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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Babel undeniably carried a sense of nostalgia bringing me back to my days studying in Oxford. The setting felt instantly familiar—the cloisters, the hush of the libraries, the rituals of academic life—and yet Kuang overlays all of that nostalgia with an ever-present unease. Oxford here is not just a place of wonder but also a machine of empire, and that duality made the novel resonate all the more deeply.
The critique of empire is sharp, layered, and never simplistic. One of the most effective dynamics is the foil of Letty, whose inability to comprehend that Ramy, Robin, and Victoire are not truly free but rather pawns of the empire captures, with painful clarity, the blindness of privilege. Her fragility and insistence on innocence make her both sympathetic and deeply frustrating—an effective lens for examining how good intentions often reinforce oppressive systems. The fantasy elements (silver-working, translation magic) feed into colonial exploitation rather than soften it adding yet anothwr layer to the critique of colonialism.
Robin’s ambiguous relationship to whiteness also raises interesting questions about passing and privilege. His ability to navigate Oxford differently than Ramy or Victoire underscores how identity is constantly negotiated and exploited. Layered onto this is the deeply unsettling reality that his father engineered these children—bastards of empire—as tools of the state. It’s a chilling way of showing how colonial systems commodify even family.
Where the novel falters for me is in pacing. The buildup through the early years at Oxford feels too drawn out, while the climax comes on far too quickly. Because of that imbalance, the devastating losses in the later chapters don’t always land with their full emotional weight. Robin’s internal journey also feels slightly underdeveloped. His transformation from complicity to rebellion happens quickly, with his resolve hardened almost entirely through personal grief. I wished there had been more space for the inner turmoil of reconciling his love for Oxford with the horrors of Canton and the exploitation of his homeland. His choice to dismantle the system feels inevitable, but I wanted to see more of the struggle that led him there.
Even with those flaws, Babel is an extraordinary work—intellectually rich, morally fierce, and often beautiful. It captures both the allure and the violence of academia and empire, making readers complicit in its contradictions. For me, it lands at 3.75 stars: a brilliant, biting, and deeply thought-provoking novel that left me in awe, even as I wished it had lingered longer in its most emotional moments.
This is undeniably a novel that will stay with me for a long time.
The critique of empire is sharp, layered, and never simplistic. One of the most effective dynamics is the foil of Letty, whose inability to comprehend that Ramy, Robin, and Victoire are not truly free but rather pawns of the empire captures, with painful clarity, the blindness of privilege. Her fragility and insistence on innocence make her both sympathetic and deeply frustrating—an effective lens for examining how good intentions often reinforce oppressive systems. The fantasy elements (silver-working, translation magic) feed into colonial exploitation rather than soften it adding yet anothwr layer to the critique of colonialism.
Robin’s ambiguous relationship to whiteness also raises interesting questions about passing and privilege. His ability to navigate Oxford differently than Ramy or Victoire underscores how identity is constantly negotiated and exploited. Layered onto this is the deeply unsettling reality that his father engineered these children—bastards of empire—as tools of the state. It’s a chilling way of showing how colonial systems commodify even family.
Where the novel falters for me is in pacing. The buildup through the early years at Oxford feels too drawn out, while the climax comes on far too quickly. Because of that imbalance, the devastating losses in the later chapters don’t always land with their full emotional weight. Robin’s internal journey also feels slightly underdeveloped. His transformation from complicity to rebellion happens quickly, with his resolve hardened almost entirely through personal grief. I wished there had been more space for the inner turmoil of reconciling his love for Oxford with the horrors of Canton and the exploitation of his homeland. His choice to dismantle the system feels inevitable, but I wanted to see more of the struggle that led him there.
Even with those flaws, Babel is an extraordinary work—intellectually rich, morally fierce, and often beautiful. It captures both the allure and the violence of academia and empire, making readers complicit in its contradictions. For me, it lands at 3.75 stars: a brilliant, biting, and deeply thought-provoking novel that left me in awe, even as I wished it had lingered longer in its most emotional moments.
This is undeniably a novel that will stay with me for a long time.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
This is probably the best book I’ve ever read. It gives you fuel for resistance like a dystopian novel, the character connections and academic vibes of Harry Potter with better representation and morals. It’s so good. The twists, the turns. The writing is exquisite. I can not recommend this book enough. So many wonderful quotes can be taken from this book!
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- The intense divings into etymologies, though somewhat understandable, were usually just too verbose/boring/unecessary in terms of advancing any plot or character development --> Also the popular criticism on Kuang over-explaining very basic themes is so fair
- But contrary to popular opinion I do think the pacing of this book was quite good, couldve been a touch faster but ive read much worse
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
Babel is an absolutely amazing feat! It did, however, take me so long to read and often left me feeling slogged in the first two thirds. I recognize my brain was probably just not up to the task of another dense dark-academia after reading poppy war, secret history & blood over bh. This one seemed to require more bandwidth (not a negative).
This was not without fault, and yet I highlighted SO MANY pages where she captured so perfectly the tension between recognizing reality while knowing better. Also huge props to her for the sheer amount of research that had to go into even every footnote.
Overall, the most honest book I’ve found on scrutinizing our relationships with imperialism, capitalism, xenophobia etc, but less of a fantasy book with magic than I had anticipated lol. If you like words and hate colonialism, you’ll love it.
This was not without fault, and yet I highlighted SO MANY pages where she captured so perfectly the tension between recognizing reality while knowing better. Also huge props to her for the sheer amount of research that had to go into even every footnote.
Overall, the most honest book I’ve found on scrutinizing our relationships with imperialism, capitalism, xenophobia etc, but less of a fantasy book with magic than I had anticipated lol. If you like words and hate colonialism, you’ll love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, Xenophobia, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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