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Babel by R.F. Kuang Published by Harper Voyager on August 23, 2022 Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Dark Academia, BIPOC Pages: 560 Format: Hardback Source: Purchased
Content Warnings: Racism, Classism, Death, Alcohol Use, Blood, Gore, Blackmail, Torture, Child Abuse, Gun Violence, Colonialism, Misogyny, Sexual Assault, Slavery, Self-Harm, Death of a Parent, Murder, War Rating:
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . . Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
Babelis my first experience with R.F. Kuang, as I have yet to read The Poppy Wars, and I was not disappointed. While I may not have rated Babel as high as other reviewers, it was still high up on my list of reads this year.
"Betrayal. Translation means doing violence upon the original, means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes."
Babel is an in-depth look at the harm colonialism has and is continuing to enact on society at large, set in a fantastical, alternative version of our own world where "magic" exists through the act of translation and silver bars. Despite it being set in an alternative reality, the message is no less an honest reflection of our world, where colonialism has led to the worst atrocities we have ever witnessed. Kuang ruthlessly explores the themes of colonialism, racism, and resistance, leaving very little up to interpretation.
Some readers have remarked that Kuang is "heavy-handed" in her writing, but I disagree. Just because the exploration and commentary are "obvious" doesn't mean the writing is heavy-handed. In a world where people are arguing that books are not political, I think we need more authors to be clear in their messaging.
Kuang not-so-politely holds up a mirror to the reader and modern society and asks us to confront our darkest demons. Under all the glamour and illusions, we find there is nothing but a failing system leading all of us to our inevitable doom. Robin, our main character, and his friends, who are largely non-white immigrants, are faced with the harsh realities of an oppressive system that is failing everyone except the ultra-wealthy. From capitalism and colonialism to misogyny and racism, our characters, and therefore we as readers, experience the very worst society has to offer, and things never get better.
"Only it builds up, doesn’t it? It doesn’t just disappear. And one day you start prodding at what you’ve suppressed. And it’s a mass of black rot, and it’s endless, horrifying, and you can’t look away."
It's through this exploration that we find ourselves siding with what society calls "terrorists," the individuals fighting against the system. The lengths our characters are willing to go to fight against oppression are the same lengths that so many people have gone through for centuries. This is a culmination of resistance, the desire to fight for freedom and liberation, even when death comes knocking. I was sobbing by the end of Babel, my heart aching for our characters and the world. From the language to the setting to the themes and magic system, Babelis a masterpiece.
“Power did not lie in the tip of a pen. Power did not work against its own interests. Power could only be brought to heel by acts of defiance it could not ignore. With brute, unflinching force. With violence.”
While I thought the story dragged in some parts and could have probably been about 150-200 pages shorter, I loved every minute of it. From the linguistic lessons to the footnotes, my breath was consistently taken away. I am such a sucker for footnotes, whether they are real or not; I believe they are a unique and interesting way to world-build. I loved the footnotes just as much here as I did in the Emily Wilde Trilogy. However, some parts were read like an academic textbook, with very little actually happening in the story. This was my biggest qualm with the book.
Furthermore, the magic system was profoundly unique. Translations were written on silver bars, which were then used to perform different tasks, like shielding the building or speeding up carriages. What was even more interesting was that the silver bar's function waned over time, and eventually, some word pairs no longer worked because the languages became too similar to each other. French and Spanish end up having words in common with English as societies intermingle and trade, resulting in a Frankenstein language. This was such a clever idea, and I ate it up.
I cannot recommend Babel enough, especially in light of current events, not just here in the United States, but all over the world. Alt-right ideologies and politics are on the rise, which is a threat to all of us, not just a few. I encourage you to educate yourself through diverse viewpoints and take whatever actions you can to fight against oppression.
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Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan Series: Until We Shatter #1 Published by Hodderscape on October 17, 2024 Genres:YA Fantasy, Romance, LGBT Pages: 319 Format: Hardback Source: Illumicrate
A desperate thief. An impossible heist. Survive . . . or shatter. No matter where she goes, Cemmy's life is under threat. The Church would see her killed for having any magic. The Council of Shades wants her dead for not having enough. So when her mother falls ill, Cemmy has no choice but to turn thief. And when she's offered a job that could solve all their problems, it's impossible to resist. The catch? Cemmy will have to work with Chase - beautiful, dangerous, and full of secrets - to steal a powerful relic the Church has hidden within a deadly realm of shadows. If she succeeds, Cemmy will finally be safe. But if she's caught, she risks igniting a spark that could destroy the city - and everyone inside . . .
First of all, I am not a huge fan of the heist trope. I am not sure why it always rubs me the wrong way, but it is rare for me to enjoy a story about stealing, even if the stealing is "justified." Time and time again, someone betrays the team for selfish reasons, things crumble right when success is within reach, and innocent people often pay a terrible price for nothing.
"And when power is afraid, you can always trust it to make the most morally bankrupt choice."
Until We Shatter is certainly a unique take on the heist trope, with our motley crew using an alternate reality to steal from an oppressive religious government that is seeking to eradicate magic and everyone capable of doing magic. The parallels between the trials and tribulations faced by Shades and Hues, those with the ability to use magic, and what modern-day Palestinians face are uncanny. We have an outside government using religion and colonialism to genocide an entire group of people. The Shades and Hues were essentially rounded up and forced to live in only certain parts of the city, a city they helped found and start, and then deprived of food, clean water, medicine, and stability, all under the guise of religious purity and supposed violence. The Church constantly tries to incite violence (which is really just self-defense) from the Shades in an attempt to take away even more of their land and freedoms. Sound familiar?
This subtext was excellently executed, with gorgeous prose to boot. Dylan is certainly a gifted writer, constructing sentences in such a way as to keep the reader fully engaged and emersed in the text. However, while she is strong in language, she is not strong in world-building or character development.
The first half of the book felt like a brain dump of facts about the world and its magic system. The magic system was so convoluted it was often hard to keep up with the powers possessed by each type of Shade and Hue. This book would have benefited greatly from an Appendix that included a chart of all the possible combinations and their powers. After a while, I was able to put together the basics, but I did give up trying to remember every single detail. It was confusing and complicated for no other reason than to be extra. It's okay to have complicated magic systems, but when they are poorly done, it takes away from the entire experience.
Furthermore, I didn't particularly connect with all of our characters. I was rooting for them because I wanted them to take down an oppressive system, but I wasn't so attached that I cried when they were injured or killed. That is a failure on Dylan's part for sure. The heist trope relies on readers falling in love with the characters—that is what makes the book high stakes, but it was lacking here. However, there was both bisexual and deaf representation, both of which were beautifully integrated into the story. I am a sucker for good representation.
Overall, Until We Shatter was just fine. I had my heartstrings pulled a time or two and cared enough to finish, but it's not necessarily a series I think I will continue. Book 2 looks like it is taking a very different turn away from the original story, so I may give it a chance, but I am not overly enthusiastic about it. This is the perfect book to cleanse your palate or bump up your monthly reading count in a pinch.
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Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven Published by Wednesday Books on March 4, 2025 Genres:YA Fantasy, Romance, LGBT Pages: 352 Format: Hardback Source: OwlCrate
Content Warnings: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, Classism, Sexual Assault, Domestic Abuse, Suicide, Blood, Forced Institutionalization, Death, Torture, Kidnapping, Cancer Rating:
They've loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They've killed each other in every one. Evelyn can remember all her past lives. She can also remember that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being linked to her soul. The problem is that she’s quite fond of the life she’s in now, and her little sister needs her in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she’ll have to find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life before they find her first, figure out why she’s being hunted and finally break their curse, and try not to fall in love . . . again.
Our Infinite Fates is a love story that transcends time and space; a yearning that will leave you breathless in the best way possible. Despite how much I loved this story, there was a moment Steven lost me, but she was able to suck me back in right at the very end.
Our Infinite Fates alternates through time, with some chapters taking place in modern day and others occurring in the past. Honestly, I could have skipped the present-day story, which played too much of a central focus in my opinion, and just followed this pair of souls across time and space. I felt the same way while reading Paula Brackston's The Witch's Daughter, preferring the historical parts of the story. That isn't to say the modern story isn't interesting or worthy of reading; it just didn't pique my fascination as much as the past did.
“I love you, I have loved you, and I will love you.”
Steven does an amazing job showing reincarnation andhow souls change as time wears on, being reborn in multiple bodies of all colors, shapes, sizes, genders, and nationalities. The fluidity of the characters' souls was so beautiful, with them both finding each other in every lifetime, no matter what society dictated. Tragically, both souls have to die in every lifetime before the age of 18 due to a mysterious curse. This curse looms over their entire existence, a curse only one of them can remember, but will take both of them to break.
The suspense and impending doom, the resignation in Arden (the current incarnation of the soul who remembers), and the longing to be together left my heart both racing and in shambles. Steven really does know how to suck a reader into a story, but the twist was so awkwardly done that it pulled me out of the story.
Obviously, Our Infinite Fates has fantastical elements, and the twist certainly leaned heavily into fantasy, particularly religious doctrine. What angered me the most, however, was Arden's absolute refusal to give our protagonist any information throughout multiple lifetimes. I understand they had been burned in the past, but as a reader looking in, I was absolutely frustrated by the lack of information and their coldness. When Arden is finally forced to reveal the truth, things have gone so sideways in the story that it doesn't matter anymore.
Steven lost me with the fantastical subplot that occurs after their death, but the last chapter sucked me back in, offering an alternate explanation to the curse and the fate of our protagonists. It was this last chapter that sucked me back in and left me breathless. Ultimately, however, I was left wanting more; more history, more understanding, more timeless yearning, more true love and affection, more characterization...just...more. I would love to see Steven tell the story of their beginning, and maybe even give some more details of the past.
Despite the lack of plot, Steven's writing is fantastic. She does an amazing job leaving the reader in the dark as we follow a largely unreliable narrator, with beautiful prose and even some excellent one-liners. I loved the souls' vows to each other so much that I incorporated “I love you, I have loved you, and I will love you" into my own wedding vows.
"Translation in a colonized state is an act of violence..."
Furthermore, Steven begins to address some cultural issues facing different groups of people, as seen in the quote above, but never dives deep into any of these issues. While I appreciate the subtext, it would have been more meaningful if the plot engaged such issues. Ultimately, Our Infinite Fateswas just okay. It is not the best book I've read or the worst.
