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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliant, puzzling, it's like the offspring of Faustus and Babel. Characters were slightly off kilter, could anticipate some of their interactions but never really clear on motivation. Also found them highly frustrating the more their past is revealed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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:
Yes
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:
Yes
challenging
inspiring
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
reflective
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
I really enjoyed a lot of this. It dragged a bit in the middle and I think it could have been cut down. But I was disappointed by the ending. It’s was very It’s a Wonderful Life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Ableism, Sexism, Suicide, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I have frequently enjoyed R.F. Kuang in the past, and was quite excited for the premise of Katabasis (as someone who had a childhood fixation on Dante's Inferno and the different circles of hell) this book fell short in some ways. Katabasis was not a page turner. In fact, it took me almost a month to get through this book when it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. R.F. Kuang seemed much too focused on the world building and references to outside sources than building a well paced story. This is not to say that I did not enjoy it, Alice Law and Peter Murdoch's adventure to Hell was quite fun to follow and how the court's of hell developed was quite interesting. Still, this failed to grasp my attention like previous books from this author.
While I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to others, it just didn't quite meet expectations.
While I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to others, it just didn't quite meet expectations.
As a final note, while marketed as her foray into romance, the romance elements were very light, and seemed at times forgotten. This did not bother me, but I caution anyone reading this hoping for the typical romantasy type book. This is, in my mind, not a quick read, not a book that drags you along for the ride, but a low burn that I enjoyed picking up to read a chapter here and there.