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A review by chloelmills
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Was lucky enough to receive an ARC.
It is undeniable that R.F Kuang is a brilliant writer. Her prose, her lyricism, her use of language is astounding.
The plot however…. Underwhelming & honestly, boring.
Without giving away spoilers, there is zero chemistry between the two ‘lovers’, Alice has more chemistry with Elspeth (you’ll see) than Peter, and the only time I enjoyed the story and pacing was when Alice, FINALLY, was out of the male gaze, and on her own!! (About halfway through).
And yes, there is the layers of learning in this book, (which felt spoon fed, like a baby, rather than simply leaving it there for the reader to learn) like in Babel.
‘Academia is racist, misogynistic and facist’, among other moral quandaries, but the thing that made that so impactful in Babel, was ALSO the incredible plot.
I’m really sad to give such a low score, but I just really didn’t like this.
I’m keen to see more in depth analysis from academics, once the book is released. But for now, I’m basing my rating on these superficialities, which are also important to a book.
It is undeniable that R.F Kuang is a brilliant writer. Her prose, her lyricism, her use of language is astounding.
The plot however…. Underwhelming & honestly, boring.
Without giving away spoilers, there is zero chemistry between the two ‘lovers’, Alice has more chemistry with Elspeth (you’ll see) than Peter, and the only time I enjoyed the story and pacing was when Alice, FINALLY, was out of the male gaze, and on her own!! (About halfway through).
And yes, there is the layers of learning in this book, (which felt spoon fed, like a baby, rather than simply leaving it there for the reader to learn) like in Babel.
‘Academia is racist, misogynistic and facist’, among other moral quandaries, but the thing that made that so impactful in Babel, was ALSO the incredible plot.
I’m really sad to give such a low score, but I just really didn’t like this.
I’m keen to see more in depth analysis from academics, once the book is released. But for now, I’m basing my rating on these superficialities, which are also important to a book.