A review by corvingreene
Babel: An Arcane History, by R.F. Kuang

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book so much. Whatever niche this book falls into, I want to read a million other books like it. It's so gripping and smart, intellectual and full of heart and politics and I hope its popularity educates a lot of people about the perils of colonialism. I know I'll read this book over and over again, and I hope I get to teach it someday (at the college level).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: War and Violence

The book is written by a Chinese American woman, and all racism, xenophobia, and cultural appropriation are done by the villains of the novel, and are a major part of their evil. It is an intense book, but it's well worth reading.