Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

122 reviews

elisaviihde's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

4.0

The magic system that lives drep within the colonial system and the feelings and effects of exploitation are all laid bare on Babel. I enjoyed the translation-based silverwork system a lot, it made the often unseen use of language as a tool of oppression into a literal one. However I did feel like the characterwork and diving even more into the group’s interpersonal relationships could’ve been beneficial - at times it felt a bit too tedious, even if they all are academics, to have everyone only ever discussing these grand ideas of justice and freedom and the reasonings. I felt there was a need for a few more interpersonal anecdotes to drive the point even deeper when the book came to a conclusion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

marthadude's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mary_juleyre's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and War

shaipanda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

I truly have no words to express how great this book is. it is simply an experience and despite it being dark and long and fairly academic, it is worth every last minute spent reading it. 
It got a lot darker in the last 200 pages which I didn’t fully expect so definitely be aware of that but this is just a masterpiece of a book.
R F Kuang is ridiculously skilled at writing about things that she has done incredible amounts of research and study on and this is a great example of that 
Just an amazing and incredibly impactful read that I will be thinking about for the foreseeable future

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abandonment, War, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Police brutality, and Alcohol

midnightgremlin's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

codifyy's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

I liked the notes at the bottom of the pages. I found them informative and they added an extra level of depth to the story. I liked that each character got their own chapter as a backstory, even though I had to read more about Letty. Ramy deserved better. They all did actually but especially Ramy - he was my favourite. I thought their dynamics and their friendships were interesting and the way their relationship breakdown was foreshadowed added more intimacy to the plot and the message. I have never read a book where the author's opinions are so obvious and I wasn't sure I liked it at first but I think it's necessary for a novel like this to not be as open to interpretation. I loved discovering and learning the origins of words and the interconnectedness of languages - it made me realise there was so much I didn't know. At first, I was slightly confused about how quickly Robin changed mindsets but then it quickly became justified and more understandable, especially when he began to reflect Griffin. Although the ending was tragic, it was also necessary and it made me appreciate Robin and Ramy's relationship even more. I'm glad I read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction and War

athryn's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious 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

2.5

I mostly enjoyed this book, especially the first half. I really found the exploration of languages and translation to be good.

It ultimately ended up a bit stale to me, like the author had a really good grasp of the translation and language stuff, and yet wasn't all that great at actually writing historical fantasy. The characters at Oxford really didn't resonate with me as much as I'd like. The constant modern phrasing in the dialogue just felt off. Don't get me wrong, I love a "fuck the British Empire" and "fuck capitalism" book, but this just ... I dunno. It feels overrated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Car accident

black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Physical abuse, Police brutality, War, and Deportation

meganfletcher's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol

leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment