Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

47 reviews

shlymiller's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

This is a great read, a fascinating magic system, and an intriguing storyline. It’s also a hard, heavy read. I’m glad I read it, but be prepared to leave brain space for heavy, real themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Racism, War, Suicide, Death, Violence, Colonisation, Classism, Physical abuse, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcohol and Confinement

hannah_beth_charles's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

I love how the author infused history and magic seamlessly. Translation in silver working and its role in colonization was so smart and that struggle the non-white translation students have with having privilege that other POCs don't have and deciding to either use it and lose your prestigious position or being part of the system and deciding to ignore apart of yourself to be accepted by the white man. I learnt so much about the inner workings of colonization and how truly connected the countries that England exploited are. As a South African, I know about England's colonization in my country, but I hadn't really thought about the others places. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racial slurs, Colonisation, Death, Sexism, Toxic friendship, War, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

This is a strong recommendation for complex world building, deep characters, analysis of colonialism, racism and sexism and their inherent ties to academia and the British Empire. It was brutal in its evisceration of both academia and the British Empire, but beautifully written and thoroughly researched. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Slavery, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Medical content, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Hate crime, Blood, and War

anxieteaandbiscuits12's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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: Racism, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Violence, Racial slurs, War, and Slavery

Moderate: Murder, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent

thebankofbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, War, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, and Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Torture

jelliestars's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Torture, Colonisation, Gun violence, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Murder, and Misogyny

Moderate: Gore, Torture, Child abuse, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Classism, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, War, and Addiction

Minor: Child death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Trafficking, Car accident, Genocide, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Vomit, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders

scmiller's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Torture, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, War, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Addiction, Infidelity, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Deportation, Drug abuse, and Vomit

griffin_7's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Violence, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Vomit, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Forced institutionalization

kimberlystone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book to me represents the core of dark academia. Nowhere else have I found something so academically and emotionally ambitious in nature. 

It also saw something in me that needed to be seen. It was simply so incredible, in the way it handled the personal and structural ways colonialism, racism, and misogyny affected those in the 1800s. Beautiful and terrible, I think everyone needs to read this book. Every sentence felt like it was meant to be there, and these difficult topics were spoken into existence with such nuance I was left awe-struck. Required reading.

P.S. I’ve noticed many readers felt they didn’t connect with the characters, and with that I can honestly understand, but still respectfully disagree. I understand where someone might be coming from by saying we didn’t get enough personal interactions between the characters, but I personally felt that these “montage” scenes were meant to convey how easily one could become part of the system, enjoy its benefits while forgetting where all their riches and pleasures came from…all while under the illusion that their academic pursuits were the backbone of their infrastructure. 

SPOILERS BELOW:

Spoiler

Letty’s character was exceptional. I’ve never seen a better characterization of a self-victimized white woman. She simultaneously struggles with the horribly misogynist nature of her culture, and the fact that she cannot see beyond her whiteness. She cannot accept that Victoire is black, cannot accept the shame of Ramy rejecting her. And therefore she ultimately decided to protect what power she had in her whiteness and deny the humanity in her friends. Fantastic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Classism, Death, Grief, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Gore, Toxic friendship, and Torture

Read trigger warnings before reading of course, but know that nothing here is included for simple shock factor like other books I’ve read.

signeskov's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Torture, Misogyny, Colonisation, Child abuse, Blood, Sexism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Addiction

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, and War