A review by kori_krc
Babel by R.F. Kuang

5.0

Wow. I will admit, I was a little afraid to read this. It's my first R.F. Kuang book and from what I hear, her writing was outstanding. I was afraid that the hype around this book would be overestimating it, I was afraid that I wouldn't really be able to understand it fully, I was afraid that, it being historical fiction, it wouldn't interest me. I am so so happy that I was wrong. This book was so beautifully written that I couldn't put it down. It hit so many nerves that I spent a lot of it with my jaw dropped. I learned a ton and it provoked a lot of thought within myself. The magic system was done so well and the world building was so subtle that I felt like I was just simply there without being overloaded or confused at what was going on. The way Kuang was able to craft her characters and their stories, the way she was able to create such well rounded characters, was incredible. The way she hit on racial issues and the colonization aspect. Crazy. I don't have a lot of words to describe what I just read or how I truly feel about it, but it was truly outstanding.