komiification 's review for:

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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God, this book genuinely could be so uncomfortable to read, in the sense that Alice Law is so real and relatable. Her genuine obsession with her validation from Grimes, her longing for study... Seeing how much she values academic discovery over her own life, it honestly put a knot in my stomach because it all felt so... Raw and true.

This is honestly such a beautiful book. I think in a time where 'dark academia' has become an aesthetic romantizing the practices and life tyle that The Secret History sought to criticize, this novel feels like a sort of return to form for the 'subculture', to put it into simple terms. It's a story about learning to be human again, to love life, to love people as human beings, and not as idols.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood

Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity