ohheyitsannie 's review for:

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

4.5

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Two magicians adventuring through Hell to rescue their professor sounds thoroughly fantastical and surreal, but the things the characters face in this book are entirely relatable. Burnout, measuring personal value through academic success, hiding your struggles from others to try to maintain respect and status, are all empathetically explored. I loved discovering this version of Hell - by turns silly and grim - while also watching the characters explore their own inner landscapes. R.F. Kuang excels at crafting morally grey characters, and Alice is no exception - she is perfectly balanced to be deeply relatable while still complex and messy, never a perfect, heroic protagonist. In the end, perfection isn’t required, in academia or in morality. The characters just need to see each other and feel seen, and appreciate the experience of being alive.