Reviews tagging 'Death'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

1505 reviews

gingerabbie's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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: Yes

---

I listened to this as I struggled with the physical copy. The writing feels very complicated/overly intellectual. As in that why use one word when you can use 5. 

The audiobook definitely helped with getting over that. I really liked the mixture of characters, though would have loved to know more about them. I know you can’t build out the secondary characters too much.

One thing that would have been nice to tie in with Letti. It would have been a good tie in if her dead brother was a member of Hermes, and that’s another layer to her disdain, and lacking of understanding to the others. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War, Classism

howdyjordan's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional 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: No

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation

rmb27's review against another edition

2.0

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

maremack's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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: Complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood

Minor: Racial slurs, Death of parent

scarletthequeen's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional 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: Complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Colonisation

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism

Minor: Slavery

quiksilver91's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective 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

---

'That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.'

~Ramy (in response to Robin's query)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Xenophobia, War

hopeless_ash's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative 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

---

I have owned this book for a bit, but admittedly put off reading it due to being nervous it would not live up to the massive expectations that I had set for me by how I heard people talk about it. I was dead wrong. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Could not recommend enough.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, War, Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Slavery, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Drug use

alysereadsbooks's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional 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

---

One of the most thought-provoking novels I've ever read. This book is big on Booktok and for good reason. I'm not usually a huge fan of historical fiction, but the way Kwang blends colonialism, magic, and language, kept me compelled. It is pretty dense and I think it deserves a second read. I listened to it on audiobook which I enjoyed, but I'd probably get more out of it if I read a physical copy. Never read anything quite like this one. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, Cultural appropriation, War, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Slavery, Pandemic/Epidemic

ksafar's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional sad 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: Yes

---

I thought the magic system in this book was very interesting and tied in well with the books messages on colonialism and the exploitation of resources and people by the British Empire. I was invested in the characters, and though I understand why we didn't I do wish we had gotten more of the POV of the other three friends! That being said it's only a 4-star read for me as I felt like the author was, at points, really beating me over the head with the point

for example, when the rest of the friends are discussing racism and exploitation with Lettie and end up having to comfort her - the author explicitly states at the end of this scene that it felt irritating that Lettie was the one that needed comfort.

It took me out of the story a little bit at times, and I wish the author would have adopted a bit more of a show don't tell mentality!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

rosalie_dsa's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

---

This book made me racist against the British.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Classism