Reviews - Babel | The StoryGraph

64.6k reviews for:

Babel

R.F. Kuang

4.34 AVERAGE

bish_imcryin's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense 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: Complicated

rainey_el's review against another edition

3.75

challenging emotional informative sad 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

soy_grl's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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: No

teabooksandbreathe's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

isabel_maloneyy's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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: Complicated

maddy__reads's review against another edition

4.75

challenging 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

as a linguistics nerd this may have been the coolest concept ever???

Content Warnings

mameehan's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

This is undeniably a brilliant book. It’s wonderfully crafted, with beautiful impressive characters that leap off the page, and a thrilling end that holds your attention like a train crash. Every element slots together to make the end explosive (lol). You really feel for these characters struggles and the brutality of the story is very fitting - the very un flashy way many of your favorites meet their demise is perfectly reflective of the colonial machine. Also the magic system is sick.

That being said. I have deducted 0.25 stars for 2 reasons:

A) the absolute slog of the first 250 pages. It is so slow. And I get it, I get it. You need that build up for the edge of your seat tension of the rest of the book. But it’s just so much.

B) personally, PERSONALLY, i do not care for being academically dunked on. And this book lowkey feels like she is just flexing the entire time. I have a feeling this is her style. And that’s ok! I just don’t know if it’s for me. If y’all want to feel like you’re being dunked on, go right ahead I just don’t know if I will.

But yeah you should definitely read it.