Scan barcode
rinku's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It’s honestly kinda hard for me to rate and write a review for Babel. I gave it 3.5 stars now and my critiques are kinda similar to the ones others already have written about: The way the central themes are talked about feels a bit shallow, and the pacing is just not so good.
Babel follows Robin Swift, a Chinese boy that is taken to the UK by an Oxford professor. There, he gets prepared for studying at the language institute in Oxford which uses a kind of word magic that is used throughout the whole UK and thus also to control the British colonies. Robin needs to navigate this new life while also figuring out what he wants to stand for.
The general setting and magic system were interesting, but I think the magic could’ve been utilized more. I still liked to see how the UK looked at that time and how the magic has changed it. Another topic I enjoyed was etymology and it was so great to see the love for words and books in this novel. Classism, racism, and colonialism are all discussed, but especially the discussion of the former felt a bit shallow and too simple for me. At the same time, I had the feeling that losing your (mental) health for your work/studies was romanticized which always gives me some neoliberal vibes, if I’m honest. Still, there were some parts of the first two-thirds I liked, like when Robin killed his father and they had to hide his body, this whole section stressed me so much . The part about the opium was interesting as well and I guess I’ll read The Poppy War one day to delve deeper into this topic.
In the last third, the book got much more interesting and made give 3.5 stars instead of 3 stars. We get our classical low point with Ramy getting shot, Hermes destroyed, and Robin and Victoire locked up. It was such a great moment when Griffin saved them but of course, he had to die as well. This part of the story was so dark, and I loved it . My favorite moment of the novel happened towards the end when Robin and Victorie took over the tower. It showed that non-violence can’t be the answer if you want to change something and deals with the moral questions around political violence. After it, it was so interesting to see how the city started to fall apart and how the revolution started. Sadly, the worker revolution wasn’t talked about in depth as I wished it was . Furthermore, I really enjoyed the ending itself with the tower getting destroyed and Robin having to prepare for his death, I always love moments like these in novels lmao .
I also don’t know what to think about Kuang’s writing. She definitely has talent, but the writing was a bit too pretentious for my taste? Additionally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of the foreshadowing in the novel that just felt cheap, and the predominance of telling. I was so annoyed how often it was mentioned how intelligent the characters are, but we honestly didn’t see too much of it lol.
Looking at the characters, I have similar problems with them like I had with the other elements of the book. Robin was an okay-ish protagonist. I found his struggle between the two worlds he’s part of interesting, but I couldn’t always understand his behaviour, like when he helped Ramy and Victorie flee and got punished instead of them. Before, I hadn’t the feeling that he was the kind of guy to do something like this .
The side characters though were a bit flat. The other three Babel students are just as pretentious as Robin which annoyed me. He also calls them way too fast his family, we barely see the development of their relationship. Another topic I want to talk about is Letty’s character. <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUdFkRdgPDU>Cindy recently said in her review of Yellowface</a> that the racist white female main character seemed to her like a low-hanging fruit, and I see a similar problem with Letty in this book. To no surprise, she turns out to be a traitor as well in the end . This feels to me like a too black and white worldview, to be honest.
All in all, there were some aspects of Babel that I really liked, like the etymologic lessons or the emotional last third of the novel. But there were many aspects that felt just mediocre to me because they weren’t discussed in much detail/nuances as I hoped they would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Sexism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Medical content, War, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
samchase112's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Goddamn. I hope people read this for decades to come.
Full review coming soon, even if it’s just mainly just going to be a list of quotes.
Full review coming soon, even if it’s just mainly just going to be a list of quotes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Classism, Toxic friendship, Torture, Slavery, Sexism, Grief, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Blood, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, War, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Addiction
Minor: Child death and Rape
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this one! It felt a bit wordy and tedious at times, which is why I gave it the raiting I did. But overall I really liked it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Addiction, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Excrement
sarahofstories's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
@R. F. Kuang: WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Suicide, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Trafficking, Violence, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, War, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pandemic/Epidemic
rocketdea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, War, Physical abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Slavery, Trafficking, and Pandemic/Epidemic
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Robin is a young boy in 1820s Canton when he is left orphaned, adopted by a wealthy British guardian, and ultimately put on a path that will lead him to the Royal Institute of Translation (or Babel) at Oxford.
This one has been on my list for ages and I’m so glad I finally got to it! First things first, it is brilliant—brilliantly written, brilliantly researched, brilliantly imagined. As a sort of fantasy-lined alternate history novel, it is an absolute stunner (but note I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as “fantasy” in the traditional sense and I think readers going in with the expectation of standard fantasy novels and tropes may be disappointed).
I did struggle with some elements of the ending, though I think I ultimately get what Kuang was trying to accomplish, and on balance I liked it more than I didn't. It's also worth noting that the book is super dense—I feel like I learned so much about language and etymology and the power of words, but that did mean this wasn’t always an easy read (not a bad thing, just one to be aware of if you dive in!) It also felt long, and I might be in the minority here but I actually wished it was a duology at one point, and think it might have functioned slightly better that way.
All of the above said, I truly think Babel is an incredible, and possibly even necessary, read. The messages it conveys and the story it tells are so resonant in our current world (and throughout literally all of history) and this book is primed to be both a teacher for those who need to learn and mirror for those who need to feel seen.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fantasy; political fantasy; books about language and words
CW: Lots of death/blood/violence; racism/xenophobia/colonialism
Robin is a young boy in 1820s Canton when he is left orphaned, adopted by a wealthy British guardian, and ultimately put on a path that will lead him to the Royal Institute of Translation (or Babel) at Oxford.
This one has been on my list for ages and I’m so glad I finally got to it! First things first, it is brilliant—brilliantly written, brilliantly researched, brilliantly imagined. As a sort of fantasy-lined alternate history novel, it is an absolute stunner (but note I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as “fantasy” in the traditional sense and I think readers going in with the expectation of standard fantasy novels and tropes may be disappointed).
I did struggle with some elements of the ending, though I think I ultimately get what Kuang was trying to accomplish, and on balance I liked it more than I didn't. It's also worth noting that the book is super dense—I feel like I learned so much about language and etymology and the power of words, but that did mean this wasn’t always an easy read (not a bad thing, just one to be aware of if you dive in!) It also felt long, and I might be in the minority here but I actually wished it was a duology at one point, and think it might have functioned slightly better that way.
All of the above said, I truly think Babel is an incredible, and possibly even necessary, read. The messages it conveys and the story it tells are so resonant in our current world (and throughout literally all of history) and this book is primed to be both a teacher for those who need to learn and mirror for those who need to feel seen.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fantasy; political fantasy; books about language and words
CW: Lots of death/blood/violence; racism/xenophobia/colonialism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Xenophobia, Gun violence, War, Colonisation, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism
hflh's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
So good, but some disappointments.
Reasons not to pick up:
This reads like a detached historical account of events that happen over 4 years, honed in on the perspective of Robin. If you want to spend a lot of time seeing vs. being told about character development and relationships, this won’t be it. Kuang also leans hard into the language nerd and school aspect so you might not enjoy if you’re not here for class lectures and lots of tangents on the meaning of language. Also lots of footnotes that provide historical and narrative context if you tend to not like that. Feels a bit pretentious at times.
What’s great:
If you are a nerd for language and breaking down the meaning of words, this will be really exciting. Kuang does the academia setting so well. The footnotes are great - providing very dry, meta commentary from the narrator that was often very funny. The characters are great. And the magic system is very very cool (but soft if you don’t like that).
There are lots of strong and very relevant critiques surrounding colonization, including ideas on translation as a colonial tool and whether you can fight the system from within. However, I was a bit surprised some of these ideas weren’t explored in more depth. The book primarily makes a few high-level points repetitively and can lack subtlety. But, it's still great sitting with the characters and being angry with them about everything unjust and wanting to take action.
What might disappoint:
The pacing is very uneven. I found the beginning incredibly boring, but it picked up for me once Robin went to school. The middle is slower which I didn’t mind. Then the end is breakneck fast which was amazing but it felt like it escalated way too quickly. I would have liked more time developing things leading up to the climax.
There isn’t much time with the main characters outside Robin which costs later when you have to trust the narrator/character dialogue to tell you about the key character traits that are behind conflicts and motivations.
Most of these disappointments I didn’t mind too much but my gosh was the heavy-handed foreshadowing so annoying. Not even just obvious offhand foreshadowing - like if I ever hear some variation of “Everything was great…They had no idea it was all going to fall apart.” one more time…. !!!
Major TW:
The content of this book is very heavy and very real. Some more specific TW than what the SG feature has:Literally anything you'd expect related to racism - microaggressions, macroagressions including physical violence and stereotypes, white fragility and ignorance, tokenism. Anything you'd expect with colonization, cultural appropriation, and capitalism - exploitation, paternalism, active and sinister efforts to exert force and control, awful treatment of the working class, neglect of those impoverished. Some other things related to growing up as a marginalized immigrant in a white supremacist society - grief over loss of language and culture, complicated desire to fit in. Also just exhaustion, hurt, anger, etc. from living in a horrible system that is so hard to change.
Major TW:
The content of this book is very heavy and very real. Some more specific TW than what the SG feature has:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Death, War, Racial slurs, Grief, Murder, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Islamophobia, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Classism
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
“They would never change the fabric of the world by simply wishing it.”
The fact it took me six months to actually get this review written is appropriate, a book called Babel leaving me speechless.
Babel drove me into the cliff of insanity. It is a dark academia novel heavy on both the dark and the academia. Its magic system focused around linguistics in an alternative history where translators work literal magic. At the center of it is a found family doomed by the narrative that absolutely destroyed me and the main character, Robin Swift, who is a poor little meow meow. The first half of the narrative is slow, getting the reader familiar and comfortable with this cast and world before throwing you off the aforementioned cliff of insanity as the second half is a metaphorical avalanche built up from the first.
It mainly discusses colonialism, and here is where I’ve seen readers get the most divided over the story. My interpretation is not that Kuang was preaching the reader, but rather that the characters are contradictions. They say a lot about fighting colonialism, but they struggle to actually turn that talk into actions, specifically with how much of their privileges they are willing to give up and what methods are the most effective. When the stakes heighten in the second half and they have to actually put their talk into practice, it is no longer a debate and lives are on the line as they try to figure out how to strike in a way that hits the most important people.
With all this praise, I will critique the historical inaccuracies. It opens with an author’s note about the intentional inaccuracies and I found the excuses kind of weak, mostly chalking up to Kuang wanting the characters’ experiences to reflect her own at Oxford. They’re mostly small details and I don’t see why she couldn’t have just stuck to the actual history. The dialog is also a little too modern. These mostly didn’t bother me, but I do think the world building would have been stronger and I imagine these inaccuracies might annoy people who really know this history.
Babel was my favorite book of 2023, or my Roman Empire to use a very 2023 term. It’s an extremely clever and shocking dark academia fantasy that follows a tragic cast of translators dealing with colonialism in academia.
The fact it took me six months to actually get this review written is appropriate, a book called Babel leaving me speechless.
Babel drove me into the cliff of insanity. It is a dark academia novel heavy on both the dark and the academia. Its magic system focused around linguistics in an alternative history where translators work literal magic. At the center of it is a found family doomed by the narrative that absolutely destroyed me and the main character, Robin Swift, who is a poor little meow meow. The first half of the narrative is slow, getting the reader familiar and comfortable with this cast and world before throwing you off the aforementioned cliff of insanity as the second half is a metaphorical avalanche built up from the first.
It mainly discusses colonialism, and here is where I’ve seen readers get the most divided over the story. My interpretation is not that Kuang was preaching the reader, but rather that the characters are contradictions. They say a lot about fighting colonialism, but they struggle to actually turn that talk into actions, specifically with how much of their privileges they are willing to give up and what methods are the most effective. When the stakes heighten in the second half and they have to actually put their talk into practice, it is no longer a debate and lives are on the line as they try to figure out how to strike in a way that hits the most important people.
With all this praise, I will critique the historical inaccuracies. It opens with an author’s note about the intentional inaccuracies and I found the excuses kind of weak, mostly chalking up to Kuang wanting the characters’ experiences to reflect her own at Oxford. They’re mostly small details and I don’t see why she couldn’t have just stuck to the actual history. The dialog is also a little too modern. These mostly didn’t bother me, but I do think the world building would have been stronger and I imagine these inaccuracies might annoy people who really know this history.
Babel was my favorite book of 2023, or my Roman Empire to use a very 2023 term. It’s an extremely clever and shocking dark academia fantasy that follows a tragic cast of translators dealing with colonialism in academia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Torture, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Death, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Child abuse, and Religious bigotry
itsnabs's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
This is in no way going to be a coherent review. I'm going to preface this by saying I adored this book. Robin Swift holds a very special place in my heart.
Babel reads like an academic paper, not only because of the footnotes but I genuinely felt like I was getting a lecture on language and etymology. That's not necessarily a bad thing in small doses, but babel is more than 500 pages long, and it just felt like it was going on for fucking ages.
It's definitely a lot more slow paced than what I'm used to, a lot of the book you were just waiting for something to happen, I got bored like 70% of the way and just wanted it to end, and then it ended and I didn't know what to do with myself. Rebecca how dare you?
Babel reads like an academic paper, not only because of the footnotes but I genuinely felt like I was getting a lecture on language and etymology. That's not necessarily a bad thing in small doses, but babel is more than 500 pages long, and it just felt like it was going on for fucking ages.
It's definitely a lot more slow paced than what I'm used to, a lot of the book you were just waiting for something to happen, I got bored like 70% of the way and just wanted it to end, and then it ended and I didn't know what to do with myself. Rebecca how dare you?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Emotional abuse
Moderate: War, Colonisation, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
maslana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Colonisation, Violence, Blood, and Child abuse
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic