At Babel, they’re valuable because of how they could aid Britain’s colonial efforts, but outside of it, they’re treated as outcasts.

Robin, Ramy, and Victoire are all minorities navigating 19th-century England. While the world of Babel is a fantastical one, the characters and their experiences were grounded in reality.

When they laughed, I laughed, when they cried, I cried, and ultimately, when everything fell apart, my heartbreak felt real. There are moments where I wished (and sometimes even felt ) like I was one of the gang. Whether it’s commentary on heavier topics like race and colonialism or things like the depth of love Robin and his friends have for each other, Kuang wields words as if they were knives and has a way of always nailing me right where it hurts: the feels.Ī post shared by Ashleigh 🍂🍄 of the feels, I would absolutely die for Robin and his friends, and that’s in no small part due to how Kuang brings the characters to life on the page. There are passages upon passages that resonated with me that I know I’m going to want to remember for the rest of my life. I haven’t annotated a book since college, but I found myself using Kindle’s highlight feature nonstop. That said, as soon as I realized Babel wasn’t my usual fare, I reframed my expectations and dove headfirst into the world. Namely, a shameless romance between a tall, dark, and handsome man and a badass main character whose responsibility, for some reason, is to save the world. It’s a slow start, for sure, but Babel also doesn’t have many of the elements I’m currently loving in my fantasy books. To the point where I even contemplated shutting down my kindle and never returning to it. While I’ve thus far raved about Babel, I’ve got to be honest: The first few chapters didn’t sell me on it. While I absolutely loved this book and the story will stay with me for a very long time, I would be remiss not to mention that it is also at times very hard to read.

Please check the trigger warnings before picking it up. And if you’re not sure if dark academia is your thing, the book’s exploration of larger themes like colonization, race, and friendship is so thorough that any reader is bound to take something away from it.įair warning, Babel is a heavy book that doesn’t shy away from or skirt around the trauma Robin and his cohort experience. If you loved Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, or any other dark academia story, Babel is a can’t-miss. Instead, this is a story of love and identity and what it means to belong set on the enchanting backdrop of Oxford University. While it’s categorized as a fantasy, those elements are not the heart of Babel. If your Pinterest aesthetic mood board is filled with cobblestone streets, fall hues, beautiful old buildings, rain, and old books, then this book is the dark academia story of your dreams. A post shared by Lauren | Bookstagram Will Love It

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