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cowardlyteaman 's review for:
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
To me, giving this anything below five stars is absurd. The setting, writing style, and world-building are all amazing, and as is the obvious knowledge that the author shows. Best read of the year.
However, as no book is perfect, I will point out a couple of things. First thing I want to pinpoint is that to keep interest during this read, I recommend being interested in linguistics and having a basic understanding. I love languages myself and had a great time, but I acknowledge that there is background interest needed here. I'd also like to get a deeper look into the other characters. I love Robin, but Ramy didn't get the deserved amount of attention in my opinion. Then there's the notes that the author leaves. It works, honestly, all though I brutally frankly think it's a cheap way of including information you otherwise can't figure out how to naturally weave into the book.
But to not leave this review off with the poorer impressions, I'll say some more good things. This book does an excellent job of bringing real issues into the fantasy genre. One of the best I've seen. Sometimes you completely forget that this is a fantasy book just because such a large part of the serious themes here are actual issues. I feel like I gained some reflection from reading this, and that I am forever grateful for.
However, as no book is perfect, I will point out a couple of things. First thing I want to pinpoint is that to keep interest during this read, I recommend being interested in linguistics and having a basic understanding. I love languages myself and had a great time, but I acknowledge that there is background interest needed here. I'd also like to get a deeper look into the other characters. I love Robin, but Ramy didn't get the deserved amount of attention in my opinion. Then there's the notes that the author leaves. It works, honestly, all though I brutally frankly think it's a cheap way of including information you otherwise can't figure out how to naturally weave into the book.
But to not leave this review off with the poorer impressions, I'll say some more good things. This book does an excellent job of bringing real issues into the fantasy genre. One of the best I've seen. Sometimes you completely forget that this is a fantasy book just because such a large part of the serious themes here are actual issues. I feel like I gained some reflection from reading this, and that I am forever grateful for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Classism