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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Book Review: Katabasis by R. F. Huang
Rating: 4.5/5
Okay, I’ve got to say—Katabasis was such an intense and immersive experience. This was my first time reading anything by R. F. Huang, and I was immediately hooked. The unique screenplay-style writing made everything feel so cinematic, like I was watching the scenes unfold on a big screen.
The characters were absolutely one of the best parts. They’re not your classic, squeaky-clean protagonists—they’re messy, flawed, and deeply human. Their moral complexity was fascinating; it’s like their decisions lived in this beautiful gray area where right and wrong weren’t always clear. That kind of depth made them feel so real, and I loved how much it challenged me as a reader.
One thing that stood out to me was how dense the writing could feel at times, especially with all the references to different mythologies and philosophies. But here’s the thing—you don’t need to have a PhD or a background in those topics to enjoy the book. Huang makes it all accessible, and the story works even if you’re not familiar with the referenced material. It’s like an added layer for those who get it but not a barrier for everyone else.
The pacing was spot-on, too. Despite the density, the book never felt slow or overwhelming. Every chapter had something exciting or meaningful happening, and I couldn’t put it down. And the ending? So satisfying. It tied everything together perfectly but still left me thinking about the characters and their journeys long after I finished.
Rating: 4.5/5
Okay, I’ve got to say—Katabasis was such an intense and immersive experience. This was my first time reading anything by R. F. Huang, and I was immediately hooked. The unique screenplay-style writing made everything feel so cinematic, like I was watching the scenes unfold on a big screen.
The characters were absolutely one of the best parts. They’re not your classic, squeaky-clean protagonists—they’re messy, flawed, and deeply human. Their moral complexity was fascinating; it’s like their decisions lived in this beautiful gray area where right and wrong weren’t always clear. That kind of depth made them feel so real, and I loved how much it challenged me as a reader.
One thing that stood out to me was how dense the writing could feel at times, especially with all the references to different mythologies and philosophies. But here’s the thing—you don’t need to have a PhD or a background in those topics to enjoy the book. Huang makes it all accessible, and the story works even if you’re not familiar with the referenced material. It’s like an added layer for those who get it but not a barrier for everyone else.
The pacing was spot-on, too. Despite the density, the book never felt slow or overwhelming. Every chapter had something exciting or meaningful happening, and I couldn’t put it down. And the ending? So satisfying. It tied everything together perfectly but still left me thinking about the characters and their journeys long after I finished.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although I have come to expect extremely morally grey characters from R.F. Kuang, I think she went a bit overboard with this one. The MC was quite repulsive, making it hard to become invested in her journey. This, combined with the meandering plot meant I really struggled to get to the end. But I did and, as usual, Kuang nailed the ending, hence the extra .5 of a star. Oh, and I also loved Peter Murdoch.
If you like psychological horror, deep philosophical ponderings and slow meandering plots, you might enjoy this. It unfortunately just wasn't my cup of tea.
If you like psychological horror, deep philosophical ponderings and slow meandering plots, you might enjoy this. It unfortunately just wasn't my cup of tea.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Utterly devastating in the best way.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
I was really into this story at the start, but at a certain point it became apparent I was never getting the depth of character I wanted from anyone. Both Peter and Alice have backstory things that are exactly the kind of things I’m into Peter’s Chron’s, Alice’s magic tattoo but aside from the 2 chapters *about* those things it never felt like they were fully explored in terms of character development. Really the majority of the character development felt shoehorned in rather than earned, especially in the second half.
At a certain pointafter Peter is trapped, which felt very rushed and had absolutely zero emotional resonance to me despite the fact it probably should’ve been, like, the most emotional part of the book?? the book started to feel less like a story and more like a list of things the author wanted the book to include.
It did end with the kind of message I was hoping it would, but getting there was messy and unsatisfying. I don’t think the characters were developed well enough to make me believe they needed as much time as the book takes for them to learn their lesson
The magic system works on a framework that is similar enough to Babel all I could do was think about how much better Babel is.
If this wasn’t by R.F. Kuang I’d have given it a 4, but she can do so much better.
Edit: time has made me meaner. It’s a solid 3.25
At a certain point
It did end with the kind of message I was hoping it would, but getting there was messy and unsatisfying. I don’t think the characters were developed well enough to make me believe they needed as much time as the book takes for them to learn their lesson
The magic system works on a framework that is similar enough to Babel all I could do was think about how much better Babel is.
If this wasn’t by R.F. Kuang I’d have given it a 4, but she can do so much better.
Edit: time has made me meaner. It’s a solid 3.25
challenging
dark
reflective
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
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
what the hell sure
Rebecca, what the f*ck?
I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I had my soul ripped apart and put back together again.
This book was well and truly a masterpiece BUT not in the way booktok made it sound it would be.
Things I learnt:
• even genius R. F. Kuang believes that writing a dissertation is Hell.
• I need to make sure I finish my dissertation BEFORE I die.
• you definitely do not need to read a stack of books to understand this book.
As I thought, Rebecca has PERFECTLY explained everything she references BUT not in the way she did in Babel. This book was a fun read, the writing flowed wonderfully and it was easy to understand. So, take this as your reminder that you do not need to be a classics student to understand this book.
The one blanket trope? I loved it.
Academic rivals to lovers? Wonderful.
Heartbreak? Yes.
Heart surgery to fix the heartbreak? You’ll have to read Katabasis to find out!
If you enjoyed Blood Over Bright Haven but you didn’t get the ending you wanted - this one is for you.
If you can’t cope with how Rebecca kills off characters you love in graphic heart wrenching detail? Maybe miss this one out.
I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I had my soul ripped apart and put back together again.
This book was well and truly a masterpiece BUT not in the way booktok made it sound it would be.
Things I learnt:
• even genius R. F. Kuang believes that writing a dissertation is Hell.
• I need to make sure I finish my dissertation BEFORE I die.
• you definitely do not need to read a stack of books to understand this book.
As I thought, Rebecca has PERFECTLY explained everything she references BUT not in the way she did in Babel. This book was a fun read, the writing flowed wonderfully and it was easy to understand. So, take this as your reminder that you do not need to be a classics student to understand this book.
The one blanket trope? I loved it.
Academic rivals to lovers? Wonderful.
Heartbreak? Yes.
Heart surgery to fix the heartbreak? You’ll have to read Katabasis to find out!
If you enjoyed Blood Over Bright Haven but you didn’t get the ending you wanted - this one is for you.
If you can’t cope with how Rebecca kills off characters you love in graphic heart wrenching detail? Maybe miss this one out.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes