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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
slow-paced
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. As with every R.F. Kuang book I have read it is slower paced and has a lot of world building but its so worth it. I wish I had read Dante's Inferno before I read this but I feel like I learned a lot about Dante's Inferno and other texts via reading this story. I like that the layout of Hell was very similar to the university they were accustomed to. I wonder if had they journeyed to Hell but been in a different profession or had a different focus of their life (other than being a scholar) if the Hellscape would have reflected that instead of a college. I was definitely invested in Pete and Alice's relationship but not specifically invested in the romance between them as much as the fact that they were the two most current victims of their professor. They had the unique perspective into each others lives based off the way that Professor Grimes treated them both like crap and ultimately disposable (though for various reasons). I enjoyed the ending however I did get confused on how that particular ending was achieved based on Alice's wording that was very specific and should have meant that the ending we got was not possible. I even went back to re-read it and see if the other character (non-specific due to spoilers) changed the request and they did not so I'm not really sure how we got the ending that we did. The only explanation I can think of is that she only needed permission for one because of what happened to one of them.
I really enjoyed this book. As with every R.F. Kuang book I have read it is slower paced and has a lot of world building but its so worth it. I wish I had read Dante's Inferno before I read this but I feel like I learned a lot about Dante's Inferno and other texts via reading this story. I like that the layout of Hell was very similar to the university they were accustomed to. I wonder if had they journeyed to Hell but been in a different profession or had a different focus of their life (other than being a scholar) if the Hellscape would have reflected that instead of a college. I was definitely invested in Pete and Alice's relationship but not specifically invested in the romance between them as much as the fact that they were the two most current victims of their professor. They had the unique perspective into each others lives based off the way that Professor Grimes treated them both like crap and ultimately disposable (though for various reasons). I enjoyed the ending however I did get confused on how that particular ending was achieved based on Alice's wording that was very specific and should have meant that the ending we got was not possible. I even went back to re-read it and see if the other character (non-specific due to spoilers) changed the request and they did not so I'm not really sure how we got the ending that we did. The only explanation I can think of is that she only needed permission for one because of what happened to one of them.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
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
While it dragged in the middle to back third, overall, I really enjoyed it. The ending, while predictable and a bit of a cop out, wasn’t terrible. Mostly, I just loved all the ideas!
Very much enjoyed the story.
Very much enjoyed the story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
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
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! I liked the academic setting and found the backdrop of postgraduates in crisis very relatable 😅 the remarks about continental philosophy truly cracked me up!
That being said, this is a long old book and there are vast swathes of text where next to nothing happens. I appreciated how quickly the story got going, but then didn't really care much for the more fantastical elements (and I'm not sure I really understood the ending if I'm honest). Still, it was different and it made me think.
Glad I read it, not sure I'll read it again.
That being said, this is a long old book and there are vast swathes of text where next to nothing happens. I appreciated how quickly the story got going, but then didn't really care much for the more fantastical elements (and I'm not sure I really understood the ending if I'm honest). Still, it was different and it made me think.
Glad I read it, not sure I'll read it again.
slow-paced
ARC provided by Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings about this one. While I liked the characters and found their journey through hell interesting, I also found the book to be a bit on the long side and there were a lot of time when the story was dragged down by the philosophical and logic discussions between the characters. It didn’t help that a lot of the discussions went over my head either.
I have mixed feelings about this one. While I liked the characters and found their journey through hell interesting, I also found the book to be a bit on the long side and there were a lot of time when the story was dragged down by the philosophical and logic discussions between the characters. It didn’t help that a lot of the discussions went over my head either.
I did like Alice and found myself relating to her and her life quite a bit. She is very determined to succeed and needs her mentor back in order to do so. She is very smart and knows how to do research. She is also used to hardship and following the rules. But she has a lot of doubts about herself and she quite often beats herself up about that. She is kind of hard to like at the start of the book, but as her character develops you understand her better. Peter we don’t get to know as well, until about 60% in and we get his whole backstory in one chapter. It would have been nice to know some of this earlier in the story. There is a romance between the two, and I did like them together, but I just wanted a bit more from that part of the story. It would have made the ending a bit more believable.
The setting was well done. All of the different levels of hell were described so well that it was almost like you were there. I liked the many characters they met in hell and their backstories were fascinating. The pacing could have been a bit better. There were many times when it felt like the story came to a stand still, as discussions about the many different versions of hell, or logic or even math were held between the characters, but for the most part it was pretty steady. The magic system was also not explained super well, I got the basics, but it could have used a bit more explanation. I really liked the ending, I just sort of wish we got there quicker.
The thing that I really didn’t like was all of the discussions around the different accounts of hell. I have never read Dante or any of the other stories about hell, and only have a fleeting familiarity with the Greek version. Also logic and philosophy were never a strong subject for me, I almost failed the one philosophy class I took in college, so many of these discussion went over my head. These sections, while probably important to the overall story, really dragged it down for me. I think there is a small group of readers that will enjoy all of that though.
I think fans of this author will also like this one, especially if you have an interest in philosophy or logic. But if you have not read this author’s other works, you might want to start with one of those. This is a hard book to love, but I did like reading it.
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adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
My most anticipated book of the year !!! RF Kuang, you can do no wrong in my eyes (that probably isn’t true). A little slower than Yellowface, closer to the pace of Babel. The book is heavy with references to other Classics, but I’d argue it’s not necessary to read those before this.
The way she weaved academia, the ethics around it, and internalized misogyny felt a little too real, but as always, she hits it hard so you really understand her message. AND that no one can misinterpret what she means. If you’re looking for romantasy, I wouldn’t say this is for you. It has a hint of romance, but the main plot is the journey itself.
The way she weaved academia, the ethics around it, and internalized misogyny felt a little too real, but as always, she hits it hard so you really understand her message. AND that no one can misinterpret what she means. If you’re looking for romantasy, I wouldn’t say this is for you. It has a hint of romance, but the main plot is the journey itself.
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm pretty torn about this book, tbh. I wanted to absolutely love it, it was one of my most expected releases of the year, and when I started it I thought it was going to live up to the hype. Unfortunately I ended up kind of disappointed on it. I'm the only child of two academic parents and I decided NOT to go into academia so this plot and the academic critique were both very promising to me.
The writing style is amazing, I loved Babel but this feels like it's even more approachable and less academic. The start of the novel is very catching and I did enjoy the lore chapters in between the story. My issues started at about 70% in.
First of all, I didn't understand the need for Peter to die . I also didn't understand how Alice killing the bad guys was even remotely relevant, I was so confused during that whole part and it felt pretty unnecessary to the book. I didn't understand anything that was happening there and I didn't really care about it.
Second, the wholemotivational speech from Elspeth + her giving Alice the plant was also pretty unnecessary, that's more important for the plot, sure, but I'm not sure why Kuang chose that route to go, tbh.
Finally, I did like the ending, but I didn't understand whyAlice was still willing to save Grimes. The man is a scumbag and not only we don't end up knowing WHERE he should've been, but also we get zero explanations as to 1) why all the introspection Peter and Alice did during their trip has been useless and 2) how soul exchanging works. Why are we trading a dead soul for a dead soul and then asking to leave unharmed? Why would Peter then want to trade himself (living) for Grimes (dead) if it's not important to trade one life for another? I seriously don't understand.
I'm kind of disappointed by the last 30% of the book. Ever sincePeter died I felt like the plot got wonky and the purpose of the trip was kind of lost. I don't know, I just felt like it was a massive pace change and I didn't really love it. However the book was well written and I loved the critique that Kuang made of academia. I felt like, having lived near academia all my life, it was absolutely spot on and beautifully explained.
The writing style is amazing, I loved Babel but this feels like it's even more approachable and less academic. The start of the novel is very catching and I did enjoy the lore chapters in between the story. My issues started at about 70% in.
First of all, I didn't understand the need for
Second, the whole
Finally, I did like the ending, but I didn't understand why
I'm kind of disappointed by the last 30% of the book. Ever since
adventurous
challenging
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:
N/A
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
inhaled this much-anticipated novel that is sure to be loved by academics, students of philosophy, the literati & fans of Susanna Clarke. It was nice to be reminded that my brain isn’t too rusty to be able find entertainment in Kuang’s academic musings, humor & references, but her writing is so smooth it’s easy to read and you do not have to *understand* all the discourse to enjoy the novel (think Weir & all those science/math calculations in The Martian).
W gratitude to the publisher and edelweiss+ for the eARC
W gratitude to the publisher and edelweiss+ for the eARC