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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have loved every single book this woman has ever written, They are all pure perfection.
Seeing all the people finish there are copies is making me so jealous.
I cannot wait, august can't come fast enough
Seeing all the people finish there are copies is making me so jealous.
I cannot wait, august can't come fast enough
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
A HUGE THANK YOU to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC!
I love Kuang's style!
I liked that we set off on our journey right away, even if it felt a bit abrupt.
I was immediately drawn into the atmosphere, and I started building some theories (I don't know why; I didn't get anywhere with them. I really need to stop trying to predict the endings of books)
This book reminded me of a mix of Babel and Ninth House, as well as Alice in Wonderland! Philosophy, mathematics, wildness and darkness, life and death.
“If he/she won't go to hell with you, why do you need him/her?”
Honestly, there were moments when I was bored and wanted more action (?). But at the same time, the book made me think.
What is life, and are we really living it, or are we just missing out on what’s important while chasing after what’s not?
What disappointed me was the FMC; perhaps it was because I didn’t understand her, I didn’t share her feelings, and I didn't like her actions in the past.
The whole book is from the FMC’s perspective, and there’s also a dual timeline; only one chapter is dedicated to the MMC, whom I liked, he's like a cinnamon roll, and I teared up at his story.
At times, I laughed at the beginning, and at other times, I found myself tearing up.
The rivals to lovers trope, oh, thank you! I liked that they were rivals for quite a while, with a bit of hatred, but despite that, they were also friends. The descriptions of the moments from the past when they spent time together made my heart clench!
After the ending, I don’t know what to write or how to describe my feelings. It wasn’t a disappointment, but it wasn’t what I expected either. Still, I found myself teary over the book Rebecca again, though for a more personal reason this time.
What is the purpose of this journey, to rescue the professor, or something else?
Idea: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Emotions: 4/5
Characters: 3/5 (Peter 4.5/5)
• Hell
• Dark academia
• Rivals to lovers
• Toxic professor
‼️Warnings:
Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Violence, Chronic illness, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks
I love Kuang's style!
I liked that we set off on our journey right away, even if it felt a bit abrupt.
I was immediately drawn into the atmosphere, and I started building some theories (I don't know why; I didn't get anywhere with them. I really need to stop trying to predict the endings of books)
This book reminded me of a mix of Babel and Ninth House, as well as Alice in Wonderland! Philosophy, mathematics, wildness and darkness, life and death.
“If he/she won't go to hell with you, why do you need him/her?”
Honestly, there were moments when I was bored and wanted more action (?). But at the same time, the book made me think.
What is life, and are we really living it, or are we just missing out on what’s important while chasing after what’s not?
What disappointed me was the FMC; perhaps it was because I didn’t understand her, I didn’t share her feelings, and I didn't like her actions in the past.
The whole book is from the FMC’s perspective, and there’s also a dual timeline; only one chapter is dedicated to the MMC, whom I liked, he's like a cinnamon roll, and I teared up at his story.
At times, I laughed at the beginning, and at other times, I found myself tearing up.
The rivals to lovers trope, oh, thank you! I liked that they were rivals for quite a while, with a bit of hatred, but despite that, they were also friends. The descriptions of the moments from the past when they spent time together made my heart clench!
After the ending, I don’t know what to write or how to describe my feelings. It wasn’t a disappointment, but it wasn’t what I expected either. Still, I found myself teary over the book Rebecca again, though for a more personal reason this time.
What is the purpose of this journey, to rescue the professor, or something else?
Idea: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Emotions: 4/5
Characters: 3/5 (Peter 4.5/5)
• Hell
• Dark academia
• Rivals to lovers
• Toxic professor
‼️Warnings:
Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Violence, Chronic illness, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
I started this book only really knowing that it was two graduate students travelling to hell to save their professor, and that RF Kuang said that she wanted to write something with a lil romance in it for once.
The first third of this book is excruciatingly slow. The exposition is extensive and split into seperate chapters, and in those chapters the prose falls flat, taking away from any of the exciting parts of the present narrative. The characters, Alice and Peter, are in hell, facing challenges and life-threatening situations yet you feel none of the tension in the first 200 pages. Their interactions are entertaining and there is an attempt to build intrigue about their past, but we don't learn anything personal about these two characters to be invested in them. Another big issue I had with this book is that, for a fantasy book, I didn't feel invested in the world-building at all. I understand magical realism as a concept, but this is literally hell. The descriptions and attempts at building atmosphere were weak and unsustained, and I think I expected to feel the character of each court more. I'm not sure that making those first few courts their campus worked well.
Now, that all sounds quite negative and maybe you're thinking "how can you give a book you kind of just ripped apart 4 stars?" and that is because after The Confession, a lot of this becomes a non-problem. There is a point in this book where the duo meet a character called Elspeth that finally gets the plot going. The exposition finally ends once the two characters finally start being honest with each other.
Up until this point, I really hated Alice as a character and thought she was a self-absorbed, cruel academic who was turning into her equally awful professor. Actually, I still thought this for a while afterwards but with more affection. There is something about a character admitting their flaws and struggling to overcome them that really gets me on their side. On Peter's side of things, I actually thought he was a bit of a wet rag, almost an archetypal perfect rival, but his personality starts to solidify once we start learning of his challenges.
Without the exposition and with all revealed, the story flows so much smoother. The stakes are higher, the descriptions really start shining through. I especially enjoyed the parts where Alice struggles with her memory and staying in touch with the present - RF Kuang is a good writer y'all.
I saw some people upset that it wasn't as romance-centered as they thought it would be since the marketing copy is "To hell with love - literally" and as a romance reader yes, this wasn't a romantasy novel. However, all of the turning points in this book center around the respect and admiration (and yes, love) these two characters have for each other. Who said RF Kuang couldn't be subtle? Because the romance was definitely very subtle. There were a few moments that made you want to scream at Alice (the scene where Peter says, "For whatever reason, I still thought you weren't like him" oh my). Under it all, this is a rivals-to-lovers, he-falls-first kind of situation.
I'm not one of those readers who hate how much academic jargon and explanations she writes into her stories - Babel is one of my favourite reads ever. The Big Themes of this book are ego in the persuit of knowledge, and abuse in academia. If you're into philosophy and logic this will be right up your alley because the magick is all based on logical reasoning which I personally found very cool. Did I understand all of it? Not really, but she does a good job of explaining parts that are necessary to understanding the plot progression. There was some great discussion about mortality, the dying body, suicidal ideation and the banality of life.
This is definitely a very generous 4 stars considering the faults and a third of the book being dull, but I really couldn't put it down after a certain point and that's usually my top criteria for a 4 star read. This book won't be for everyone. If you don't enjoy academia and hate it at the same time, if you've never been a nerd about anything, you won't enjoy it. If you think you'll find the references to classical texts and philosphers pretentious then you won't enjoy it. Like many, I think that if she spent a little more time sitting with this text then it could have been refined into something really unique and novel. I would never recommend a book to someone where you have to read 200 pages to get to the good part, but if you think you can get over that hurdle then read this!
The first third of this book is excruciatingly slow. The exposition is extensive and split into seperate chapters, and in those chapters the prose falls flat, taking away from any of the exciting parts of the present narrative. The characters, Alice and Peter, are in hell, facing challenges and life-threatening situations yet you feel none of the tension in the first 200 pages. Their interactions are entertaining and there is an attempt to build intrigue about their past, but we don't learn anything personal about these two characters to be invested in them. Another big issue I had with this book is that, for a fantasy book, I didn't feel invested in the world-building at all. I understand magical realism as a concept, but this is literally hell. The descriptions and attempts at building atmosphere were weak and unsustained, and I think I expected to feel the character of each court more. I'm not sure that making those first few courts their campus worked well.
Now, that all sounds quite negative and maybe you're thinking "how can you give a book you kind of just ripped apart 4 stars?" and that is because after The Confession, a lot of this becomes a non-problem. There is a point in this book where the duo meet a character called Elspeth that finally gets the plot going. The exposition finally ends once the two characters finally start being honest with each other.
Up until this point, I really hated Alice as a character and thought she was a self-absorbed, cruel academic who was turning into her equally awful professor. Actually, I still thought this for a while afterwards but with more affection. There is something about a character admitting their flaws and struggling to overcome them that really gets me on their side. On Peter's side of things, I actually thought he was a bit of a wet rag, almost an archetypal perfect rival, but his personality starts to solidify once we start learning of his challenges.
Without the exposition and with all revealed, the story flows so much smoother. The stakes are higher, the descriptions really start shining through. I especially enjoyed the parts where Alice struggles with her memory and staying in touch with the present - RF Kuang is a good writer y'all.
I saw some people upset that it wasn't as romance-centered as they thought it would be since the marketing copy is "To hell with love - literally" and as a romance reader yes, this wasn't a romantasy novel. However, all of the turning points in this book center around the respect and admiration (and yes, love) these two characters have for each other. Who said RF Kuang couldn't be subtle? Because the romance was definitely very subtle. There were a few moments that made you want to scream at Alice (the scene where Peter says, "For whatever reason, I still thought you weren't like him" oh my). Under it all, this is a rivals-to-lovers, he-falls-first kind of situation.
I'm not one of those readers who hate how much academic jargon and explanations she writes into her stories - Babel is one of my favourite reads ever. The Big Themes of this book are ego in the persuit of knowledge, and abuse in academia. If you're into philosophy and logic this will be right up your alley because the magick is all based on logical reasoning which I personally found very cool. Did I understand all of it? Not really, but she does a good job of explaining parts that are necessary to understanding the plot progression. There was some great discussion about mortality, the dying body, suicidal ideation and the banality of life.
This is definitely a very generous 4 stars considering the faults and a third of the book being dull, but I really couldn't put it down after a certain point and that's usually my top criteria for a 4 star read. This book won't be for everyone. If you don't enjoy academia and hate it at the same time, if you've never been a nerd about anything, you won't enjoy it. If you think you'll find the references to classical texts and philosphers pretentious then you won't enjoy it. Like many, I think that if she spent a little more time sitting with this text then it could have been refined into something really unique and novel. I would never recommend a book to someone where you have to read 200 pages to get to the good part, but if you think you can get over that hurdle then read this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
SO pompous, so pretentious, it drags on forever and the most insufferable MCs i've ever met were just the cherry on top.
DNF and trust me i tried because a friend loved it but this is simply not my cup of tea
DNF and trust me i tried because a friend loved it but this is simply not my cup of tea
I don’t know what it was exactly about this book but holy fucking shit I’m obsessed. One of the best books I’ve read in a long ass time.