Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

275 reviews

kriti's review against another edition

informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, War, Sexism, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Racism, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction and Toxic friendship

Minor: Slavery

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

reader98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Abandonment, Classism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, Child abuse, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Toxic friendship, War, Xenophobia, and Gun violence

abmochapman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, War, Slavery, Blood, and Colonisation

johnbat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Misogyny, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, War, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Racial slurs, Blood, Child abuse, and Death

alica2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

ough....this book was So...

I love a book that makes me think and feel, and boy howdy did I. I really liked the premise because not only does it provide an interesting angle on colonization (with the idea of plumbing a foreign language for its differences compared to English in the same way countries are currently and have historically been plumbed for natural resources) but also about the impacts colonization has on culture (and individuals themselves) through language. As a language learner with an interest in translation as well, I really appreciated the more philosophical discussions about translation theories too. There was also the theme of academia serving as a weapon of empire, which isn't something I've seen explored often in fantasy settings. 

Speaking of setting, I loved the twist this book took with adding language-based magic to a historical era. It was easy for me to see how Britain, even in a world with magical elements, could construct an empire in the same way it historically did due to violence, coercion, and a monopoly of resources, all of which the book took great care to explain.

The beginning and the latter third were a lot stronger to me than the middle, which felt like it dragged at parts. I also felt like most of the relationship development between the four main characters was told rather than shown, and what parts were shown through dialogue seemed to contradict what we were being told, especially regarding Letty. While I do think Letty was a good demonstration of

Spoiler

the failures of white feminism and the danger of whiteness as a social construct in general

, it also didn't feel

Spoiler

as much of a betrayal as it had been built up to be

because I didn't get the sense that

Spoiler

Robin ever truly saw Letty as anything more than a nuisance, despite being told over and over that he (and the others) really did love her

. I also would have liked more development between Robin and Victoire given that

Spoiler

they become foils for each other by the end with their different perspectives of how to proceed with the strike, and how they as individuals want to proceed when the army comes to forcibly end the strike

. A lot more time was dedicated to developing Robin and Ramy's relationship versus Robin with the girls, so I think even one or two more scenes dedicated to those relationships specifically would have made for a more powerful impact.

With that said though, there was never any point in the book that I didn't understand Robin himself as a character. There were many times along the way where I found myself thinking that I might have acted similarly as him, and it made me reflect on my own morals. Also, the part where

Spoiler

Robin kills Lovell

in particular still sticks with me, because even though it was never really stated I had such a vivid image of the part from the beginning of the book when

Spoiler

Lovell beats Robin

, and I felt like I knew exactly where Robin was coming from in that moment. I also really liked seeing the ways that

Spoiler

grief impacts Robin

in the last part of the book, especially in how it changes the decisions that he makes. I thought that Lovell also made an excellent villain because of the few moments of humanity we see in him. He was unequivocally detestable in his racism, but the fact that he had those small moments (I think all of which were nostalgia about Oxford, which is certainly commentary in and of itself LOLOL) made him feel more real and therefore more dangerous.

Overall I think the book did an amazing job at tackling so many difficult themes, and doing so in a way that balanced character development against dense academic explanations of its magic system. It challenged my own understanding of myself, my morals, and my privileges - often in uncomfortable ways - and left me with a haunting ending that asks hard questions with no easy answers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Sexism, Torture, and Toxic friendship

jomalou's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Racism

Moderate: War

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

aristarcodisamo's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Death of parent, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, and Gaslighting

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

hayley98's review

challenging emotional 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: Death, Sexism, Racism, Blood, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Suicide, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, War, and Slavery

Minor: Addiction and Alcohol