I liked but didn’t love The Poppy War trilogy, but I absolutely loved Babel! It was incredible, a step above my very high expectations, and one of the best books I’ve read this year. As a linguistics major who studied abroad at Oxford, I loved the use of languages as the magic system and the Oxford setting. It was everything I wanted. Plus her narrative on colonization was spot on. Everything about the book was so well written. I cried. I’ve already pre-ordered 3 different editions. Please read it. ❤️
Yess! Glad you loved Babel even if you didn't love The Poppy War trilogy. I loved The Poppy War trilogy and I still think Babel is better than it. Hearing someone majoring in linguistics who studied abroad at Oxford love this book is a great reassurance! :)
Such a great review! That quote encapsulates the purpose of a translator and, having studied translation and linguistics, it reminded me of why I love languages so much! I cannot wait for the release of this book! 😍
The synopsis of this one intrigued me, but since I haven't read the Poppy War trilogy, I was planning to wait for reviews before ordering it. Your review and the quotes you included convinced me to pre-order the gorgeous Waterstones exclusive edition.
Thank you for this amazing review, Petrik! I cannot wait to read this book! Babel comes out on my birthday, and starting it will be a fun way to celebrate! Cheers!
I'm halfway through (audiobook just launched in singapore last thursday) and I'm already addicted. Just got to the "violet in a crucible" part you highlighted and damn! That was some amazing writing. I agree with you that with Poppy War and Babel under her belt, Kuang is shaping up as one of my fave authors too.
Thank you for this review, Petrik! Having read and mostly enjoyed The Poppy War Trilogy, I'm genuinely intrigued to read Babel. Perhaps it will also help me to figure out what "dark academia" means!
Thank you, Philip! Seeing that you've read Poppy War trilogy, it will be intriguing to hear your thoughts on this. Academic, English, and linguistic are some of the focus of the book. 😄
I'm really looking forward to this one - it's already on pre-order. If you want another work of dark academia, check out The Secret History by Donna Tartt - it's fantastic. Thanks for the review!
Thank you so much! I think you'll love this one. The Secret History is probably one of the most popular dark academia novel I know, and I really have to give it a try! :)
I love the fact that this book highlights languages; I don't think it's done enough these days. I am bilingual in Arabic (first), English (second) related a lot with the passage from the book you shared earlier. Thinking in two language and mixing them up is real. :p My excitement for this is brewing more and more. Thank you for the well researched and prepared review.
Thank you so much! Yeah, I think fantasy books that focus on languages are relatively low. It will be interesting to hear your thoughts since you're bilingual, Ghalib! :)
What a superb and fabulous review, Petrik! It was already on my most anticipated list but hearing your incredibly articulate review - I really need it now!! 😅
As a translator (from EN to FR) and Fantasy/history/theme lover, I just can't wait to read that book! The quotes you mentioned are truly amazing and profound, and I feel seen and appreciated for my work. :') Though I'm fluent only in English and French, I have a B1 level in modern Greek and can read to some extent Spanish and Italian, which I both studied years ago, whether in a school setting or on my own. So I know this particular novel will speak to me. Now I'm actually tempted to preorder a physical copy. :0 Also, I'm hoping you'll find ways to keep your Chinese alive, that knowledge is truly a treasure to cherish. 😌
I'm doing my best to keep my Chinese alive bit by bit! :) Translating is an incredibly important work in literature. So well done on becoming a translator! I think you will have a lot of things to love in this book. It's not long now before it's out to the world. And hey, being fluent in English and French is GOOD! Bravo!
@@PetrikLeo Thank you :) I think knowing two languages from two very different language families is always impressive, especially if you had no one to speak it to you (I only had pretty detached teachers in high school and some limited exposition in elementary school). But Chinese and Greek are another game altogether. 🥴
Wow! Wonderful review as always,Petrie! And I loved how you approached it with this one! I’ve been waiting for Babel since I’ve finished The Poppy War almost 2 years ago and I remember your review is the one that got me into the trilogy in the first place. And being a huge lover of dark academia and Kuang, I literally dream about this book lol. Haven’t clicked on any video that fast before ! 👏
Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear my review convinced you to read The Poppy War trilogy and you end up loving them! I hope you'll love Babel, too! 😄
I was on the fence with this book (because I liked the Poppy War trilogy but didn't love it), but your review made me pre-order. Thanks for the great review! :)
You're welcome! I think even if you dislike The Poppy War, there's still a big chance of you enjoying Babel. It's a different kind of book from The Poppy War trilogy! 😄
New to the channel and first comment here. Though I know you mostly from your diverse range of Goodreads reviews (which are so well-written and helpful), your channel is equally great. As an example, your Fall of Babel review resonated with me so much - I loved Senlin Ascends and after finishing the final book, I was so disappointed that reading your review was therapeutic. 🙂 Great review! (maybe I'm a little jealous that you already ready this 😄) The Poppy War didn't really work for me but Babel is my only anticipated release in 2022*. I look forward to reading it. The extract you showed is fascinating and also quite technical - the research topic is perhaps very close to the author's interests. *Maybe also Into The Narrowdark by Tad Williams but I still need to read Empire of Grass so I'll probably read everything back to back when the final book comes out in 2023!
Thank you so much, Paromita! Always glad to hear my reviews on Goodreads being helpful. I was so disappointed with the final book of The Books of Babel! I know it's on an unpopular opinion, though, hahaha. I hope you will love Babel and Into the Narrowdark when you get to them! For Babel, only a few weeks until it's out! :)
@@PetrikLeo I know! I was so underwhelmed because I thought The Books of Babel would be one of my top series and now I can't even reread Senlin because of the ending. 😔 Your review described my thoughts perfectly. You're right about Babel - I'm just trying to go in with managed expectations and not give in to the hype. 😄 Happy reading!
As soon as I saw your stelar Goodreads review I hoped you will post a video as well, and here it is! I am so glad you had a great experience with "Babel". I love the first volume "The Poppy War", but I just have to wait to be in a better mindset/ mood for "The Dragon Republic". I did struggle a bit with Rin's atitude through the first 10 chapters, but I have the feeling it will get better. So excited for the month of August.
Rin is insanely difficult to tolerate in Dragon's Republic, I actually wanted to slap her nonstop in that book! 😂 Babel definitely has a much more likable set of characters, imo!
It's so good to hear you enjoyed "Babel" so much! It's still on my TBR and I'm looking forward to read it. First I'll have to finish "The Poppy War" trilogy though. XD Great review!
Thank you, my friend! Yeah, this one will be worth the wait! Thankfully, you dont have to read The Poppy War first to read this one as they're not related. 😄
The more I hear about this book, the more I want to read it. I'm currently rereading The Poppy War and I'm loving it. And being bilingual myself and interested in all things mentioned I feel like even though Dark Academia is a genre I haven't tried before I should really give it a go 🙊
Nice! I think people who speak more than one language can relate a lot to the contents portrayed in this book! I'm not a fan of dark academia, too, but this one just compels me! :)
Dammit Petrik, how dare you make me even more excited to read this book? Is it August already? Please? 🥲 Haha no but seriously, I am so happy to hear that you loved this book so much! I know how special The Poppy War is for you, so it's incredibly exciting to hear you say that this one surpassed it in your opinion! As a non-native English speaker, I have a feeling that I will be able to relate to the same things that you did regarding language and translation. Everything about this book sounds right up my alley, I am so excited! Thank you for this incredible review, I loved hearing your thoughts 🥰
Thank you so much, Esmay! Yeah, I think this one is definitely her most well-written book so far! And yes, I do think this will be a great read for you as well because you speak multiple languages, too! :)
I won't be reading The Poppy War trilogy because it is not my cup of tea. This book, on the other hand, I can't wait to have in my hands! Thank you for giving a spoiler-free review, as always.
Thank you so much for this review! I absolutely loved the poppy war and Babel sounds so good, but it does sound quite complicated from the synopsis.. Do you think it's a harder to understand than the poppy war?
I read the first books of the Poppy War and was not a fan yet Kuang is one of the authors I still follow and respect on social media despite not having been a fan of her writing. Nevertheless, while the premise of Babel seems ambitious it does not seem very intriguing IMHO. It's almost like she took inspiration from her dissertation studies and decided to make a fiction from it. That being said, I will probably pick this up to based on your recommendation and for curiosity's sake.
Interesting! But I can see why you think that way. There were some sections where the discussions on etymology did get too wordy, but it didn't bother me overall. I hope it will be work out well for you, I definitely found the book to be compelling and superb. 😄
Well … I am even more hyped now. But to be honest I haven’t read the Poppy War trilogy. Keep putting it off. Would you recommend starting here since it’s a standalone
Im finishing this one tonight. It is a very interesting book, Alternative history with magic system central to the rise of the Brittish empire. Not for eveybody though. The themes concerning injustice and racism, are the most interesting to me.
I can't wait when the library receives copies of the book even though the burning god was a let down for me I still enjoyed the poppy war and the dragon Republic
I'm actually really sad to say this, but I didn't like it, and dnfed after chapter 10 🙁. Was not really intrigued from the start, but hoped after a character appeared at the end of chapter 3 that it will get more interesting. It didn't. And since last 2 chapters I listened, while reading news and scrolling social media, I decided that's enough. Might be that dark academia is not for me, or that it was too much about themes, struggles, repeating lessons, while nothing was actually happening. Do you know if there is any summary of the book, didn't find much. I would like to know what actually happens, without reading the last 300 pages...
He said that he has never visited out of Asia but his channel details confirm the origin of the channel as the United States. Can anybody tell me what is the issue with this?
Oh, that is just my setting! 😅 I first put it as Indonesia, but I heard from some content creators that I should put that as United States because most of my viewers and sponsors I'm dealing with are from United States and English speaking countries. So it supposedly will lead to better views. I'm not sure how true that is, though! RUclipsrs can change that location to anywhere they want regardless of where they're located.
I was rather disappointed with this one, I’m glad you liked it though. It had lots of promise, but about 60% kinda lost its way for me, when it finally found a plot, funnily.
I'm currently reading Babel and I have to say I'm for now disappointed with the book... I'll wait until I finish the book but 350 pages in, I don't find it particularly exciting. I love the idea of silverworking, and the importance of translation and the general themes of colonialism and imperialism connected to that (especially as I'm an immigrant in the UK!). I think the two key issues for me are 1) pacing (nothing happens for pretty much 200 pages) and 2) the main plot is around Robin's choice and loyalty in this world and I feel like we don't actually get much of his thought process (I'd love to read more of a Robin Hobb-style of writing which explores in depth the characters' struggles) - or maybe I'm just a bit annoyed at how easily the main character seems to move on with things, at times it doesn't feel that realistic to me. I'm not sure but I'm missing something to really connect! Hopefully, the ending will make the whole experience worth it! Btw - Oxford is as pretty and charming as the book makes it sound ;)
Ah, that's too bad! I hope the rest of the book will work better for you, but it might be difficult if you're struggling with it, already. That said... I will make sure to visit Oxford one day! It's one of my bucket lists to go to the UK! :D
That's too bad. I have nothing against her. I won't change your mind, though. I know I couldn't even push myself to read Ender's Game (which I tried, and it just.... eh) because the author is one of the vilest people I've seen and it's still getting a lot of love everywhere.
@@PetrikLeo I haven't heard that about Orson Scott Card; that's a shame, I've always wanted to read his books. Oh well. But yeah, from what I have seen of her she's just not a nice person and accuses people of really dumb things. I'm mainly talking about her acceptance speech from WorldCon a couple of years ago where she called the organizers and hosts of being racist when they clearly weren't. It just kind of turned me off to her, which is a shame because I have heard AMAZING things about the Poppy War trilogy and this book looks really good. So this isn't a judgement call on her as an author, more so her character. I really love your channel, Petrik! You've turned me on to a lot of series, books and writers like John Gwynne, Josiah Bancroft, and Fonda Lee. Thank you so much and have a great day!
That book was the biggest disappointment of my reading year. I was not interested in the language stuff. The plot is extremely slow. Only Robin was a bearable character, the others had one character trait (being discriminated). Kuans description of white people is so one-dimensional.
I liked but didn’t love The Poppy War trilogy, but I absolutely loved Babel! It was incredible, a step above my very high expectations, and one of the best books I’ve read this year. As a linguistics major who studied abroad at Oxford, I loved the use of languages as the magic system and the Oxford setting. It was everything I wanted. Plus her narrative on colonization was spot on. Everything about the book was so well written. I cried. I’ve already pre-ordered 3 different editions. Please read it. ❤️
Yess! Glad you loved Babel even if you didn't love The Poppy War trilogy. I loved The Poppy War trilogy and I still think Babel is better than it. Hearing someone majoring in linguistics who studied abroad at Oxford love this book is a great reassurance! :)
I really like languages and wish I spoke multiple, that’s so impressive.
I still need to get to this.
Great review, Petrik🥰
Thank you so much!! Learning multiple languages are beneficial! 😁😁
Such a great review! That quote encapsulates the purpose of a translator and, having studied translation and linguistics, it reminded me of why I love languages so much! I cannot wait for the release of this book! 😍
Thank you so much, Lorena! A translator is so needed in this world! :)
The synopsis of this one intrigued me, but since I haven't read the Poppy War trilogy, I was planning to wait for reviews before ordering it. Your review and the quotes you included convinced me to pre-order the gorgeous Waterstones exclusive edition.
The Waterstones exclusive edition looks so damn good. At the very least, if you end up not liking it, it will look beautiful on your bookshelves! :)
Thank you for this amazing review, Petrik! I cannot wait to read this book! Babel comes out on my birthday, and starting it will be a fun way to celebrate! Cheers!
You're welcome, Johanna! This would make a lovely birthday present for you! 😄
I'm halfway through (audiobook just launched in singapore last thursday) and I'm already addicted. Just got to the "violet in a crucible" part you highlighted and damn! That was some amazing writing.
I agree with you that with Poppy War and Babel under her belt, Kuang is shaping up as one of my fave authors too.
Ooohhhh! That "violet in a crucible" part was amazingly written. 🤩 You'll love the second half of the book! 😁
Thank you for this review, Petrik! Having read and mostly enjoyed The Poppy War Trilogy, I'm genuinely intrigued to read Babel. Perhaps it will also help me to figure out what "dark academia" means!
Thank you, Philip! Seeing that you've read Poppy War trilogy, it will be intriguing to hear your thoughts on this. Academic, English, and linguistic are some of the focus of the book. 😄
I'm really looking forward to this one - it's already on pre-order. If you want another work of dark academia, check out The Secret History by Donna Tartt - it's fantastic. Thanks for the review!
Thank you so much! I think you'll love this one. The Secret History is probably one of the most popular dark academia novel I know, and I really have to give it a try! :)
I love the fact that this book highlights languages; I don't think it's done enough these days. I am bilingual in Arabic (first), English (second) related a lot with the passage from the book you shared earlier. Thinking in two language and mixing them up is real. :p My excitement for this is brewing more and more. Thank you for the well researched and prepared review.
Thank you so much! Yeah, I think fantasy books that focus on languages are relatively low. It will be interesting to hear your thoughts since you're bilingual, Ghalib! :)
@@PetrikLeo thank you Petrik! I have preordered the hardback and cannot wait for it to come September 1st.
I was already excited for this book, but this review absolutely moved it to one of my top 3 most anticipated 2022 SFF releases! Great review Petrik!
Thank you so much, Alex! May this be worth the wait. Btw, I'm 300 pages into Wall of Storms and it's so incredible already. 🤩
@@PetrikLeo yes!! If you are already loving it 300 pages in, you’re in for a treat with the second half…so good!
Wow, what a quote! Thank-you so much for this review Petric. Another great book for the TBR
Thank you for the kind words! Definitely worth taking a look! 😄
What a superb and fabulous review, Petrik! It was already on my most anticipated list but hearing your incredibly articulate review - I really need it now!! 😅
Thank you so much, Lauren!! Here's hoping my review won't lead you astray. 😂
You’ve never let me down yet, Petrik! 😊 I have 100% faith in your reviews! 😄
@@amongstthebookshelves aww I'm happy to hear that! 😊
@@PetrikLeo 🤗🤗
As a translator (from EN to FR) and Fantasy/history/theme lover, I just can't wait to read that book! The quotes you mentioned are truly amazing and profound, and I feel seen and appreciated for my work. :') Though I'm fluent only in English and French, I have a B1 level in modern Greek and can read to some extent Spanish and Italian, which I both studied years ago, whether in a school setting or on my own. So I know this particular novel will speak to me. Now I'm actually tempted to preorder a physical copy. :0
Also, I'm hoping you'll find ways to keep your Chinese alive, that knowledge is truly a treasure to cherish. 😌
I'm doing my best to keep my Chinese alive bit by bit! :)
Translating is an incredibly important work in literature. So well done on becoming a translator! I think you will have a lot of things to love in this book. It's not long now before it's out to the world. And hey, being fluent in English and French is GOOD! Bravo!
@@PetrikLeo Thank you :) I think knowing two languages from two very different language families is always impressive, especially if you had no one to speak it to you (I only had pretty detached teachers in high school and some limited exposition in elementary school). But Chinese and Greek are another game altogether. 🥴
My most anticipated release of the year... This just hyped me up more!
Woohoo!! It will be worth the wait! 😄
Wow! Wonderful review as always,Petrie! And I loved how you approached it with this one! I’ve been waiting for Babel since I’ve finished The Poppy War almost 2 years ago and I remember your review is the one that got me into the trilogy in the first place. And being a huge lover of dark academia and Kuang, I literally dream about this book lol. Haven’t clicked on any video that fast before ! 👏
Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear my review convinced you to read The Poppy War trilogy and you end up loving them! I hope you'll love Babel, too! 😄
Cari reviewan Babel trus nemu channel ini & ternyata orang Indo. Makasih udah bahas Babel ✨
Sama2! Moga2 suka Babel yahh hehehe 😁
The hair now fits perfect!😌🤙
Thank you! 😊
I was on the fence with this book (because I liked the Poppy War trilogy but didn't love it), but your review made me pre-order. Thanks for the great review! :)
You're welcome! I think even if you dislike The Poppy War, there's still a big chance of you enjoying Babel. It's a different kind of book from The Poppy War trilogy! 😄
Great review! This sounds like such a fascinating concept.
Thank you so much, Joshua! 😊
Great review. I am looking forward to this one. Sounds like something I will really enjoy.
Thank you so much! I hope you will enjoy it! 😄
New to the channel and first comment here. Though I know you mostly from your diverse range of Goodreads reviews (which are so well-written and helpful), your channel is equally great. As an example, your Fall of Babel review resonated with me so much - I loved Senlin Ascends and after finishing the final book, I was so disappointed that reading your review was therapeutic. 🙂
Great review! (maybe I'm a little jealous that you already ready this 😄) The Poppy War didn't really work for me but Babel is my only anticipated release in 2022*. I look forward to reading it. The extract you showed is fascinating and also quite technical - the research topic is perhaps very close to the author's interests.
*Maybe also Into The Narrowdark by Tad Williams but I still need to read Empire of Grass so I'll probably read everything back to back when the final book comes out in 2023!
Thank you so much, Paromita! Always glad to hear my reviews on Goodreads being helpful. I was so disappointed with the final book of The Books of Babel! I know it's on an unpopular opinion, though, hahaha. I hope you will love Babel and Into the Narrowdark when you get to them! For Babel, only a few weeks until it's out! :)
@@PetrikLeo I know! I was so underwhelmed because I thought The Books of Babel would be one of my top series and now I can't even reread Senlin because of the ending. 😔 Your review described my thoughts perfectly.
You're right about Babel - I'm just trying to go in with managed expectations and not give in to the hype. 😄
Happy reading!
As soon as I saw your stelar Goodreads review I hoped you will post a video as well, and here it is! I am so glad you had a great experience with "Babel". I love the first volume "The Poppy War", but I just have to wait to be in a better mindset/ mood for "The Dragon Republic". I did struggle a bit with Rin's atitude through the first 10 chapters, but I have the feeling it will get better.
So excited for the month of August.
Rin is insanely difficult to tolerate in Dragon's Republic, I actually wanted to slap her nonstop in that book! 😂 Babel definitely has a much more likable set of characters, imo!
Great review! I'm looking forward to reading this one.
Thank you, Jeremy! It's an incredible book! 😄
30 seconds in and I already pre ordered the book thinking “What have I done” in Anakin Skywalker voice
Seriously laughing at this hahahaha! 🤣
This sounds very interesting. I wonder how this would sound as an audiobook. Thanks you as always for your reviews!
You're welcome, Luis! I've heard the audiobook will have higher production than usual. Give it a try! :D
Thank you! Babel just went on my TBR. I have a linguistic background, so like you, I'm sure I will love this book.
You're welcome! I think you will find Babel to be a wonderful read then! :)
YES. Dying for this book and hyped for your review!
Thank you so much, Ian!!
It's so good to hear you enjoyed "Babel" so much! It's still on my TBR and I'm looking forward to read it. First I'll have to finish "The Poppy War" trilogy though. XD Great review!
Thank you, my friend! Yeah, this one will be worth the wait! Thankfully, you dont have to read The Poppy War first to read this one as they're not related. 😄
The more I hear about this book, the more I want to read it. I'm currently rereading The Poppy War and I'm loving it. And being bilingual myself and interested in all things mentioned I feel like even though Dark Academia is a genre I haven't tried before I should really give it a go 🙊
Nice! I think people who speak more than one language can relate a lot to the contents portrayed in this book! I'm not a fan of dark academia, too, but this one just compels me! :)
Great to get another video, Petrik. Have a great weekend.
Thank you so much, Scully! Have a great weekend, too!
This review was brilliant - thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you so much, Raf! Very kind of you! :)
i really am excited for this
It's brilliant! 😄
Dammit Petrik, how dare you make me even more excited to read this book? Is it August already? Please? 🥲
Haha no but seriously, I am so happy to hear that you loved this book so much! I know how special The Poppy War is for you, so it's incredibly exciting to hear you say that this one surpassed it in your opinion!
As a non-native English speaker, I have a feeling that I will be able to relate to the same things that you did regarding language and translation. Everything about this book sounds right up my alley, I am so excited!
Thank you for this incredible review, I loved hearing your thoughts 🥰
Thank you so much, Esmay! Yeah, I think this one is definitely her most well-written book so far! And yes, I do think this will be a great read for you as well because you speak multiple languages, too! :)
I am so excited! I am finishing up a book now and then diving right into this one!
Awesome!! I hope you'll love it, too! 😄
fantastic review!! can't wait to get into it sometime myself.. thanks
Thank you so much, Kit! I hope you will enjoy this! :)
Great review, Petrik! I am so incredibly intrigued by this book! August can't come soon enough.
Thank you! August will be a great month for fantasy! 😄
I won't be reading The Poppy War trilogy because it is not my cup of tea. This book, on the other hand, I can't wait to have in my hands!
Thank you for giving a spoiler-free review, as always.
You're welcome! I think even if you dislike The Poppy War, there's still a huge chance of loving this one! :)
It sounds intriguing. I'll wait for a paperback or borrow from a library.
Sounds good, Curt! :)
Now I just have to pick which cover to pre-order, they are both stunning 😍
I'm still undecided, too! Help! 🤣
This sounds pretty cool. I still need to read Poppy War.
Both are great in their own way! 😄
Thank you for good video!! I will definitely purchase this book!! Happy reading to you!! 🎥🎬
Thank you! Happy reading to you, too! 😄
I haven't read The Poppy War trilogy, but I will read this one. I love the Academic setting AND it is a standalone fantasy.
Fingers crossed you will love this and The Poppy War trilogy when you get to read them! 😄
I’m definitely exited to read it
That's great! 😄
Thank you Petril, but please stop... I keep adding book to my already overwhelming TBR because of you! 🤣
But I need many people to accompany me being destroyed by the overwhelming TBR pile! 🤣
So happy to hear you liked Babel as much as I did. Jeeze our tastes are similar :)
Woohoo! Glad you loved it, too, Sean! 😄
Thank you so much for this review! I absolutely loved the poppy war and Babel sounds so good, but it does sound quite complicated from the synopsis.. Do you think it's a harder to understand than the poppy war?
I think some parts in Babel can be too dense, but overall I think the plot is relatively easy to understand. 😄
@@PetrikLeo thank you! 😊
I read the first books of the Poppy War and was not a fan yet Kuang is one of the authors I still follow and respect on social media despite not having been a fan of her writing. Nevertheless, while the premise of Babel seems ambitious it does not seem very intriguing IMHO. It's almost like she took inspiration from her dissertation studies and decided to make a fiction from it. That being said, I will probably pick this up to based on your recommendation and for curiosity's sake.
Interesting! But I can see why you think that way. There were some sections where the discussions on etymology did get too wordy, but it didn't bother me overall. I hope it will be work out well for you, I definitely found the book to be compelling and superb. 😄
I read Babel on September 27 abd it’s the best, the most perfect, the most beautiful andr the most brilliant book I’ve ever read.
I'm happy to hear that! Babel is amazing. One of my favorite books of the year, too! 😁
I really don’t read fantasy novels but this one sounds so intriguing.
It's more like a historical fantasy, I think you'll love it even if you don't read fantasy novels!
I thought poppy war was chock full of good ideas, but execution needed some work, so I'm excited to see how this next work from her works out
I definitely think the author's prose and storytelling have vastly improved since The Poppy War!
@@PetrikLeo That’s encouraging as I gave up on her first effort/2nd book of trilogy. It sounds intriguing.
Well … I am even more hyped now. But to be honest I haven’t read the Poppy War trilogy. Keep putting it off. Would you recommend starting here since it’s a standalone
Totally. It's a one off standalone, and less of a commitment compared to The Poppy War trilogy!
@@PetrikLeo thanks. Off to order my copy …
Im finishing this one tonight. It is a very interesting book, Alternative history with magic system central to the rise of the Brittish empire. Not for eveybody though. The themes concerning injustice and racism, are the most interesting to me.
Well said, and I completely agree it's not for everybody! I think R.F. Kuang did an excellent job discussing the themes you mentioned! :)
Thank you!!
You're welcome!
I can't wait when the library receives copies of the book even though the burning god was a let down for me I still enjoyed the poppy war and the dragon Republic
Awesome! I think you will have a great time reading through this book regardless of what you feel about The Poppy War trilogy! :)
I finished reading babel it's good r.f kuang did a great job
Awesome! I think it's incredible, too! :)
Go Petrik!
Thank you!! 😄
Want to buy! But when I see it in rupiah 😭
Yeah! It's 300,000 for the UK hardback in Book Depository. If that fits your expense! :)
I'm actually really sad to say this, but I didn't like it, and dnfed after chapter 10 🙁.
Was not really intrigued from the start, but hoped after a character appeared at the end of chapter 3 that it will get more interesting. It didn't. And since last 2 chapters I listened, while reading news and scrolling social media, I decided that's enough.
Might be that dark academia is not for me, or that it was too much about themes, struggles, repeating lessons, while nothing was actually happening.
Do you know if there is any summary of the book, didn't find much. I would like to know what actually happens, without reading the last 300 pages...
No need to force it if it isn't for you! I don't there is any detailed summary for Babel yet, though. xD
Sir. the book comes out in two months. I may be forced to build a time machine to get it sooner.
Build one soon please so I can check the actual release date of Doors of Stone and Winds of Winter. 😂
@@PetrikLeo so we can bring the books back so the authors can write them sooner, right?
In principle it sounds perfect for me as a languages student from Oxford. Fingers crossed 🤞
I am definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it, Abby! 😊
He said that he has never visited out of Asia but his channel details confirm the origin of the channel as the United States. Can anybody tell me what is the issue with this?
Oh, that is just my setting! 😅 I first put it as Indonesia, but I heard from some content creators that I should put that as United States because most of my viewers and sponsors I'm dealing with are from United States and English speaking countries. So it supposedly will lead to better views. I'm not sure how true that is, though! RUclipsrs can change that location to anywhere they want regardless of where they're located.
@@PetrikLeo Oh, Thanks for the quick reply and this information, I just subscribed to your channel. 😀
@@PetrikLeo And Yes, please make a video if you could make or you read non fantasy books, if there are some of your favourites.
@@satishvarshney8202 you're welcome! And thank you! I hope you will find great books from my channel! 😁
I was rather disappointed with this one, I’m glad you liked it though. It had lots of promise, but about 60% kinda lost its way for me, when it finally found a plot, funnily.
Ah that's too bad! I really loved it. The second half was even better than the first half, imo! :)
Hi. Is this a standalone?
Yes it is. A one off standalone. 🙂
Review detective conan dong pet, kapan tuh kira2 komik tamat, gw udah segede ini, si ran blm lulus2 sma, conan jg gak naik2 kelas
Dodol bngt tuh komik. Males gue bacanya hahaha
I'm currently reading Babel and I have to say I'm for now disappointed with the book... I'll wait until I finish the book but 350 pages in, I don't find it particularly exciting. I love the idea of silverworking, and the importance of translation and the general themes of colonialism and imperialism connected to that (especially as I'm an immigrant in the UK!). I think the two key issues for me are 1) pacing (nothing happens for pretty much 200 pages) and 2) the main plot is around Robin's choice and loyalty in this world and I feel like we don't actually get much of his thought process (I'd love to read more of a Robin Hobb-style of writing which explores in depth the characters' struggles) - or maybe I'm just a bit annoyed at how easily the main character seems to move on with things, at times it doesn't feel that realistic to me. I'm not sure but I'm missing something to really connect! Hopefully, the ending will make the whole experience worth it!
Btw - Oxford is as pretty and charming as the book makes it sound ;)
Ah, that's too bad! I hope the rest of the book will work better for you, but it might be difficult if you're struggling with it, already. That said... I will make sure to visit Oxford one day! It's one of my bucket lists to go to the UK! :D
@@PetrikLeo I just finished the book! The last 200 pages were a lot better on both points. I actually loved the ending!
@@dominiquecarrie3316 whew! That's good!! 😁 the last 200 pages were so intense to me. Sad, too. 🥲
@@PetrikLeo yes, almost cried
Wasn’t the biggest fan of Poppy War.
This one is VERY different to Poppy War, maybe will be better for you! 😄
@@PetrikLeo maybe.
I really would want to read this book, if it wasn’t for the fact that Rebecca Kuang is such an insufferable person.
That's too bad. I have nothing against her. I won't change your mind, though. I know I couldn't even push myself to read Ender's Game (which I tried, and it just.... eh) because the author is one of the vilest people I've seen and it's still getting a lot of love everywhere.
@@PetrikLeo I haven't heard that about Orson Scott Card; that's a shame, I've always wanted to read his books. Oh well.
But yeah, from what I have seen of her she's just not a nice person and accuses people of really dumb things. I'm mainly talking about her acceptance speech from WorldCon a couple of years ago where she called the organizers and hosts of being racist when they clearly weren't. It just kind of turned me off to her, which is a shame because I have heard AMAZING things about the Poppy War trilogy and this book looks really good. So this isn't a judgement call on her as an author, more so her character.
I really love your channel, Petrik! You've turned me on to a lot of series, books and writers like John Gwynne, Josiah Bancroft, and Fonda Lee. Thank you so much and have a great day!
That book was the biggest disappointment of my reading year. I was not interested in the language stuff. The plot is extremely slow. Only Robin was a bearable character, the others had one character trait (being discriminated). Kuans description of white people is so one-dimensional.
I think if the language stuff isn't interesting, I doubt the book will be for you. I loved all the etmyology and language discussion. 🙂
DNFed the Poppy War around 70% so no thank you
Aight!