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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel honored to have read this✨ Of course my expectations we're high but R.F. Kuang did not disapoint at all! This book is so layered and crafted with so much detail its extremly fun to read.
Its a mix of Fantasy, dark academia and a bit romance. Which honestly was just the perfect mix for me. Everything about the magic is thought through, the characters also.
I can just say you should read it asap If you liked Babel since this Story ist eben better!
Its a mix of Fantasy, dark academia and a bit romance. Which honestly was just the perfect mix for me. Everything about the magic is thought through, the characters also.
I can just say you should read it asap If you liked Babel since this Story ist eben better!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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
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
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2025 and I’m so glad to say it didn’t disappoint!
I went in expecting dark academia with a mythological twist, which we did get but what we also got was a deeply weird, clever, emotionally bruising journey through grief, ambition, and the hellish nightmare that academia can be!
What I didn’t expect was how personal it would feel. How much it would say, quietly yet cuttingly about being young, brilliant, lost, and desperate to matter.
Alice and Peter aren’t always likeable, but they’re real and flawed. Their relationship was equal parts philosophical duel and emotional slow-burn and the mutual pining absolutely gutted me at times. Kuang writes them with so much care, even when they’re insufferable, and in the end I loved them both.
The satire is scathing throughout and if you’ve ever been in higher education, it’ll hit hard. But underneath the snark, there’s something tender and tragic, which makes you question what we owe the people who taught us, and whether brilliance is worth the cost.
It does however get dense. Some chapters feel like a fever dream of philosophy, literary references, and academic angst, but honestly, I loved that about it. The bloat is kind of the point. It’s a book about Hell, and sometimes it feels like being trapped in a seminar you can’t escape, but somehow that works.
Highly recommend if you like true dark academia with a romance subplot, messy and flawed characters and books that feel like a fever dream to read.
I went in expecting dark academia with a mythological twist, which we did get but what we also got was a deeply weird, clever, emotionally bruising journey through grief, ambition, and the hellish nightmare that academia can be!
What I didn’t expect was how personal it would feel. How much it would say, quietly yet cuttingly about being young, brilliant, lost, and desperate to matter.
Alice and Peter aren’t always likeable, but they’re real and flawed. Their relationship was equal parts philosophical duel and emotional slow-burn and the mutual pining absolutely gutted me at times. Kuang writes them with so much care, even when they’re insufferable, and in the end I loved them both.
The satire is scathing throughout and if you’ve ever been in higher education, it’ll hit hard. But underneath the snark, there’s something tender and tragic, which makes you question what we owe the people who taught us, and whether brilliance is worth the cost.
It does however get dense. Some chapters feel like a fever dream of philosophy, literary references, and academic angst, but honestly, I loved that about it. The bloat is kind of the point. It’s a book about Hell, and sometimes it feels like being trapped in a seminar you can’t escape, but somehow that works.
Highly recommend if you like true dark academia with a romance subplot, messy and flawed characters and books that feel like a fever dream to read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
mysterious
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
lovely, fun academic romance into hell, definitely gets mired in academia at times, but a real exciting and well written book