A review by chloemakesbooks
Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Devastating. Clever. Awesome. Irritating. Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. All the possible plot holes and character foibles can't take away from the world building, masterful construction, and conceptual prowess. Achingly confrontational, righteous, and disappointing. I have several critiques (slow start, Letty... Just Letty, Robin was fairly boring, killing off characters, heavy handed ending, anachronisms, some lack of device clarity) but I can't argue with choices that were clearly made thoughtfully, intentionally, to serve and make her point so masterfully. I think this is actually magical realism, not fantasy, and I loved the footnotes. Injected some much needed humor and self-deprecation/meta-commentary. 
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