which kind of took me out of the experience, even though I agreed with what I was "supposed to feel." I didn't feel hardly any connection to the characters, since they felt like they were created to make a point. Especially the main character. Victoire and Ramy were the most real to me, but they still kinda felt like plot devices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Blood, Hate crime, Body horror, Death, Grief, and Murder

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

5.0

Wow. This book tackles colonialism and doesn't hold back. It is a searing indictment on how we set up a system to allow some to prosper on the backs of others. It is an exploration of tokenism and how we often elevate the "special" to show an "exception to the rule" of racism, often ignoring the fact that it in fact validates the rule at all. It is intense and harsh, as is colonialism. It is intricate and beautifully heartbreakingly spun. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, and Child abuse

Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Murder, and Torture

stephhaigreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, Torture, Murder, Death, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Trafficking, Vomit, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Slavery, Drug abuse, Gore, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Self harm, Abandonment, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Deportation, Medical trauma, Drug use, Emotional abuse, War, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Confinement

cmklaft's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Suicide, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Slavery, War, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Colonisation, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

honipoems's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring tense slow-paced

• 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 quite slow and really deeply in the oxford universe for à long time which made me romanticize it a lot. but when the plot twist happened, everything got Foster and more violent all of sudden. it saddens me soooo much. I really like how it ends, very realistic not too optimiste. I learned a lot and I love langage <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Death, and Deportation

dominiq_ec's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Drug abuse, Death, Addiction, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Drug use, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Torture, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Classism, Blood, Hate crime, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Classism and Deportation

josiebrown's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

definitely one of my new favorite books ever. i dont have the words. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Cursing, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and Death

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

5.0

Babel Review

Wow! R. F. Kuang does it again!! I literally cried at the end! Babel is such a long and treacherous ride. The journey we go on through the main character’s internal battle of living within the privileges he holds or joining a revolution for the greater good of his people is just crazy. Kuang really throws this struggle with self in our face, holding a mirror to us as we go on this adventure that feels destined for failure and disappointment. The use of footnotes throughout the book is also very brilliant, Kuang has such a way with words and world building! 

I’ll absolutely pick up Babel again for a reread, I’m excited to see what the audiobook has to offer. All in all, I would highly recommend Babel to fantasy lovers and lovers of nonfiction looking to sink their teeth in fictional works. She weaves together a beautiful epic fantasy that leaves you wanting more in the end. Also making this a standalone was very smart, there’s so much left to be desired but in a way where you can’t really pin a beautiful bow on this book in the end. A perfect ending would’ve left me knocking off a star, she knows how to pack a punch in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Slavery, Sexism, Bullying, Suicide, Drug abuse, War, Hate crime, and Drug use

monicalaurette's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

I knew from the beginning that I was going to like this book, I just didn’t know how much - and isn’t that a lovely feeling?

Part of me wanted to make this review short and almost like a joke by saying “5 stars, made me feel bad for being white” but truly I never felt bad for being white while reading the book so I also didn’t want to be false in my review. I took more time to look at my privileges as a white woman in the USA and what that meant for me and all those around me.

So many people say that books should not be political or talk about controversial topics, but I think having books like that only enhance a person, even if the book is escapism. If a book helps you to understand your place in the real world, but still offers you a haven from it - I think that makes it an absolutely wonderful book and I don’t know why others don’t see it or refuse to allow themselves that sentiment.

But now back to the book because I’ve gone a slight tangent - sorry!

I loved following Robin and seeing things through his eyes and also the fact that he would acknowledge the challenges of all his cohort as the years went on. I also enjoyed the way that Kuang wrote the divide in Robin’s mind about his feelings for Hermes vs Babel. The struggle he went through was so vivid that at times I was feeling conflicted while reading. I was also feeling stressed out while the cohort was preparing for their exams, so much so that I had to not read those parts at work so I could focus better!

"Translation means doing violence upon the original, means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes."

Certain parts of this book happened and I said to myself - this is not a middle of the book event, what else is going to happen now that this has come to pass? - and was just taken on a wild ride for the last like 40% of this book. And that 40% had so much emotions swirling in my head that I rarely took breaks unless necessary.

Very happy that this was my first book by R.F. Kuang and looking forward to my other book of hers on my shelf. And I know that the message and characters of this book will stay with me longer than normal while I move on to other books. The way this book ended I feel was such a testament to the characters and what they all stood for in their hearts and how they knew they could change the world both as a group and individually.

"A mind was not meant to feel this much. Only death would silence the chorus."

I liked Miss Piper and hated Lovell from the start - I’m glad those feelings never changed as the book moved forward.

Honestly thought Evie was also a part of Hermes somehow and not really dead - and I know that I trust Griffin’s version of the story more than Lovell’s on what happened to her with the bar.

Had I not been at work when I read it I would have cheered a little when Robin killed Lovell. He would’ve done something to him either while on the boat or when they returned from Canton so to me it was both self-defense AND revenge for his mother.

Removing .25 stars because of Ramy, and listen: I GET why he had to die, but it just made me so incredibly sad when it happened because I never handle character deaths well.

When Robin & Victoire were talking about the tower burning all I could picture in my head was the burning Elmo meme and I’m so sad I wasn’t able to paste it into my reading journal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Grief, Violence, War, Classism, Hate crime, Racism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, and Gore

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Torture, Sexism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Bullying and Confinement