Reviews tagging 'Death'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

1490 reviews

august_rhea's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Islamophobia, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism

Minor: Vomit, War, Pandemic/Epidemic

lunieee's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional funny sad tense 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism

Minor: Slavery

chthonicfae's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Wow, this book. What this author achieved is incredibly inspiring, thought-provoking, and has the effect of mystifying life (language) beyond the boundaries of the novel. I felt immense grief and anger and joy for the characters, and felt completely immersed in the world. 

My one gripe is that I found the footnotes extremely distracting--not visually, but as a constant reminder of the author's presence. I completely admire and respect that she was bursting at the seams with interesting factoids and world-building nuggets, but the book was beautifully full and clear without them. I couldn't help thinking, if they weren't important enough to include in the text, don't include them at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief

Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, War

gabz648's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation

Moderate: Torture, Grief, War

sarahlhong's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War

shaunack's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship

heyitsaugusta's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail

jamieintherain's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Drug use

atamano's review against another edition

3.0

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Pandemic/Epidemic

jenna36's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This was a beautiful and heartbreaking read. I actually think it would have benefitted from being turned into a series rather than one long book. I simultaneously wanted less and more at the same time. But at the heart of it, R.F. Kuang's writing is always beautiful and she had an important story to tell. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Colonisation