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

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I loved the Poppy war trilogy so much it scared me to start reading Babel. From the back you can immediately tell it’s so different from the Poppy war and I was afraid I would not like it as much. I finally got around to reading it and - while it was different from the Poppy war - adored this book. R. F. Kuang is the queen of intertwining historical events with moving stories and complex characters. The fantasy aspect was not as pronounced as in the Poppy war but I found the characters to have even more depth in Babel. 

The plot twists had me gasping out loud but I have to admit TikTok influenced me to think that the ending would be even more surprising than it was. While Babel was the longest book I’ve read in a while, I found that it wasn’t boring or tedious at all. A big kudos to R. F. Kuang for discussing racism (both in society and in academia) in such an unique, compelling yet realistic way