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A review by splitdice
Babel by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
if you had a lot of problems with yellowface, you will encounter similar issues in this book, though i would argue it is better and has at least somewhat of a deep conversation compared to yellowface. that being said, the "deep conversations" within this book are ones that i were having on tumblr when i was 12. if you havent had these conversations, sure, i think this could be a powerful book. what i am finding is that after the poppy war, kuang decided she just needs to write to oblivious white people. if you are someone who is marginalized, im sure you will find the conversations in this book quite shallow.
i think as a fantasy adventure book, it is quite interesting in terms of the magic system. i thought the scenery and writing was passable. that being said, i do not see how this is a literary novel.
another complaint is that these characters do not speak like real people, let alone historical characters. i mentioned i learned the same lessons in tumblr discourse in 2014, and these characters talk the same i did then, too. its almost offensive how in-your-face kuang tries to get the message. the antagonist is so obvious and i was surprised this character even seemed somewhat close to the main group in the first place. kaung needs to learn the art of subtlety, and quite honestly reading books like babel and yellowface is so funny as if she didnt go to every ivy school that ever existed.
i think as a fantasy adventure book, it is quite interesting in terms of the magic system. i thought the scenery and writing was passable. that being said, i do not see how this is a literary novel.
another complaint is that these characters do not speak like real people, let alone historical characters. i mentioned i learned the same lessons in tumblr discourse in 2014, and these characters talk the same i did then, too. its almost offensive how in-your-face kuang tries to get the message. the antagonist is so obvious and i was surprised this character even seemed somewhat close to the main group in the first place. kaung needs to learn the art of subtlety, and quite honestly reading books like babel and yellowface is so funny as if she didnt go to every ivy school that ever existed.