A review by pixxyhex
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.75
This was fantastic. I have a feeling it will stay with me for a long time.
The progression in Robin of how he got to where he ended was beautifully written. What really made this such a hard hitting book was that we got to understand most all sides and perspectives so the whole story did not seem as one sided as I feared.
The magic system was fascinating and incredibly unique. I found the very technical explanations to both allow me to understand how it works as well as put me in the headspace of someone at college.
The annotations filled in some gaps that would have been there otherwise and allowed this book to be a reasonable length.
However, I would not recommend this book to everyone. In fact I have already told some of my friends not to read it due to the subject matter as well as the ending.
From a point, the story goes in a very dark direction and pulls you into the maddens that ensues.
The progression in Robin of how he got to where he ended was beautifully written. What really made this such a hard hitting book was that we got to understand most all sides and perspectives so the whole story did not seem as one sided as I feared.
The magic system was fascinating and incredibly unique. I found the very technical explanations to both allow me to understand how it works as well as put me in the headspace of someone at college.
The annotations filled in some gaps that would have been there otherwise and allowed this book to be a reasonable length.
However, I would not recommend this book to everyone. In fact I have already told some of my friends not to read it due to the subject matter as well as the ending.
From a point, the story goes in a very dark direction and pulls you into the maddens that ensues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Colonisation, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Torture