_lana_reads_ 's review for:

Babel by R.F. Kuang

4.5

adventurous sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I really enjoyed this book and how it progressed. It’s the first historical fiction/fantasy book I’ve read and was pleasantly surprised. I had always avoided books that utilised real places in fantasy like that but I enjoyed how it was approached. I liked the main characters and how they progressed throughout the story. This was a book that I never quite knew what was going to happen next or what path the characters were going to do next which I liked. It featured politics and the trade market more than what I thought it would, it wasn’t necessarily bad and I understood that it was vital to plot but at times it became difficult to follow. The approach of English colonisation I felt was handled well and it was nice to see from different cultures perspectives. I liked the ending of the book and though I wasn’t surprised with the ending it was still quite sad to read and part of me still wanted to know what happened afterwards in Oxford and wider.