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achay91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, War, Colonisation, Death, Classism, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child abuse
colittle'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: Racism, Torture, Suicide, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Violence, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, and Slavery
gen_wolfhailstorm'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
5.0
Where do I begin. This was perfection in a novel... Bold words, I know.
This straight away reminded me of a recent read, being Jonathan strange and Mr norrel in tone, but I would say more accessible, which is funny because one of the main things I loved about this novel was how academic this was. I've always liked the idea of dark academia but always thought I'd struggle to understand the information, (probably why I leaned away from this for so long), but it was so reader friendly in its prose and so fascinating that I couldn't help pour over every word. It was so surprisingly easy to read that I barely minded the lack of consistent short chapters.
As well as being visceral in the vibe of the genre, it wasn't shy on having substance.
The plot was thick and intricate, with threads of conspiracies and beautiful detailing on the science behind silver-working (the magic system in this world). The conversations on interpretation, colonialism, building into a corrupt Empire was just so powerful to read about.
The victorian setting was lush, filled with jaw dropping descriptions of an imagined Oxford in what you could call this alternate history, and the early tour of the Institue of Language itself was fascinating.
Speaking of language, the etymology was so thorough, fascinating and deep. I loved seeing how different languages connected, and in this case, paired together to create something quite magical, yet equally dangerous in the wrong (and of course, powerful) hands.
Our characters..Oh what can I say that hasn'y been said before?
I Ioved the friendship demonstrated here, especially between Robin and Ramy. Seeing our main four characters explore Babel from their varying and diverse perspectives and as novice scholars of language was such a delight.
I appreciated getting interludes of the other threes upbringing and history, because the story is mainly told from Robin's perspective, so it was nice to change it up a bit and appreciate a bit more of the other characters. Even if we didn't have that, I could never accuse Robin, Ramy, Victoire and Letty of being flat characters. They felt real.
The whole time, pacing was brilliant. This was especially noticed at times when I was listening to the audio.
I feel like I learned so much during my time in this world. I'm left heartbroken and in awe at the sheer aduacity of excellence R.F. Kuang had in crafting this whole piece together. Coming into this as the first novel I've read from this author, I now understand that all the praise is well deserved and I look forward to trying out her other novels.
A note on the audio - the voices and accents the narrator could flit between was so impressive. He sounded like a BBC news reporter for the first time, but this was quite endearing as time went on.
I loved blended reading this one (physical and audio). It felt like my own little match-pair.
Graphic: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Torture, War, Colonisation, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Deportation, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death, Slavery, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Addiction
cepbreed'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? No
5.0
“Anger was a chokehold. Anger did not empower you. It sat on your chest; it squeezed your ribs until you felt trapped, suffocated, out of options. Anger simmered, then exploded. Anger was constriction, and the consequent rage a desperate attempt to breathe.”
I AM INCONSOLABLE BECAUSE OF THE ENDING. This is my favorite book of the year thus far.
Songs:
- Alleyways - The Neighbourhood
- Family Line - Conan Gray
Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Bullying, Colonisation, Murder, Sexism, War, Classism, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Torture, and Slavery
Minor: Alcohol
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, War, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use
jhbandcats'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
Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy for her to impart that knowledge and the first third of the book is too didactic. The story speeds up considerably when we’re focused on Robin and his cohort, and their scholarly exploits.
I was repeatedly surprised that offhand comments about people and events were based on what had actually happened. The merchants in Canton, the Chinese commissioner, the 20,000 barrels of opium (without quite as much theater) - all were true. The Rebecca Riots, Peterloo - all repeated instances of England crushing the lower classes. And all the etymologies were real, nothing made up to fit the plot.
I really liked this book and am looking forward to reading The Poppy War trilogy sometime. For alternate histories, this one is superb.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Blood, Racism, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Classism
ophillya's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Xenophobia, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, War, Vomit, Classism, and Colonisation
alisonvh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, Xenophobia, Racism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Drug use, Islamophobia, Death, Toxic friendship, and Terminal illness
dragonwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There was a slow but beautiful build of the plot. It really let you get to know the workings of this world that is so close to ours and see through the eyes of those fighting for equality in a white-ruled world. Large sections of the book read like college lectures on magic and etymology, and quite honestly, those were my favorite parts! This book really showed the struggles BIPOC face day to day, as well as how little the government cares for its working class people. It also makes a powerful argument that the repercussions and collateral damage of a strike should lie with those in power, and not those asking the power to stop the injustices they suffer.
I highly recommend this book!
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Drug use
Minor: Addiction, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Religious bigotry
wad3mil3sgarru2'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
3.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Grief, Sexism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcohol, Bullying, and Classism
Minor: Religious bigotry and Toxic friendship