Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

65 reviews

quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

Without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read. I was hooked from the first 20 pages until the very end and everything about it was perfect from the complicated, complex characters to the smallest historical detail. It's obvious the author poured her heart and soul into the book and drew from extension research and her own experiences. The story blends real places and events seamlessly with a unique magic system that's based on language and translation (something I've never seen done before) and entrenches magic into academia. This book unapologetically confronts colonialism, racism, and oppression as the bedrock of society and explores the nuances of fighting this system. I cannot overstate how deeply this book made me feel; it lit an angry fire in my heart I haven't experienced from fiction before.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

wornpagesandendlesscoffey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

I’ll need to sit with this book hangover for a bit. Kuang is a phenomenal story teller who brought this world to vibrant, beautiful life and I loved every second of it. Even the ones I hated. The universal truths in this novel are heartbreaking and stripped bare for the reader, which is dramatic and necessary to the story. This should be required reading for advanced students in my humble opinion. Fiction can be such a wonderful receptacle for truth. 


Note- there are a LOT of triggers. It is still well worth reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

henriediosa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Confinement, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

taroroot's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

i am an rf kuang stan <3 i adored the academic setting of Babel as well as the unique magic system based on silver and translation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

tumbly_weed's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, and War

some_froggish_lad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

Absolutely, completely based on personal feelings but FUCK THIS BOOK. And thank you i love you so much if I were to compare you to music I'd call it metal

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

storykeeper_saga's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

peonydancer's review against another edition

challenging funny informative reflective tense slow-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

4.75

honestly, if it weren't for me feeling sour that 

Ramy and Robin don't live happily ever after together alongside their girl besties because WHY LETTY, WHY

it might've been 5 stars. But I thought this novel was incredibly well written, and I learned so much about translation and both its beauty and destructiveness, along with languages and how they form, especially the English language. I underlined so many lovely lines in this book. I haven't read any of Kuang's works before, but this book has got me excited to read 'The Poppy War' series. More to add to my TBR!
As for what I didn't like; I think due to other reviews, I expected to cry and feel super emotional about the ending of the book. But honestly, besides 

Ramy's death and all that jazz

, there wasn't really anything to the end that made me cry like I saw some reactors do. I guess I held some expectations for the ending due to that, so I was a little disappointed (but not surprised) by the end. But that's on me, not the book, so don't mind it.
The one thing I TRULY didn't like was how stereotypical the final embodiment of villainy ended up being. As in, having 

Letty more or less embody the complacency of white England, and end up making an enemy of the cohort. Honestly, I might've found it more interesting to see a non-white baddie here, to demonstrate how long-time conditioning can make one unable to see past their own nose; kind of like how Robin was struggling at the start of the book, but by the end, realised 'the truth'. It would've been cool to see a foreign-born translator never truly reach that conclusion and aide the 'other side' in their efforts.

 
I would suggest an air of caution in taking the message of this book and applying it to the real world now.  

I find it impressive that Kuang managed to portray quite a realistic view of 19th-century England, but remember the novel is set 200 years ago. Sure, you'll have plenty of people who are racist, irrespective of colour, that exist in the 21st century. But the CURRENT world is not all white people viewing us non-whites as sub-human, nor are non-white people being oppressed (At least, not where I'm from; I speak from a Non-USA P.O.V btw) 

  I have a lot of hope for the world, and we've come a long way since that time. <3  
That's my review - highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and War

doodeedoda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail