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

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Kuang’s prose, world building, and creative magic system is amazing in Babel! It was these factors alone that compelled me to push through what was a little bit of a slow start. Eventually all of our main characters emerge and the story picks up a bit. I will admit though, that even with this I still found something missing. Even though the characters and their relationships were beautifully and deeply developed, I still felt like I wasn’t connecting with them. As I was reading, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t loving Babel more than I did. Then, suddenly, in the final 3rd of the novel everything clicked. All of these threads Kuang had laid throughout the novel came together in a way I hadn’t foreseen and I was in love with this book. I feel in love with the characters, found myself heart wrenched and crying over their story, rooting for them, and left speechless on the edge of my seat. For me, this did not become a 5-star book until the end, but it was worth the wait.