A review by kylerbooks14
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective 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

5.0

I loved the reading experience of this book. It was a slow book that made you pause and think. It contains so many important topics of discussion. I loved how the magic system centers around language and how all languages are different and unique and that difference can be used to fuel the magic was wonderful.  The character work was amazing. All the characters had depth/growth/personality no matter how much page time they had, each character left a lasting impression. The first half and second half of this book had very different feels. The first half really showed us how easy it is to romanticize life at Oxford, how easy it is to only think of the next translation and of the next school assignment the next "theoretical" topic of discussion. The second half of this book really showed us the consequences of the research that was being done at Babel and how what they were doing had real life consequences. 

"Language was just a difference. A thousand different ways of seeing or moving through the world. No; a thousand worlds within one. And translation- a necessary endeavor, however futile, to move between them." - Robin Swift