Reviews

I was reading this at the same time I was finishing reading HP & the Order of the Phoenix to my kid and the number of times I got details of the books mixed up in my head was, frankly, indefensible. But it did help me realize that HP was probably my first fore into dark academia which is weird to think about???
Anyway. Babel was amazing. Beautifully written, layered metaphors/allegories that I am not smart enough to fully explain or understand. Sad and bittersweet. Can’t wait to read the Poppy War series.

olivera420's review against another edition

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1.0

This just does not work as a coherent narrative, it glosses over events hoping readers don't think too hard on them, relies on way too many plot conveniences and suspension of disbelief and the characters are completely flat with no semblance of a personality to be found anywhere. It comes across as an excuse for the author to beat people over the head with themes in every paragraph which makes it repetitive and patronizing and tedious to get through.

anawaka's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense

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

apesar de ser um livro todo sobre linguagem, parece até errado colocar em palavras as minhas impressões de uma história tão monumental. só digo que:

- é uma mistura extremamente envolvente de relações humanas e denúncia/reflexão; e
- eu entendo muito as escolhas da autora, mas ela me fez sofrer como nunca, justamente porque me fez amar tanto os protagonistas. 😭😭

fica aqui a minha recomendação máxima pra quem tiver qualquer interesse na premissa!!

anniecakestoo's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was such a dream to read. I’m someone always saying to whoever will listen: “words mean something!” I loved reading through this and thinking so much about words and their power (both power in our world and in the book’s world)!!

bujo_planbee's review against another edition

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I’ve tried to read this book twice, and there’s just something that I can’t connect with. I’ve checked other people’s reviews and some people feel the same I do.

krichardson's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a very engaging book! I especially liked the linguistic aspect. I see some people saying it is simplistic, but as someone who does not know basically anything about the field, it was very interesting for me. The book was heavy-handed with the message, and the magic system was definitely lacking, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. My favorite parts were actually about Robin going to school, probably because I am also deep in higher education. Once Robin kills his father it felt pretty predictable to me though, very similar to other dark academia books like [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451554846l/29044._SY75_.jpg|221359] and [b:If We Were Villains|30319086|If We Were Villains|M.L. Rio|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480717682l/30319086._SY75_.jpg|45743348].

evedelvac's review against another edition

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The protagonist is so similar to Rin from poppy wars, I'm just not interested in reading a similar story

keetham's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Love RF Kuang and all her books. This one is about now and how empires are built on exploitation. Wish there was a little more relief in characters I had been waiting to know but it all still works. Feels like it was many stories in one

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