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tw11ngem11n11 's review for:
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely adored this book. Babel has a way of making you sit there at the end, thinking of the millions of other possibilities, but with the heavy feeling that there was no other way this could have ended. It's honest, brutal and earnest to the point of over explaining sometimes, in a way I personally found endearing. The many paragraphs about translation, languages and philosophy were a love letter to those subjects.
The characterization could have been stronger, but I still adored them, and found them very fleshed out if not elaborate. However, this is very much a book that is plot driven, so it makes sense. I think the biggest pitfall in reading this book is coming into it with the usual expectations of fantasy. It has an entire magic system, but it is by no means a fantasy book. It's an alternate history that so happens to have magic in it.
The characterization could have been stronger, but I still adored them, and found them very fleshed out if not elaborate. However, this is very much a book that is plot driven, so it makes sense. I think the biggest pitfall in reading this book is coming into it with the usual expectations of fantasy. It has an entire magic system, but it is by no means a fantasy book. It's an alternate history that so happens to have magic in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, Toxic friendship, War, Classism