Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

155 reviews

not_asha01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, War, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Blood, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction

kirsten1999's review against another edition

challenging informative mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Bullying

emsavors's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Confinement, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Child death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Xenophobia, Genocide, Grief, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Hate crime, Torture, and Toxic friendship

ashleydavies1813's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

This book. Wow. Just wow. It's amazing. Make sure you check triggers as needed because this books has A LOT of triggers. I love the reimaging of the Industrial Revolution as powered by silver rather than coal and the focus on how academia is implicated in colonial systems. The ending was so good. I wished for more, but the elisions I think are intentional and are part of Kuang's point. I both have too many thoughts and no thoughts. Be prepared to stay up super late once you get to the latter parts, because you'll need to know how this book ends immediately. I'm going to have to get The Poppy War trilogy ASAP now to read more of Kuang's amazing work. 

Did anyone else see Ramy/Robin's relationship as queer-coded? I'm wondering if part of the reason Ramy doesn't see Letty in a romantic light is because he's queer? (Though to be clear, there are A LOT of reasons why Ramy might not want to be in a relationship with Letty. Like so many). In a lot of passages throughout the novel, but especially Ramy/Robin's instant connection and Robin's response after Ramy's death really made me see their relationship as being more than just a close friendship

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Violence, Torture, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, Child death, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug use, War, Classism, Slavery, and Police brutality

Minor: Confinement and Infidelity

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Torture, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Violence, Medical content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Sexism, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, and Death

Minor: Car accident, Child death, War, Rape, Genocide, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Infidelity, and Deportation

tasarla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring 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? No

5.0

If you liked the poppy wars you’ll like this as there are many parallels. It’s a very challenging book & goes in depth about things like colonialism, slavery, racism etc so it’s one of those books you have to be in the mood for but it’s SO good. It really enlightened me on the subject of translation, which I hadn’t really thought much of before. Overall highly reccomend

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Racism, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Deportation, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Bullying, Colonisation, Gun violence, Death, and Abandonment

bookishmaggie's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Excellent commentary on atrocities of colonialism, the self destructive force of imperialism, and the bonds formed among the marginalized in this violent demanding world 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic friendship, Torture, Racial slurs, War, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Bullying, Child abuse, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Xenophobia, Violence, Blood, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

shlymiller's review against another edition

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

ttumbletree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Classism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, War, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Slavery, Violence, and Death

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