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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
This was a sprawling epic in every sense of the word. Mostly an academic exploration, it very quickly evolves into.m a wide revolutionary tale about resistance, betrayal and the futility of hope. I’m not sure I’m convinced with its ending, but damn if I didn’t speed through those last few hundred pages.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
"how slender, how fragile, the foundations of an empire. take away the centre, and what’s left? a gasping periphery, baseless, powerless, cut down at the roots."
the pacing felt a little slow at times, but overall i felt that babel was well written. i found the concept of silver-working combined with transliteration unique (for certain uses it also seemed like a semi-replacement / cheat code for technology which was interesting to think about) and i also enjoyed reading the discussions about language, transliteration, and its nuances. the book also touches upon quite a bit of political issues or themes so it was a bit to digest at certain points of the story. i wouldn't say that it's a 5 star for me but certainly up there :)
the pacing felt a little slow at times, but overall i felt that babel was well written. i found the concept of silver-working combined with transliteration unique (for certain uses it also seemed like a semi-replacement / cheat code for technology which was interesting to think about) and i also enjoyed reading the discussions about language, transliteration, and its nuances. the book also touches upon quite a bit of political issues or themes so it was a bit to digest at certain points of the story. i wouldn't say that it's a 5 star for me but certainly up there :)
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
5/5
okay, this book is GENIUS. like real REAL GENIUS.
babel is a dark academia book in which the students are majoring in linguistics. this book is about Robin Swift, a kid who was abruptly being shoved to England after being saved from the cholera outbreak in Canton by a white professor. he was taught to learn other languages as well as english so that he could be one of the undergraduated students of the most prestigious faculty, Royal Institute of Translation, or people usually called it Babel.
there, he met the friends he felt like he was in home, his true home. they spent their time together to survive every task, review, and test that's given to them. while his study time, he found himself caught between Babel and Hermes Society, a secret organization consisting of Babblers that dedicated to stop imperial expansion. but it's only the start. remember, this is the work of R.F. Kuang's.
___
while this book is a dark academia book, it also talks about many things besides elitism, injustice, and misogyny. this book also talks about (more likely, criticize) colonialism, politics, abolism, and racism. the characters, Robin, Ramy, and Victoire, who came from colonized countries, give us a representative point of view (i am from a colonized country as well). this book also shows us how people of color were not seen as whole human being at the time, how they were struggling and feeling that they did not belong in Oxford.
the book pace is kinda inconsistent, tbh. sometimes it's super slow but sometimes it's faster. but i think it's not a real big problem, i still enjoyed reading it. ALSO the half first book really reminds me of harry potter (the vibe, the studying class, the assignments, the test!!) but surprisingly, the other half reminds me of the dragon republic (yes, it is heart-wrenching). the few last chapters really screams tpw vibes (HAHAH
okay, this book is GENIUS. like real REAL GENIUS.
babel is a dark academia book in which the students are majoring in linguistics. this book is about Robin Swift, a kid who was abruptly being shoved to England after being saved from the cholera outbreak in Canton by a white professor. he was taught to learn other languages as well as english so that he could be one of the undergraduated students of the most prestigious faculty, Royal Institute of Translation, or people usually called it Babel.
there, he met the friends he felt like he was in home, his true home. they spent their time together to survive every task, review, and test that's given to them. while his study time, he found himself caught between Babel and Hermes Society, a secret organization consisting of Babblers that dedicated to stop imperial expansion. but it's only the start. remember, this is the work of R.F. Kuang's.
___
while this book is a dark academia book, it also talks about many things besides elitism, injustice, and misogyny. this book also talks about (more likely, criticize) colonialism, politics, abolism, and racism. the characters, Robin, Ramy, and Victoire, who came from colonized countries, give us a representative point of view (i am from a colonized country as well). this book also shows us how people of color were not seen as whole human being at the time, how they were struggling and feeling that they did not belong in Oxford.
the book pace is kinda inconsistent, tbh. sometimes it's super slow but sometimes it's faster. but i think it's not a real big problem, i still enjoyed reading it. ALSO the half first book really reminds me of harry potter (the vibe, the studying class, the assignments, the test!!) but surprisingly, the other half reminds me of the dragon republic (yes, it is heart-wrenching). the few last chapters really screams tpw vibes (HAHAH
adventurous
dark
informative
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
As a person very interested in language, linguistics and history this book was really appealing to me and for the most part I had a good time reading it, I do feel like it dragged slightly in places and that not everything had to be explained so in depth.
It is a very well researched book but I feel like that comes at the cost of developing characters and their relationships more. Robin by the end of this book felt quite inauthentic and some of the decisions he made I don't think aligned with his character, I know it's because he went through the worst losses but I don't think that would've turned him into such a spearhead for evil acts, I had the same problem with The Poppy War so clearly it's something that Kaung needs to work on.
Even though there are flaws I did end up really enjoying the book.
It is a very well researched book but I feel like that comes at the cost of developing characters and their relationships more. Robin by the end of this book felt quite inauthentic and some of the decisions he made I don't think aligned with his character, I know it's because he went through the worst losses but I don't think that would've turned him into such a spearhead for evil acts, I had the same problem with The Poppy War so clearly it's something that Kaung needs to work on.
Even though there are flaws I did end up really enjoying the book.