Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

54 reviews

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Kidnapping, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, and Alcohol

athenium's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

melancholymegs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry

haleymk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

SCREAMING AT THIS BOOK RF KUANG I WILL BE SENDING YOU MY THERAPY BILLS (all in such a good way please read this book) this book makes you hopeful until the very last page— it makes you hope that everything will turn out how you want it to, which is what makes it so perfect and compelling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Slavery, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Death of parent

jakepasseri's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.75

Holy shit ive never had a book break me like this one. Knocked it out of the park. Was hooked from every page. Only thing stopping it getting five stars was that some plot points were predictable but this was maybe a couple of times and doesnt diminish my appreciation of this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Slavery, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Islamophobia, and Alcohol

lexihworth'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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Blood, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

hamstringy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

I think the reason this book made me cry so hard I sobbed through the entire plane descent into Seattle is because it is so easy to see it’s a tragedy from the beginning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

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

avertacnik's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring sad 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

Babel has made it on my list of best books of all time. It is impeccably researched and wonderfully intellectual without the snobbery that this topic could have garnered. It challenged me as an academic in a new and refreshing way. I am grateful to this author for not only providing me with glorious entertainment but also inspiration to be a voice and an ear when necessary for change! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, and Antisemitism

kumquats87's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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? Yes

4.25

While I do have some issues with elements of the ending, I was completely on board with book. I related to Robin to a concerning degree, and the gothic, dark academic mood was everything I wanted. A dark academia that actually examined academia as a weapon of empire; as producers of “knowledge” used to subjugate, to maintain power relations and the status quo. Incredible.

I still want to know what happened in Burma.

Yes, there were footnotes. Yes, some characters could have been developed beyond the role of ideologue. Yet I also wanted to jump on the decolonisation train. (Sure, I wanted to do so beforehand, but that’s besides the point.) I felt sickened while reading this, so for me, it did the job.

Now, my final point. This was far funnier than I thought it would be. While it is not a comedy by any means, the dark humour in this book was right up my alley.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Islamophobia, Gaslighting, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment