A review by jennalwiegand
Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book grabbed my heart and stomped it on the ground.  Because I had a hard time getting into the book initially, it was slow going, and I wasn't sure how I was initially going to feel. But I was really intrigued by the character and really wanted to see everything through. This book has a massive build-up, and then shit hits the fan pretty dang quickly in the last hundred or so pages.
From the moment Robin kills his dad, to the end I went from having my white privilege called out, and the story of a group of found family kiddos, to rebellion, murder, suicide, explosions etc. The ending felt very much like Rogue One, where basically everyone dies at the end, and I was truly not expecting it.
. The writing is beautiful, I honestly was pulled into the world when I was reading it, and even felt myself googling things in the book to see if they were real places. This truly read like a biography of a magic group, versus historical fiction with a dash of magic, and I really appreciated all of the aspects it gave in that regard. I honestly just wish it was faster-paced, and I would have liked it a lot more! This book did an amazing job of making me think, and actually forcing me to take my time to digest everything on the page. 
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