Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Babel

I was drawn into this book before I read the first page. Not only were there maps (and I firmly believe that books with maps are better than most), but it promised an historical setting infused with unique magic.

Like Robin, the main character, I was lured into the mysterious world of exclusive academia. The prestige, the exclusivity, the pursuit of pure knowledge for knowledge's sake. I don't want to give away spoilers, but the way his view of the world changed and the inevitability of the events that followed had me in shock, disbelief, and it was quite the wild ride.

As someone who is a student of language, Kuang's own pedigree and familiarity with language and translation was spellbinding. There is always something lost in translation and this became the foundation of the magic. The whole book was sprinkled with etimologies from various languages and I just ate it all up.

From a sytlistic standpoint, I absolutely loved the way she liberally used footnotes to explain historical events, translations, or other tidbits, as if the book were an actual history (as the subtitle of the book states). There was plenty of dialoge to keep it feeling like a work of fiction, but I appreciated the use of footnotes as a more practical way that Kuang was pulling us into the academic world.

I can definitely see myself re-reading this one.

Content Warnings

elisabeth_with_an_ess's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional 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? Yes

3.5

The premise of the story and the magic system were original and engaging, and the characters were delightful. However, the historical aspects seemed a bit under-researched in places, and there was a lot of repeated information. I think it was a great story that could have benefited from a bit more time before it was published. But that final chapter, my goodness! That was a pure joy. And by joy, I mean I had tears running down my face.

Content Warnings

winterwoodbooks's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

One the best books ever written.
One of my favorite books of all time, this feels like my soul.

For everyone who loves Addie LaRue!

Content Warnings

leedolee's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Words cannot even begin to describe what an experience it was to read this book.

It was exciting, shocking, and filled to the brim with knowledge about words and languages that I never imagined learning while reading this novel. It was certainly a tough book to read due to various sensitive topics: namely racism, colonialism, and sexism. But it was a reality in the past and is still very much prevalent in the present.

The four main characters are each uniquely different and yet similar in some cases. It was quite the journey being able to experience the world of Babel through Robin's eyes and to cheer him and his friends on as the book progressed. I would highly recommend this as a must-read but also caution any readers who may be triggered by the vast sensitive issues found within the pages of this novel.

Content Warnings