It’s taken me a month to put together my thoughts on this book, on the brutal reality of it, on the characters and their fates, and on the grand finale itself.

Even after a month of thinking, I can’t say anything about this masterpiece of a book that hasn’t already been said! But in short it’s a beautiful character study, deeply immersive, heart wrenching, and a brilliantly executed exploration of colonialism and racism. 

And on top of that, it has one of the most unique and well thought out magic systems I have ever encountered! I have always adored hard magic systems, so I LOVED being immersed into the art of silver-working, with all its applications and restrictions. However, while the magic system is brilliant it is by no means the most important aspect of this book! 

The social and historical commentary and the intricate relationships between the characters themselves are the primary focus of the story. Silver-working is merely the means by which Kuang explores these themes, and I truly believe that this story could be loved just as much by non-fantasy readers as fantasy readers!

So, if you haven’t read Babel yet, this is your sign! And I beg you, even if you don’t usually enjoy the fantasy genre, to give it a try.