Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

236 reviews

cakrolik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sheyri's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective 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, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Violence, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

gwyllion's review

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

clarkg's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

I want to open this review with the caveat that my five star review does not come without criticisms. I felt that some characters were denied robust inner lives, while others' motives were so hammered out that it felt redundant at times. In some sections, the pacing felt a bit drawn out. That said, "Babel" is an inventive, thoughtful, and serious reckoning with the relationship between empire and academia. R.F. Kuang simultaneously manages to capture the relentless, insurmountable nature of the colonial project, while exploring the many shapes that resistance can take. The central points of conflict feel both historically situated and uniquely relevant to contemporary conversations about global imperialism. Whether or not Kuang herself would define Babel as "dark academia", I do not know. Either way, the genre is greatly enriched by her voice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

scripturient's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a masterpiece. I am probably very biased as a translator, but this is such a unique concept, it was well executed, it digs really deep into translation, colonialism, power imbalances, slavery and so much more within a framework that puts it into a new light without losing it's touch with reality. A hard read,

it definitely doesn't have a happy ending

, but it is well worth it anyway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Cultural appropriation

windowplant's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ethuiliel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Drug use

svtephreads's review

adventurous dark 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

I didn’t like the ending. It was too abrupt and unsatisfying. But the rest was great and it was the right level of fantasy for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

kri_29's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism

littlecake's review

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

This book resonated with me on a deeply emotional and political level. It felt really personal, touching on themes that are both important and highly relevant today, especially with the ongoing genocide in Palestine. 

 At the heart of the story, set within the dark academia and fantasy genres, are deep themes like colonialism, imperialism, revolution, and language.  Babel Tower in Oxford serves as a powerful metaphor for colonialism, while the Hermes Society captures the essence of every revolution - a small force trying to tip the balance. R.F. Kuang could have turned these topics into an academic essay, but weaving them into a novel made them more accessible and tangible. The dark fantasy elements support her narrative. The dark fantasy elements really support her narrative, and I especially enjoyed her magic system. It felt original, well-crafted, and thoroughly researched. 

The characters had a big impact on me.  As a South Asian, I really understood Robin’s struggles with the weight of the "model minority" label. I related strongly to Ramy, as an Indian Muslim, and Victoire moved me as a racialized woman. Letty broke my heart, reminding me of many of my white female friends, both past and present. Their character arcs were perfect yet so painful to witness. Griffin also captured my heart— —his rage and the burden of being the eldest child really resonated with me. The sibling relationship and the abusive father are central themes in the book that hit close to home.

 While Babel deeply moved me, it’s not without a few small flaws. The world-building could have been more developed, but the narrower focus actually made sense given Robin’s perspective and heightened the “ivory tower” effect of academia. Some characters, 

especially those involved in the siege (Ibrahim, Yusuf, Julianna, and Professor Craft)

, could have been fleshed out more.  The fifth act (Book V) needed more space to breathe so we could get to know some of the secondary characters more deeply. But despite these small flaws, the book is still brilliant. It was a real challenge to tackle such complex topics in a compelling novel, and Kuang nailed it. 

I could write endless essays on this book, from the abusive parent dynamics between Robin and his father, to the fragile friendships within the group, to the brutal reality of academia, the necessity of violence in revolution and the disappearance of languages. There’s just so much to unpack and discuss.

And this is why, despite its flaws, Babel deserves a full 5-star rating. I felt represented. It makes you think, makes you feel and this is what I expect from a good book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts