Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

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

216 reviews

confused_cat's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

 Ok, this is going to be a long review… 

• First, I love the concept, I was so excited when I started the book. This book is well written, researched and the author captured the feeling of being marginalised very well.
• The author spent a long time on world-building, discussions about language, and the silver working ( “silver+translation = magic” ). This book is great if you are into etymology. For me personally, these parts are way too long and hard to read.
• I am into plot and characters, so I was bored for quite a good portion of the book. When there is plot, the pacing is so quick, too quick even. E.g.
  death of Prof. Lovell
  . The first half of the book felt so slow for me - I was so happy when Robin was
  shot
  … I thought, here comes the action.. but then they all went back to school and it was back to language discussion for a few chapters again.
• There was not enough time spent on characters at all. We were told that Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty are best friends but we were not shown their daily life and interactions. Most of their interactions were mostly for author to showcase racism, how bad colonialism was, and how clueless Letty (the representative of white women) was towards her friends plights.
• There are just so many things that could be expanded.
  How could Robin turned to Hermes so easily at the beginning? How Letty betrayed everyone so quickly? What's going through Lovell's mind most of the time? Are Ramy and Robin queer?
    The ending chapters were so quick too. I wanted to read more about character's internal conflicts more, dammit.
• I am still not sure what the author's intention of the book. Who is this book written for? What does the author want to say? Does she want to remind us how bad colonialism was? How countries (esp China) have dealt with so much injustice? That violence is necessary for change? 
• As a mixed race person, the racism felt too close to home and very uncomfortable to read too.

I can see why this book is so popular. But it is just not for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Colonisation, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Minor: Abandonment

bookswithlauren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad slow-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Abandonment, Trafficking, Bullying, Death, Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, War, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia

mollyelyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction and Drug use

Minor: Alcohol and Blood

kalagrace's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

4.25

Fascinating double edged sword on the foibles of colonialism and empire set against the warmth and heartbreak of university friendships. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Genocide, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Gun violence, Sexism, Colonisation, Classism, Misogyny, and War

rcarri264's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Child death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Suicide, War, Murder, Physical abuse, and Slavery

polaris1117's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Torture, Slavery, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Grief, Gun violence, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting

imds'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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Misogyny, Torture, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexism, Islamophobia, Murder, Racism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, and Physical abuse

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Deportation, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Confinement, Hate crime, Misogyny, Violence, Abandonment, War, Racial slurs, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Grief, Islamophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

smiley_ari's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

It was a great read!

 Could have been 5 stars but there were periods where I felt it dragged a little, and at times the writing felt very “hand holding” and repetitive when talking about the various characters and their experiences with colonization. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Racism, Gun violence, Colonisation, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Torture, Islamophobia, and Violence

Minor: Slavery

megwhitlock's review against another edition

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

4.0

A gripping book that's held together by how much you fall in love with the characters and find yourself rooting for them, even against all odds. Tightly plotted, very clever, and a brilliant exploration of the exploitation British society is built on. It was a magical, horrific, wonderful world to step into - but the characters, their development, and complexities were definitely the strong point.

I only rated 4 stars instead of 5 as I found the overall pacing slightly off in places, but definitely appreciate this could be personal preference!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Racism, Violence, Misogyny, War, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Suicide