Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

481 reviews

joeyvelcro's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

this book ruined my life and for that i’d like to thank it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Slavery, and Islamophobia

bumfinity's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

Long read with a very slow beginning. Wish there was more in-depth exploration on the magic system. Would have preferred more emotion in the writing style so it could be easier to connect with the MC. Kept wishing it leaned more fantasy-like.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and War

emisbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

so beautifully written and so educational. only taking away a star for the long paragraphs of info dumping about languages, which i found interesting but slightly frustrating. rf kuang ur incredible 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and War

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I can’t even give this book a review. Heartbreaking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

jjjend's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

As a language nerd I loved the premise/set-up for this book (fantastical alternative history built around the actually magical powers of translation). Then it pretty quickly took a turn. I can't say I was as delighted with the evolving story as I was with the "world building" section...but then I think that was the author's point. Ultimately this is a thought-provoking book that turns fantasy and dark academia tropes on their heads to explore important issues under discussion today.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood

Despite the fantasy angle, I'd say this book is best for teens or older.

raynearchv's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

my mind is absolutely blown away r.f. kuang is a genius in her field of work and i have huge respect for her.
as for the reading experience, i do admit that the first half of the book is quite slow, it felt like a huge essay while also getting glimpses into the different characters and their dynamic, but dear goodness does the pace and plot pick up drastically throughout the second half and i binged it all

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, and War

Minor: War

gossameralbum's review

was almost halfway through when i couldn't take the linguistics lessons anymore and put the book down. the book is brilliant and written perfectly, the subject matter is just something i happen to be not interested in. i will pick this up again someday though

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Vomit

themoostconfused's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

"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." (pg. 535)

I don't even know where to begin. R. F. Kuang has done it again. She has rattled me, shaken me to my core and I thank her for it. Going into it - having read the entire Poppy War series - I knew I was not bound for a happy, carefree book. Coming from an anthropology background, the extent of human destruction and hatred of "the other" it not news to me but it continues to move me every time. 

I can already sense that I will return to this book over and over again in the future and will recommend it to everyone I come across, although not without warning. 

The book's alternate title "The Necessity of Violence" captures the journey this book takes one on while reading quite succinctly, althought the extent of this might not seem obvious upon first glance.

In the process I have learned a great deal about linguistics and am planning on dealving into that further. But first I am going to have to digest what I have become witness to by reading this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

endlessly_jasmine's review

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• 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

2.5

If you have never thought critically about imperialism and its consequences, then congratulations, this book is for you! Subtlety and nuance are clearly concepts R.F. Kuang is unfamiliar with, so you'll be able to follow her thoughts on imperialism and racism with no issues.

2.5 stars because the concept had potential and could have amounted to something much better if the author had devoted more time and pages to world building and character development instead of repeatedly telling the reading that imperialism is bad and only benefits the rich and powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Drug use and War

inkysplodge's review against another edition

dark informative reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Excrement, Vomit, Islamophobia, and Sexual harassment