A small diverse group of students enter an Oxford department which studies languages. They will be working as translators for a technology that combines words with a magical technology to create silver bars used to stimulate various aspects of the British economy. They are enthused by their work until they begin to see how this technology impacts the world. What and who they will sacrifice to save their native lands? How far will their loyalties to each other go? These are the driving questions of this fascinating alternative history. An immersive and heart-breaking read.

Since finishing Babel my reviews to my friends who have also read this book have been incoherent ALL CAPS and DMs with a flood of emojis. The bookseller in me cannot wait to write the shelf talker, the booklover has no idea what to say except HOLY CRAP, KUANG HAS DONE IT AGAIN.

Ok, so yes, this is dark academia. But it is also historical fiction, fantasy, and, dare I say it, a crime novel? There is murder, mystery, revolution, lies, deceit, all the good things you want including interrogating the generational wealth, privilege, and whiteness of academia. Babel is smart, cunning, and cutting all at once and doesn't shy away from shining a spotlight on academia's faults. And, from this reader's perspective--a reader who gets confused when books delve too deeply into topics that skate way over my head--Babel is entirely accessible. Kuang's voice I a breath of fresh air in what could've been an incredibly stuffy book. Frankly, between you and me, I could've used more footnotes.

Honestly. More footnotes please.

The characters are lovable and so intelligent it contributes to their naivety about the dangers of the world they've signed up for, especially the main character Robin Swift. Brought over from Canton at a young age by a professor and raised to be a translator who can manipulate the magical silver only those at Babel at Oxford University can (ok, there's more to this but it'll be a really long sentence so you'll just have to read the book), I fell for Robin immediately. Soon after, the book's themes grabbed me by the collar and kept me thirsty: Empire demands sacrifice, takes what it wants, uses and thieves, unapologetically so, and in the case of Babel, goes so far as to steal our voices. How simple it is, to recognize that words are violence, they also heal and bring us together; how cultures differ; how Empire seeks to homogenize, to flatten and assimilate; how language can have multiple meanings. I could go on and on about this, but I also want to talk about the found family, the deep, emotional friendships that I would liken to queerplatonic, the love Robin had for his friends. I suppose, without writing an essay, I can sum up my love of this book by saying Babel is next-level Kuang. Fans of The Poppy War aren't ready.

Maybe that's how I start my shelf talker. We'll see! Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to the eARC.

"They obeyed. It was wonderful to have someone to tell them what to do."

This quote encapsulates what plagues a huge portion of this story. Robin, the main character, does very little of his own accord. He often gets swept up in events, following whatever course others set out for him. There are some key moments he makes his own decisions, but they are few and far between. Even when the action picks up in the final act, it's distant and passive.

Scene on fidelity of translations. "Either you situate the text in its time and place, or you bring it to where you are, here and now." Reads as a defense of using modern talking points in terminology in 1830s Oxford. Self-aware.

Lecturing. Especially since this is rooted in real world events, I'd rather learn the actual history than have it filtered through a fantasy book. I think not being knowledgeable about the era is both better and worse. You don't recognize any inconsistencies so they don't bother you, but you can separate the fantasy from the reality.

Telling. So much telling, with very little plot tying it together. Robin moves from Canton to London. He studies. He moves from London to Oxford. He studies. A plot emerges, and is given two brief scenes and a handful of lines. At 25% not a whole lot has happened. The school isn't a backdrop, but exists to educate the reader.

We are told multiple times things that will happen. "He didn't know at the time," "looking back, he would realize," and things like that.

The magic system is inventive, capturing the frustration of language learners everywhere: not being able to quite say what you mean. I find it strange that fluency is required, since the things lost in translation are there whether you're fluent or not.

I'm not into school settings or dark academia, the magic school thing is super common. Here, it's kind of a mundane, regular college experience. The magic work they eventually do is more academic than practical, requiring a lot of research and some basic facility with engraving. It's not exciting.

Griffin's economic manipulations remind me of Baru Cormorant, but here it's all very far away.

Their exam anxiety was really drawn out and excessive to me. I've been in grad school twice and never experienced the same debilitation as these kids. Maybe I've had it easy, who knows.

For most of the story I felt like a tourist, taken through a place the author clearly loves, shown all the sights. I never felt drawn in by the plot, nor the characters and their plights. This feeling is strongest when we follow the characters on their jaunts and vacations. I found myself checking how much was left frequently. Especially during their many collective freak out scenes.

The footnotes are annoying

The writing itself is much improved from the Poppy War.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting and well crafted book, if a little slow and informative.

Babel……………. HOLY………………!

R.F. Kuang is the G.O.A.T!

I Really tried, (I mean I tried hard) to write an actual review for this “MASTERPIECE” and was babbling instead.

Kuang leaves your “MIND BLOWN”

No words left. only thing left to do…

“BOW DOWN TO THE QUEEN OF WRITING”

Thank you NetGalley/ R.F. Kuang/ Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC. In exchange for my honest review.

This was a GORGEOUS world and I loved every second of it. I believe that this will be my most favorite read of 2022 and for many years to come something to behold.

I don't know that I can adequately capture the brilliance of this book, but I'll try. In short, and as expected, BABEL is a literary masterpiece. It is a testament to R.F. Kuang's talent that she was able to pull a book of this magnitude off. There were so many times while I was reading that I felt like this book was way smarter than I was. Capturing elements of literature, history, and language so intricately is an impressive feat by itself, but incorporating those into a coherent story is a triumph. I adored the dark academia feel of this book so much. Robin, our main character, was brilliantly written. His story is one that exposes the complexities and ugly nature of colonialism both in society and in academia. As his character arc plunges forward, a sense of rage at how imperialism affects marginalized people grows and grows, making BABEL a scathing indictment of the system and powers that keep it going. Sometimes, it's hard to read, and there are so many wonderful things I read in this book that made me think and feel, and some things I can't really speak to because it isn't my place, but I walked away so impressed with this book's power. Kuang's prose pulls no punches and shows the reader no mercy, and I was here for every glorious minute of it.

I’ve been hearing about R.F. Kuang’s books for years, and for some reason or another never made time for them until now. From jump Babel sounds exactly like something I’d be interested in: a dark academia novel set in Victorian era England, a twist of magic, but with a focus on colonialism. I became so invested in Robin’s story and through following him we can see not only the microaggressions he encounters but the overt racism. But because Robin has lighter skin than some of his friends, there are times he can pass. This allows him a bit more freedom to move through the world. Yet we see how quickly that facade is shattered when he begins to learn and question the systems at play. Where most dark academia novels fail is in their sole focus on the European ideal and Greco-Roman historical canon. There is so much typically left out in the genre and here is where Kuang excels. She forces the reader not be be uncomfortable in the reality of the time (and the values that people still hold today), but squarely face it. Using silver and its affects as a metaphor, and the constant justification of empire makes the reader see that there really isn’t much difference between historical fiction and fantasy. I personally was a bit dissatisfied in the ending, but don’t know how else things could have played out. Also I felt like the first half of the novel was a series of montages, yet I understand that all that is just building up to the apex of the story.

Reading Rebecca Kuang's books are watching a master at work.

Babel is exceptional. An absolutely terrific, sprawling novel of academia, of home, of found family, of colonialism and of resistance. Orphan Robin Swift, late of Canton, sent to London's mysterious academy of Babel. Robin must choose between resistance and betraying his home nation, or serving the land that exploits his own.

This book drips education. Rebecca Kuang's knowledge of history, literature and Academia in general permeates the novel in an excellent manner. Themes of racism and colonialism are heavily present when Britain starts an unjust and brutal war with China. Kuang shies away from nothing in demonstrating the prejudice in academia, nor in high society.

Robin and his friends must fight to keep their culture, but also their souls. The book explores whether one can keep their humanity through participation in an unjust system or if the only way out is to resist. Each character is expertly drawn, realistic and human. Everyone feels distinct and compelling.

This novel is a triumph.

5/5 stars

“Violence is the only language they understand, because their system of extraction is inherently violent. Violence shocks the system. And the system cannot survive the shock.”

R.F. Kuang magnifies themes from The Poppy War and examines them from all angles like a true Babel scholar in this extraordinary book. The characters are vivid, emotional, and lifelike; It feels like they belong in a history book and not a work of fiction. Babel tackles the hypocrisies of the academic world, layers of injustice and discrimination that have been woven into ways of life, and a compelling hypothesis about how true change comes to pass. The dark academia genre continues a trend of decoloniality with a POC-centric narrative that shows empire for what it is: Violent, all-consuming, and infinitely unjust. The writing and story are both as cruel as they need to be for the themes to shine through. Be amazed at the level of detail. Be prepared to get angry.

Everyone, especially fans of dark academia, should read this book. Its messages and themes are important and it is absolutely brilliant.

I’m not sure there’s a more anticipated release in my corners of sci-fi/fantasy spaces than R. F. Kuang’s Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution. Fresh off her win of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer on the strength of her Poppy War trilogy, Kuang’s next project involved visiting a magical 19th-century Oxford. And between how much I enjoyed her previous work and my affinity for academic settings, asking for an ARC was an extremely easy decision. To my surprise, I was approved, so here we are, talking about what I expect to be one of my favorite books of the year.

The vast majority of Babel is written from the perspective of Robin Swift, a Chinese youth brought to England after the death of his mother and trained under a famed Oxford linguist before his matriculation to study in the Royal Institute of Translation. There he learns about the translation-based magic that has enabled the global dominance of the British Empire, and that he is just one of many foreigners recruited to use his native tongue in service of the Crown.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, given the subtitle, but I was struck by how quickly it became obvious that the British were the villains of this story. I expected initial ambiguity accompanied by a growing realization that the friendly facade was just that, but this wasn’t this sort of book. Robin understands from the outset that he’s being used, and his journey is one of discovering the depth of that use, squaring it with the material benefits he’s been given, and figuring out what to do about it. And, as it turns out, that’s enough material to support a pretty robust, multi-year character arc.

Of course, it is a long novel, and it’s an academia novel, and not every element exists to send Robin forward on his personal journey. We learn a lot about life at this fantastical Oxford, as well as about the delightfully clever language-based magic system that uses what is lost in translation to power its effects. Included are copious footnotes about languages and bits of actual history brought to bear in the meticulous construction of a stunningly detailed magical British Empire. Fans of careful worldbuilding and hard magic systems will have a lot to like here, and the rhythm of the story will appeal to readers who enjoy school settings.

But ultimately, it’s a tale about revolution, and—as the title suggests—the necessity of violence. And the character work that brings Robin from comfortably enjoying his study despite an awareness of not being fully accepted to entangling himself with revolutionaries is excellent. What was less satisfying was the resolution of some of the intramural disputes among his fellows. Kuang does a good job presenting various attitudes, from gratitude for the Empire’s gifts, to non-violent resistance, to outright violence, all leading to a thunderous climax. But while the culmination of plot feels nearly perfect, the character threads don’t all tie together as neatly. And as a vocal partisan of messy endings, perhaps I have little room to complain. But there’s one side character whose balance between insight and recklessness didn’t feel quite right, and there’s another character whose backstory was relegated to an epilogue after finishing the main plot on an incomplete note.

To be clear: Babel is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It’s engaging, with excellent worldbuilding and character arcs and a setting that feels 19th century without prose that feels 19th century. It may be a miss for readers who dislike school settings or revolutions, but it’s undoubtedly one of the best fantasy books released this year. My complaints come into play as I mentally suss out the difference between an annual favorite and an all-time favorite. And if you’ve made it to that conversation, you’ve done a whole lot right.

Recommended if you like: school settings, worldbuilding, magic systems, anticolonialism, languages.

Overall rating: 18 of Tar Vol’s 20. Five stars on Goodreads.

First of all, I want to say a big thanks to Netgalley for this e-arc! I appreciate this so much!
Now onto my review.
I could not finish this. I don’t know what happened and I’m super disappointed.
Everyone on tiktok who has read it is obsessed with it and I was expecting to enjoy it as well…. but I got to 10% and it felt like a chore to get that far and I started to dread opening my Kindle app to read it and that’s when I knew I couldn’t continue.
I really don’t know what it is about the book, I’m almost positive that I am just the absolute opposite of the right audience for this book.
R.F. Kuang’s writing is absolutely beautiful and I have no doubt that I will love the Poppy War trilogy, but this is so extremely not for me. Everything I read just bored me. The only thing that actually interested me was the whole thing with silver.
Maybe I will pick this back up one day and try again, but that time is not now.
I also feel like I shouldn’t even rate this because I didn’t finish it but I’m just giving it 1 star because I DNFd it.

How do I even put into words how much I loved this book? I honestly don't think I can do it justice. However, I'll start by saying that the title tells you everything you need to know about the book and whether you might like it. You can tell it was written by an academic (LOL, IYKYK), and the rest of the writing in the book has a similar quality to it, which makes the story read almost like an academic annal from years past. There's tons of really cool footnotes, which I loved, and it was obvious the author did a great deal of homework in preparing this manuscript.

In many ways, this book felt like a love letter to language. The magic system was based on translation, and almost all of the characters were scholars devoted to the study of language. They used the act of translation, and the power it created, to do fascinating things. There was so much knowledge about language and its history buried within this text, and I ate it up. Back in the day (think boarding school and undergrad), I loved studying language, including Latin, French, Spanish, and some classical Greek, and etymology. I've unfortunately lost most of my proficiency over time due to disuse, but it was still so much fun reading about the origins of different English words and all the information about the Chinese language/characters scattered throughout this story. In short, if you love learning about language, you will probably enjoy this book.

The story and writing were also incredibly immersive. I was surprised by how alive this version of Oxford felt, as if I was there roaming the campus and halls myself alongside the characters. Kuang also captured the feelings of the journey through academia better than anyone else I've ever read. The progression of the characters brought to life the excitement of being one of a few chosen people selected as the next experts in your field, the intensity of bonding with one's cohort, the inevitable disillusionment once the shine wears off and the workload becomes unmanageable, and the surprising feelings of loss that accompany having achieved one's goal. I was surprised by how much I related to these characters despite our many differences.

Speaking of the characters, I loved them so much. The first half of the book delves deep into their characterization and the building of their relationships, which made the tragedies of the second half all the more bitter and gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking. However, I'm not going to say any more about that because I don't want to spoil all the pain. Just know it is coming. :) Back to the characters... Robin's journey in this book was quite astounding. He was plucked from nothing, literally the edge of death, and he went on to accomplish truly incredible things. The boy at the beginning of the story was so different from the man at the end. The rest of Robin's cohort and the other supporting characters all felt just as three-dimensional as Robin. There's so much I'd like to talk about each of them, but I don't want to spoil the story. So, I'll just say that these characters allowed for the exploration of so many topics and themes, especially as it relates to group dynamics and cohesiveness of individuals from wildly different backgrounds with various amounts of privilege and clashing worldviews.

There were so many powerful themes explored in this book that I could probably write an entire book about them. It tackled the inherent classism, sexism, and racism prevalent within academia, as well as the tokenism that goes along with it. It also highlighted the destructive nature of colonialism and capitalist systems and proposed a timely and important question: can oppressive systems be changed from the inside or must the system be destroyed outright before meaningful change can occur? This led to another interesting ethical quandary. Is violence justified when the cause is just? The characters also provided a fascinating window into the allure of proxy privilege and how it can be used to keep the oppressed in line and uphold the status quo. Ultimately, I don't know how anyone could come away from this book without questioning who is paying the price for our largely comfortable, overly consumptive modern lifestyle. After all, the resources to maintain it have to come from somewhere, and, if history has taught us anything, someone, somewhere is likely being exploited to obtain them.

Ultimately, I felt a lot of things while reading this book. I was nostalgic at times. I was enraged and enlightened at others. Then there were the times I was heartbroken, so deeply sad at how unfair life can be. This book was truly a masterpiece. I cannot recommend it enough, and it has become my favorite book of ALL TIME. It is rare that I want to read a book again immediately after finishing it, but I'm ready for a re-read and will definitely be adding this one to my shelves to read over and over for years to come.

Intricate, well thought out, and gripping with complex characters and an immersive setting steeped in dark academia. Kuang's passion for translation and language practically drips off the page, and the amount of research and care she put into writing this book is incredible. I could not put it down, and read it all in one sitting. Robin and his fellow peers went through a journey of struggles, experienced and lived through atrocities that Kuang did not hold back on describing such as racism, colonialism, and misogyny, yet I got to see the glimmers of their wonderful friendships along the way. Although the book is primarily told through Robin's point of view, all of the major characters had their own arcs and felt so real. The ending left me emotional and reeling and I am so grateful I got an early look at the book, as it is easily my top read of 2022 so far. R. F. Kuang has done it again! 5/5 stars

As is always the case with a highly anticipated book, I went into this scared of being let down. Those fears were unfounded. Babel is an immersive book about Oxford and linguistics, as well as an expertly crafted commentary on colonialism.

Kuang begins by painting a charming picture of Robin Swift's life at Oxford. But as time progresses slowly shatters the illusion both for her characters and the reader. The building sense of rage and dread was incredibly well done as Robin and his friends fully realize the truth of their peers and professors. The story really utilizes characterization to do the world building and I thought it was done incredibly well.

In short: Babel is a masterpiece.

I am utterly enthralled with this lush, dark, silver lining of a book. R.F. Kuang has now brought me my favorite Dark Academia of all time and to be quiet frank, she has created a beautiful master piece that will be enjoyed for centuries to come.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will be posted on Goodreads soon...

This book is genius and so insightful. Honestly at times the language and the descriptions were too far over the top for me. But I would totally recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy.

If you need another human babbling about this book, I am your person. I feel like RF Kuang knows how to write stories in a school setting so turning her sights to Dark Academia was absolutely genius.

It's astounding. There really aren't words for how ambitious this book is - it spans years, continents, languages, and cultures. I'm normally not a historical fantasy fan, but I would read this over and over again. For fans of the Poppy War, it reads like an R. F. Kuang book and features similar themes. But for fans of historical fiction who want to get into fantasy books, this is a great starting point.

It's full of moral conflicts, racial aggressions, and dialogues on industry. It's a dark academia epic spanning Robin's life, full of passionate characters and foes that will make you feel a visceral rage. There really aren't enough words to describe it, but beautiful sums it up pretty nicely.

*Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I read Babel from netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

I am in love. Let’s be honest. I was fairly sure that I was going to at least like this book. The author wrote the Poppy War and that series of books is amazing, and even in this book, opium and China makes itself known.

Honestly, this book made me fall in love with it. The story itself was amazing. Let’s be clear, I have only the most cursory knowledge of the history of Oxford itself and even the colonialism of Britain. What I know is what you learn in school and a little expanded on as I read a lot of British books in college and the history around those books during that time for papers. My professors were always pushing us to really want to dig into the history, and I did look into certain historical interests, but nothing has made me attracted and interested in really digging into the past of not just Oxford but of British colonialism than this book. I want to start first with all places that were mentioned in Babel and then continue my research beyond, as far as I can.

Of course, this book did more than make me fall in love with learning all over again, but that’s at the heart of the book. This book is set in a magical world, a type of dark academia world where language runs supreme. Where multiple languages are important to the working of the magic, but anyone from those other places are seen as lesser. Our protagonist is born in China himself. A boy from Canton who you quickly identify and know will never see him as truly his. He names himself Robin early in the book, and we never find out what his birth name was. And this fact stuck with me through everything I read. Through every hardship, through every time, he wore his Oxford uniform and was questioned for it. When his father called him inherently lazy and wicked because of his blood.

The very essence of this book is to make you question what happened back then. What is happening now. To look at the past that you were fed about a China soaked in opium and xenophobic to outsiders and to really see why that was. To see where the violence and anger come from. Thus, the title of the book.
And at every moment will be questions from the adults of “aren’t you grateful for what we gave you”. Even as they talk about how the abolition of slaves was a mistake. How they are better than everyone else. How savage everyone who isn’t English is. How dirty, lazy, and disease-ridden they are.
That said, I had fun reading as first Robin and then he and his friends all learned about different languages. I have no ear for languages myself, but just reading as he parsed them and figured out where certain words came from or how they came together was fascinating. It really showed how he dug in and appreciated all that it had to offer while his guardians looked down on the roots and the people that used them in everyday conversation.

As a whole, Robin was my favorite character. Out of the four friends, there is a reason to love them all for different reasons. They are all outcasts, even Letty isn’t welcome since she’s not the right gender. Though they need the three others for their languages, they find quickly that people like them often go missing without any real mourning or loss from those around them. As if something less than human was lost on an overseas trip.

The weaving of the academic and the intrigue is masterfully done, and I’ve already bought a hardcover of this book, and I cannot explain how much I loved this book. Seriously, this is one of my top reads this year, and I’ve read a lot, if you like fantasy, history, or dark acedemia books, then this should be right up your alley!

MAJOR AND BASICALLY ALL OF THE SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!!!!!

The facts are if you’re paying attention then the fates of all the characters are spelled out for you throughout the text. Even what will happen to Babel itself. The only one that I never had any real fear for, and thus had a bit of confusion about was Victoire. Which is explained in the last Interlude. You will find yourself hoping things go different to a lesser or greater degree. Robin’s father you half hope will redeem himself in some small way, that he will see that Robin and his people aren’t just resources to be exploited before he’s sacrificed or murdered. You hope that Letty will connect and emphasize with her friends even though we know that can’t happen based on what we’ve been told before. That their backgrounds are too dissimilar. And then we remember that she’s been brought up told and “knowing” her people are better and that Oxford isn’t perfect, but it’s as close as can be.

Her being a traitor should not be the surprise it is to us as it is to any of them. The writing was on the wall. The way she refused to listen. The way we all can’t stand the violence. The way the world turns and the narratives that they and all of us are told. I know I can’t stand violence.

Her actions that cut so many characters from our tale are all the more proof of this overwhelming need to make a change. The body of Ramiz is a churning hatred of what has happened in the narrative that led to this moment.

And in this, I have to say Robin is the one that I find myself most drawn to. You could say that this makes sense. He’s the protagonist. He was chosen by her to be our lead through this story of great academic discovery and violence. Also, I’m white. My people came to America and encroached and took over land through trickery like the political and word games they used while pushing opium onto China to get the resources they wanted. But I’ve written characters like him. Written those characters that hate violence until all they want is home, but all the people around them want is for them to give them the power they have. I wrote myself pulled from home and offered every luxury until I betrayed them for a chance to get home.

Robin starts out wanting to survive, then killing, then reaching for something greater, until only hate rests in his heart. Even as he’s told that the rich laugh as it’s only the poor that suffer their protest against a war on China. And, as the text has always told us, as he dies bringing down the tower of Babel and everything it stood for.

4.25-4.5 stars

R.F. Kuang wrote a compelling dark academia novel that opens up discussion on real world issues and injustices that often do not get enough page time. Babel is set in the 1800s at Oxford University and follows 4 new students of the translation program. Kuang managed to take the dark academia concept and put her own unique spin on it. She was able to invoke that feeling of love for scholarly pursuits, while also showing the damaging toll it can take. She showcases the beauty of language, but also how we can completely change the meaning of a story based on our own limitations/biases. The unique magic system also integrates the themes of translation perfectly.

<blockquote>Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving, through the world. No; a thousand worlds within one. And translation - a necessary endeavor, however futile, to move between them.</blockquote>

The novel addresses the racism faced by three of our main characters, and how individuals that are not directly affected by this on a daily basis, truly have no idea what these the persons go through. I really liked the approach that she took with this, especially the discussion that took place between the main characters, because I have not seen as in depth of a discussion about this in many other fantasy books.

<blockquote>And he wondered if there would ever be a day that came when all of this was unnecessary, when white people would look at him and Anthony and simply listen, when their words would have worth and value because they were uttered, when they would not have to hide who they were, when they wouldn't have to go through endless distortions just to be understood.</blockquote>

Kuang also manages to discuss grief, depression, and societal expectations. Her discussions on grief were cathartic to read as it puts words to thoughts and feelings most of us have had or will have at some point. The pain and suffering is not hidden in this novel and instead it is put on full display. Each of our characters has their own challenges/struggles and we get to see how each one deals with their circumstances and how that affects the others around them.

<blockquote>Grief suffocated. Grief paralyzed. Grief was a cruel, heavy boot pressed so hard against his chest that he could not breathe.</blockquote>

<blockquote>But they could not touch that abyss of grief. It was too early yet to give it a name, to shape and tame it with words, and any attempt would crush them.</blockquote>

The novel is separated into five books. The first half of the novel is a slow burn that introduces you to the characters and allows you to get an overall sense of our setting. The pacing in this section was a little too slow for me, though beautifully written, and I found myself putting the book down often. Once I reached the second half of the book, it truly took off and kept me engaged the whole time. The pacing and slight issues with character development towards the end of the book, are the only things that kept this from being a 5 star read for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed my reading experience and would highly recommend this book, not only for the plot/characters, but because it opens up a discussion on so many topics that so desperately need to be addressed.