valjeanval 's review for:

Babel by R.F. Kuang

5.0

dark emotional sad 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

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I do think RF Kuang is going to go down as one of this generation's leaders of fantasy. She's a great writer, and that writing is coupled with meticulous research that make her books feel so rich and thoughtful. Babel is definitely a timely read, and sadly I think it will be a timely read for a while. I think her style was occasionally a little heavy-handed, but I'm also a white woman reading this, so the very fact that I thought that might be more of credit to the writing than a detriment.  Otherwise this book builds an incredible world and uses it to really spotlight the insidiousness of colonialism and colonial attitudes. 

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one, and while it's no cozy holiday read, you should probably read it too.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting