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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
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
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
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
inspiring
reflective
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
what a blessing it is to be born in the era of rf kuang!!
i had only ever read yellowface prior to this and was excited to dive into her fantasy works (as a fantasy fiend). although the fantasy aspect is minimal and may better be described as a historical fiction dystopian (what an oxymoron!), i was pleasantly surprised! i did anticipate some social commentary and race theory, based on yellowface, but i stunned by the marxist undertones, which is definitely my expertise. if you are a lover of simple fantasy, this isn’t for you. but for my lit fic people who crave academic validation, this will be a top contender for your fav book of the year.
seeing robin change overtime was incredibly moving and seems to tell a story of immigrants to the western world. as a second generation australian, a lot of this arc was lost with me. but in robin, i saw my grandmother who moved from macau as a child, not knowing english or another chinese person. recently coming to terms with my personal loss of culture, i felt like i learnt a lot about china and its languages throughout the book. i only know basic words and how to order food in cantonese; i have now discovered the beauty and story telling of the language.
kuang describes the fine line between being grateful for the privilege birthed by disadvantage and saying fuck the system, holding your motherland close. living in a world of comparable luxury but recognising no space was carved out for you.
the characters you loathe in the book you also pity- they are simply ignorant of their whiteness and their unearned privilege. although, ignorance in this circumstance is not passive and instead commands violence. so you hate and hate and hate these people but you also feel like screaming at them, “can’t you see! are you blind to the struggle!”.
it is also important to note the incredible writing style, i have zero notes. every sentence was poetic and deeply intelligent. you can completely understand how kuang holds a phd. i found so much joy in reading her words- it was academic yet accessible. i felt as though kuang dumbed down yellowface to be accessible to all readers. babel proved her talents, did not sacrifice her intellect, yet it wasn’t pompous.
i loved this book so much i have since indoctrinated my non-reader bf and he is currently eating up babel. this read has made me thrilled to start the poppy war triology and has spiked my anticipation for the release of katabasis later this year.
i had only ever read yellowface prior to this and was excited to dive into her fantasy works (as a fantasy fiend). although the fantasy aspect is minimal and may better be described as a historical fiction dystopian (what an oxymoron!), i was pleasantly surprised! i did anticipate some social commentary and race theory, based on yellowface, but i stunned by the marxist undertones, which is definitely my expertise. if you are a lover of simple fantasy, this isn’t for you. but for my lit fic people who crave academic validation, this will be a top contender for your fav book of the year.
seeing robin change overtime was incredibly moving and seems to tell a story of immigrants to the western world. as a second generation australian, a lot of this arc was lost with me. but in robin, i saw my grandmother who moved from macau as a child, not knowing english or another chinese person. recently coming to terms with my personal loss of culture, i felt like i learnt a lot about china and its languages throughout the book. i only know basic words and how to order food in cantonese; i have now discovered the beauty and story telling of the language.
kuang describes the fine line between being grateful for the privilege birthed by disadvantage and saying fuck the system, holding your motherland close. living in a world of comparable luxury but recognising no space was carved out for you.
the characters you loathe in the book you also pity- they are simply ignorant of their whiteness and their unearned privilege. although, ignorance in this circumstance is not passive and instead commands violence. so you hate and hate and hate these people but you also feel like screaming at them, “can’t you see! are you blind to the struggle!”.
it is also important to note the incredible writing style, i have zero notes. every sentence was poetic and deeply intelligent. you can completely understand how kuang holds a phd. i found so much joy in reading her words- it was academic yet accessible. i felt as though kuang dumbed down yellowface to be accessible to all readers. babel proved her talents, did not sacrifice her intellect, yet it wasn’t pompous.
i loved this book so much i have since indoctrinated my non-reader bf and he is currently eating up babel. this read has made me thrilled to start the poppy war triology and has spiked my anticipation for the release of katabasis later this year.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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