Katabasis

Overall rating: 4.5

I first would like to say that I received an ARC copy for an honest review. The second thing I would like to put out in the open is that I did go into Katabasis, right after finishing reading The Divine Comedy by Dante.

Now, let us begin
Quick synopsis of the book:Katabasis by R. F. Kuang is a modern story of a hero's descent to Hell. One night there was a horrible magical accident at Cambridge that caused the violent death of Professor Jacob Grimes. Which caused two students to embark on a journey to Katabasis. We follow the two heroes, Alice Law (Main Character) and Peter Murdoch (Second Main Character/Side Character), on the journey to bring Professor Grimes back.

Characters:

There are many characters throughout this book that we are introduced to. Some of these characters get a background story of why they are in hell, which could go on for a few pages. While other characters are...well... just there.

Alice Lawis the FMC that we follow through the journey of Katabasis. She is one of the students of Professor Grimes and is rather naive, timid, and does pretty much anything to get in the good graces of someone. Alice craves attention and validation from others. Throughout the story we see her grow and develop. We see her understand that every action has a positive or negative reaction. We experience her emotions about the events that have happened. This is all information I can provide without spoiling the book. But... in my opinion, she is well-written.

Peter Murdochis the MMC that travels along side Alice. He is both a primary and secondary character. Peter also knows Professor Grimes. Mr. Murdoch is... I would say, on the mysterious side but kind, loving, and loyal. He is smart and logical, whereas Alice is smart but does tend to act more on impulse/emotions. There is a point in Katabasis that made me cry but that is only because I enjoyed his company. Now, I can't say what because it might ruin it for you all. In my opinion, I believe that Peter's character was better written than Alice's character.

Professor Grimes is... well... a jerk. This is as nice as I can get for Grimes.

Now, there are other characters but I don't want to spoil the book for you all.

Overall, I enjoyed how the characters were written, how I got to experience their emotions, and how most of them developed throughout the story.

For those that request/require book trigger warnings. Here is the list I made while reading Katabasis:

Depictions of Death
Depictions of mutilation
Depictions of violence
Blood
Mentions of Suicide/thoughts of suicide
Snorthing Chalk

Plot & Pacing:

Personally, the plot was enjoyable and straightforward. It is a journey into the underworld, going through the 8 courts to accomplish a mission that the characters had set out on. It is that simple.

Now, there is this slight “romance” (if one wants to call it that) subplot that kinda occurs but it's no more than the typical elementary school kid saying “Oh, hey. I like you wanna date”. So, if you are going into this book for romance you might be disappointed. However, there was a point in the book where there was a flashback and Mr. Grimes was getting... handsy with a character named Charlotte and then Alice.

There are constant moments of character flashbacks. So, if that is something you don't like in books then this book might not be for you.
As for the pacing... it is up and down, slow then fast. The pacing is very much like a river. Parts of the story were calm and slow, while other parts moved rapidly.

Writing style:

This area has been difficult for me to articulate appropriately. There are times when the writing style is mature but then met with rudimentary/juvenile areas. At the beginning of the book, we have this philosophical monologue about the word Heap. Which... I found it highly annoying and maybe my usage of rudimentary is not correct. But... my thought during that time was “This is immature and basic”. However, we are then met with the adult-like mature writing style. And this pattern is throughout all of Katabasis. Once again it's like the river metaphor I gave during the plot & pacing section.

I also found the constant reiteration of Chalk, chalk magic, and everything else that had to do with the mentioning of CHALK utterly annoying.
I get it and I understood it within the first few chapters that talked about it.

But... with all that said I enjoyed the book even with its flaws.

In my opinion, one does not need to read a whole bunch of Classic books to understand Katabasis. However... I do think it might make the experience a little more enjoyable. And what I would recommend, is that y'all read The Divine Comedy before Katabasis. It will provide one with a general understanding of what R.F. Kuang is referencing throughout Katabasis.