Nicholas McCane
Overall, I enjoyed the book. And I love R.F. Kuang. The writing was remarkable. You can tell that she worked her ass off on this one. If you’re a fan of dark academia, historical fantasy, and want to see what happens when language and power tongue kiss, this one is for you. It will definitely make you think critically about language and privilege. The setting is Oxford during the 1830s.
I have two issues:
I’ve gotten used to her books being a little extra long; however, it felt like this one would never end. The first 300 pages felt like a lecture, but then it picked up. This is a beautiful story, but not an easy read.
There was a lot of over-explaining or telling. I wish she had let the characters develop themselves instead of telling us everything.
Here’s a quote: “Translation is always an act of betrayal.”
Oh yeah, middle fingers to Letty (Babel) and Nezha (The Poppy War series) I haven’t forgotten about you lol.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. And I love R.F. Kuang. The writing was remarkable. You can tell that she worked her ass off on this one. If you’re a fan of dark academia, historical fantasy, and want to see what happens when language and power tongue kiss, this one is for you. It will definitely make you think critically about language and privilege. The setting is Oxford during the 1830s.
I have two issues:
I’ve gotten used to her books being a little extra long; however, it felt like this one would never end. The first 300 pages felt like a lecture, but then it picked up. This is a beautiful story, but not an easy read.
There was a lot of over-explaining or telling. I wish she had let the characters develop themselves instead of telling us everything.
Here’s a quote: “Translation is always an act of betrayal.”
Oh yeah, middle fingers to Letty (Babel) and Nezha (The Poppy War series) I haven’t forgotten about you lol.