Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

287 reviews

d6ni_3la's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This book is about the might and beauty of different languages. About identity crisis, human relationships, sacrifices and morals.
If you love languages, their structure, their history, their characteristics, then you'll love this one. Later in the book, you'll also see Robin, a boy who was teared away from his hometown Canton and brought to England, struggling with his identity. Is he now Chinese or English? 
Also the friendship between the four students is worth reading.
Beautiful, beautiful book.
Loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail

ineedmorecoffee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

I loved this book. An epic tale, with so many incisive observations about the nature of colonialism and power.

Ramy’s death, I felt like I’d been injured, he was that well written that I rooted for him.

A long book, but definitely worth getting stuck into.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, Death of parent, Drug use, Trafficking, Suicide, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and War

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

book_voyager's review against another edition

3.75

3 quarters of these book reminded a bit about Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. Academic students becoming friends, secret societies, things they have to keep hidden… Just add on politics and more speculative fiction.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, like I enjoy Tartt’s book. I find academia related stories interesting, especially when they are related to languages. However, sometimes this books academics were heavy and I admit skipping footnotes more than once. I don’t think everything needs to be explained.

This is not a happy book. It’s still a good one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Death, Racial slurs, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery

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

n_li_re's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

Recién terminé este libro y ahora mismo no puedo elaborar una sola frase coherente al respecto. Quizá cuando lo haya digerido un poco vuelva a editar esto y desarrollar por qué me ha gustado y hecho sentir tanto.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Classism, Blood, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

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

marym419's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

I am sitting here after finishing this book, unable to form words and thoughts. The detail of the plot, the amount of research needed, the depth of character emotion and ethics and life. Kuang weaved a brilliant story of colonialism, resistance, history, and (sadly) present.

I am so utterly moved. As a person of color living the current moment in the US (Nov 2023), I cannot help but reflect heavily on how much we continue to fight the same fight for  freedom, for justice, for the end of a colonial empire. This book is not one easily forgotten, as the stories it is based off are not either.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Classism, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, and Abandonment

starlitpage's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Violence, Classism, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug use, Slavery, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Addiction, War, and Hate crime