Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang

Available Now

I was lucky enough to go into reading Babel with very little information about the book. I knew it was about Oxford University in the nearish past and that was about it. Having recently read The Poppy War, I knew I was in for gorgeous writing and a well executed plot, but I was not prepared for the scope and emotional impact this book would deliver!

If you would like to enjoy that same experience, know that I loved this book highly, highly recommend it. Now stop reading and go buy it or put it on hold at your library. Bye!

If you want some more excited ramblings…thanks for staying!

Robin Swift finds his life forever changed when, after his mother’s death, he is taken from his home in Canton to the home of Professor Lovell in London. His days are spent with tutors, learning Greek and Latin, and spending hours memorizing new vocabulary and learning how to adjust to life in London. These grueling days of study are all in preparation of his enrollment at Oxford University and a lifelong career of words, languages, and translations. In Robin’s world, a complicated magic system employs the use of silver bars and match-pairs, words that trigger a magical event, to make life easier and in some ways, just function. Finding students who are fluent in multiple languages are crucial to the creation and maintenance of these silver bars.

Once Robin is fully enrolled at Oxford, he discovers that there is a much darker side to the world around him. He and his fellow language translation students, Babblers to those at Oxford, find themselves the subjects of racism, colonialism, and sexism, as well as many other forms of discrimination, all while their work and study is crucial to everyone’s daily lives. Together, Robin and his friends discover how friendship can become family, how hard work and determination are just as important as love and hope, and how to forge a path towards a better world.

This book is incredible! It truly is a masterpiece of fantasy fiction. Kuang has crafted a book for adults who grew up wanting to be a part of a magical school and shows us all the good and evil parts of that experience. At first, I felt it was moving along too slowly and was anxious for the real action to begin. But then once the action began, I had a true moment of Ah! That was why we had to see them all develop this incredibly close and fond friendship that made them a family. We are shown all the ways they hurt through overt racism and discrimination, as well as the microaggressions they have to endure by those closest to them. We watch them go from innocent, people-pleasing children to brilliant and disillusioned adults who know that world cannot continue forever as it is. Babel is a glorious mix of dark academia, found family, magical realism, and historical fiction. Kuang has created a brilliant world and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

Available Now

*CW: This book is based on the real life of a formerly enslaved woman who endured sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as rampant racism and sexism. Read with care.

Based on the true life story of Dorothy ¨Doll¨ Kirwan Thomas, Island Queen is a compelling, gripping, and emotional novel. Told through her point of view, Doll narrates a tale that is both stunning in its cruelty and oppression, as well as the fortitude and determination she has in protecting and ensuring her family’s safety and freedom. It is a sweeping tale that shows Doll’s journey to freedom and economic success as well as the history of the Caribbean and the effects of colonialism and racism. 

I loved reading the story of Dorothy and was immediately drawn to her no-nonsense attitude and unwillingness to fail. Everything that Doll did, she did with her whole heart and a sense of true purpose. She dreamed big as a child and never gave up on that hope, no matter the cruelty and unfairness that was forced upon her. Doll’s story is one that shows how powerful hope and determination can be, but also more importantly, how hard people of color in history have had to work to be seen merely as people.  Throughout the story, Doll asks her father repeatedly why he won’t buy the freedom of her mother and siblings and he never has a good point. To grow up knowing you are truly owned by your parent?  To live through the repeated sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by family members and to have no recourse? I can’t even begin to imagine. Doll was able to live through all that trauma to become one of the Caribbean’s wealthiest women of her time and create an empire. Her story is just as fascinating as it is frustrating and enraging that this treatment was ever inflicted on anyone. But with all that said, this is not a sad tale. Doll goes on to have ten children, fall in love, and create an economic empire that ensures her family lives in luxury because as the title suggests, Doll was a true Island Queen.

I would highly recommend this to historical fiction lovers, as well as those wanting to read more books based on women in history.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All mistakes and opinions are my own. 

This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Available April 7, 2020

Conjure Women is a dark and beautifully written story about the power of women in a dark time in history. Set in the American South, Conjure Women spans generations to tell the history of three women living on the same plantation. May Belle, a powerful healing woman with the power to conjure curses has taught her daughter Rue the secrets of their position. When Rue's friendship with the master's daughter Varian threatens her safety, May Belle does what she can to protect her daughter. Those actions will change the women's lives forever.

This is a haunting story of family and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. Told in alternating points of view, the story unfolds slowly to reveal an intricately laid plan of revenge, hope, and fierce loyalty. The writing is incredibly beautiful and compelling, insisting the reader digests each word before moving on to the next. Atakora paints a vivid picture of village life and the complexities of the healer's place in society. Both feared and revered, May Belle and Rue both in their times, do their very best to keep the villagers safe and calm during the most trying times. When the villagers turned on Rue, I was so invested in her safety and well-being that I couldn't put the book down. I had to know how her story ended and learn the secrets of her tumultuous relationship with her mother.

Richly written, Conjure Women is a compelling story of family, loyalty, and closely held secrets. Best part, this Afia Atakora's first novel. I look forward to seeing more from this amazing author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.  All opinions and mistakes are my own.

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