#Katabasis - R.F. Kuang

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fading pike
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Finished!
Going to take a read through other's thoughts while I put together my own.

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I agree with pretty much everything you have here.

fading pike
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||Though, I don't hate resurrection in some circumstances. However, I felt this one was a copout and completely unnecessary.||

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Final thoughts:

I was not a huge fan of this book at all. (Also wasn't too big on Babel, but I was still hopeful.)

  • ||The Magic system here and how the chalk was made and works was really neat. (However, I feel like it fell flat compared to the magic system in Babel.) Sadly, I don't think it was utilized enough or as well as it could have been. Maybe because I was just expecting more out of descriptions around it than we actually got.||
  • ||I did not like Alice at all. She came across as too much of a complainer and was not enjoyable to read about. I enjoyed Peter more and we only really got to learn more about him very briefly.||
  • ||Personally, I enjoyed all the secondary characters far more. They were interesting and helped move the story along in their own ways. Elspeth was especially fantastic.||
  • ||I didn't care for the miscommunication trope that was happening between Alice and Peter. Just talk. Damn.||
  • ||I also had different expectations for what we could have gotten out of exploring hell. So much material to use for this and it fell flat to me.||
  • ||Final downside for me was bringing Peter back to life like that. I liked him, but he sacrificed himself and bringing him back to life felt forced/contrived. Also, the relationship between Peter and Alice also rubbed me wrong and sudden.||
    2.25/5 ⭐
hasty venture
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Another satisfied customer andioop

fading pike
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||I wanted to like it more, but here we are.
Oh! I also wish that the cat played a larger role in the story. I think that could have been neat.||

fierce forum
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I am on chapter 10

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I am not seeing the enemies to lovers plotline

fierce forum
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I clicked on one of the spoiler and found out a main character plot😭

thorn bronzeBOT
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I clicked on one of
the spoiler and found out a
main character plot😭

- horridrania
fierce forum
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Thankyou for encouragement

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I am on chapter 10 and hell isn't looking very interesting to me

fading pike
fierce forum
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Professor ||Grimes is such a nasty advisor, why would you compare two students and the way he treated elspeth is so shitty||

fierce forum
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Chapter 20 ||Alice was different from them, they were wives in the making and she was a magician||
Does alice hear her self

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Chapter 20 has to be the most insufferable chapter

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Helen my goat

fierce forum
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Finished

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||Why was lord yama the best character||

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Funny asf

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Alice and peter being in ||love came out of nowhere and fighting with someone doesn't mean you love them||

hasty venture
fierce forum
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Final thoughts
The premise was good but the author failed to build on it.
Alice and Peter had no chemistry, ||two characters fighting doesn't mean they are in love, i needed to see why they loved each other despite the conflicts they were having||
There was too much|| info dumping, as a literature student myself i didn't pick a FICTIONAL book to be bombarded with theorists in an extremely overwhelming way||
World structure ||Hell was structured in an interesting manner only for first two courts then all it was described was sand||
Character : ||Alice was extremely self centred and had internalised misogyny defending your predatory professor because he said you were smart and made you feel intelligent , I am glad she grew a spine in the end. Peter was decent but he fell bland and his top attribute felt like being a sick intelligent sacrificial lamb, lord yama in the end was the funniest and professor grimes a piece of shit||
It dragged two much and became boring in the middle

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Alice had this whole ||i am built different thing which annoyed me||

shrewd coyote
fierce forum
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I wanted to like it but turned out quite disappointing

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And i didn't even pick it up because of it's hype

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I read the blurb and i found it interesting

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I had read yellowface and wasn't impressed

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And i have a gifted copy of babel left to read

autumn anchorBOT
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@hasty venture,@kind pawn,@vagrant lotus,@dusk helm,@graceful sphinx,@final gale,@hybrid plinth,@cold glade,@slender ridge,@small girder,@tawdry prairie,@twilit bobcat,@tepid iron,@empty beacon,@spring topaz,@verbal salmon,@viscid anchor,@signal forum,@proven glacier,@sturdy dome,@kind current,@slow veldt,@quasi bronze,@gray rain,@somber stone,@cedar knoll,@shrewd coyote,@void elbow,@median spindle,@umbral escarp,@verbal prairie,@runic delta,@proper hound,@pseudo maple,@limber badger,@fading pike,@pine cedar,@scenic thorn,@radiant iron,@meager osprey,@fierce forum,@crystal cloak,@torpid moat,@inland galleon,@sly wadi,@vale loom,@glass gazelle,@edgy shore,@rose nexus,@torn flume,@sleek ether,@tawny palm,@dusty vault,@rose bear,@unreal linden,@acoustic helm,@wary vigil,@quiet flame,@lone spruce,@wet hare,@acoustic gull

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Hey everyone. We’re just over one week to the end of this buddy read.

I do not think anyone is still reading, but let me know if that is not the case. I pinned a message with the contributors who finished the book and added to discussion. If I missed you, please let me know.

autumn anchorBOT
dusty vault
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HELP I thought this br ended in march 2026 sobAUGH /lh

hasty venture
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Oh no!

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Idk if you have a copy or time, but you could finish by the end, it’s not a chonker

dusty vault
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🥲 thx tink ❤️ I think I’ll read it next year but it’s def on my tbr!!

IMG_1856.png
thorn bronzeBOT
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🥲 thx tink ❤️ I think I’ll
read it next year but it’s def
on my tbr!!

- Pea (rest)
hasty venture
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Daaaang that’s a long wait

dusty vault
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started from the bottom, now we’re here

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-# still at the bottom

hasty venture
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You do seem the be in the top quartile now, that’s something kekCry

dusty vault
hasty venture
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I am here to help! kekCry

hybrid plinth
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I have hopes to get to it too before it ends, but I thought I had until the 31st so we’ll see… animeRun I still have 7 days off

hasty venture
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That’s only an extra day

hybrid plinth
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I’ll keep you updated ofc

cold glade
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it's sitting next to me waiting for me to read it kek so fingers crossed I do before the br is over

hasty venture
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I’m sure you can fit it in

fierce forum
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I finished

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Gimme pointss

fierce forum
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I have two

hasty venture
fierce forum
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I know

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How many points will i get?

hasty venture
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5 for books between 100 and 600 pages iirc

fierce forum
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Had to read this bum ass book for 5 pointskekCry

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Joking thankyou for hosting ❤️❤️

hasty venture
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It killed my will to live! Thank you for reading FrogCuteHeart

crystal cloak
hasty venture
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Yeah I’m not seeing any

hybrid plinth
fierce forum
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Keep us updated i would love to hear ur thoughts

hybrid plinth
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Ch 1 || ok the setup for this is actually really kinda funny. I was not anticipating humor for this book, and yet here I am smirking. Alice is kinda a bitch, but Peter doesn’t seem to mind too much. I hate how these Dark Academia books always set the MCs up as competitive rather than collaborative, but ig that’s prob fairly common irl in academia. Interesting that this is all Alice’s fault right from the start. (Alice is giving Wonderland associations while Peter is taking us to Neverland? Idk but I’m loving the literary references dropping all around). I want to know the year this is set, so I’m hoping that crops up soon

Oh. Is each chapter going to end with an essay on magic? That’s a choice for world building ||

hybrid plinth
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ok. wow this book is discussion-worthy! There are so many comments here tho, I think I'll just read and add mine before I go back thru all the others

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Ch 2 || ooooh this is going to be… fun? I love the idea of the Viewing Pavillon being the place where ghosts live and interact with their former surroundings. Makes sense why they’d be tethered to their death locations and want to stay engaged with those they left behind until they’re gone too.

Hmmm. Were Alice and Peter once a couple? Or Sexy Times Playmates? Possible. Love how all the various human ideations of the underworld seem to be melded together a bit, so depending on what you’ve been taught to expect from the afterlife it’ll be here somewhere.

Yes! Wooden objects have a history of a whole freaking life as a tree!! I think about that all the time in museums. What would hell be like for a tree? California methinks

Hello Department Cat. I hope you return safely. Damn, I miss being an undergrad sometimes. I think I like Peter better than Alice atp

Ok, I think I’m beginning to see why this book might be controversial. Limbo seems to lead to reincarnation if you’re worthy not heaven. Personally, I’ve always thought that nature recycles everything so, why not souls too? I don’t think humans get reincarnated as other kinds of creatures, but nature might not think the same way lol This whole dialogue about not wanting to risk embodying a life that would be “worse than literal death” is on point and highlights how so freaking judgmental human nature tends to be. Sometimes I wish my life was way more simple than it tends to be||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 3 || ooof they’re using a catacombs as a climbing wall? (Catacombs are soooo atmospheric and cool) Seems like they’re familiar with the formation, so do the walls replicate Cambridge?
Oh, and Alice is America, so I’m guessing that Peter is very much not lol

I never really thought about chalk being formerly alive like wood before

Yikes. Good thing they have different strengths and she can coach him up.

“I’m sure it’s very nice below”
Heh. Doubt it||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 4 || well, Alice is a classic over-achiever isn’t she? Glad they figured out the sleeping. How freaking creepy to camp out in literal hell? But this Professor seems like a royal asshat. Maybe they should just leave him there to his fate ||

kind current
thorn bronzeBOT
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welcome to team ||Leave
Professor Grimes in Hell||, we
have flags and buttons

- thelastparka 🕯
hybrid plinth
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Ch 5 ||yeah, I definitely think they have history. Interesting idea about hell being a mirror and reflecting what you think it should be. I personally do not subscribe to the idea of sin/eternal punishment. I think you should be a decent person because it’s the right thing to do, not due to some fear of eternal damnation. But I know I’m pretty much on my own with that in the Western World. I don’t have a singular deity in my personal system either, but it’s nice that this one is being recognized as multiple names around human history/culture. Sucks Kuang gave him a gender tho. I think humans should be judged by a jury of peers. Oh hey… Alice’s last name is Law. I wonder if that’s relevant

Also, I once read a concept of reincarnation (from Vietnam, I think?) which said that souls who matter to each other will always find each other again. So if you meet someone with whom you connect easily, it might be because you’ve known that soul before. It’s a rather comforting idea to me||

hasty venture
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I love your commentary FrogCuteHeart

hybrid plinth
hasty venture
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Keep rambling! It’s great!

hybrid plinth
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Ch 6 || lmaooo ofc Pride is a library. That fits quite well actually. And they’re looking for a librarian deity?! LOL if they find Dewey, I’m gonna lose it

Oh, this George Edward Moore seems like he might be historical. Google says yes!

In his Principia Ethica (1903), Moore argued against what he called the “naturalistic fallacy” in ethics, by which he meant any attempt to define the word good in terms of some natural quality—i.e., a naturally occurring property or state, such as pleasure.

Seems relevant lol but dude. Chill. Nature is good in its own right. But my definition is: “good” is an adjective meaning that the noun it describes does no harm to any other person/place/thing

Lmaoooo that poor neglected Ivy League Dartmouth (that’s so true!) Omg these petty sins are hilarious

Ugh. This dead white man is pissing me off with his treatment of Alice. Oooh nice! A Carroll reference. I hate philosophical logic stuff ||

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Random lemon lore || my eldest daughter used to put the y sound at the front of many words when she was a toddler. She had yasses instead of glasses, yorsies instead of horsies… and a Yama instead of a Gramma. A name she loved and kept until she died a few years ago. So seeing the name here is funny to me as I read this. My ex-mil is the Lord of the Dead||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 7 ||omg that scene with Lady Meng Po and the call of the river was creepy! I think it was so effective because it’s so calm and soothing and the potential of losing your memories is such a visceral fear. I like how multicultural Kuang is when describing the underworld, and it’s not surprising, but it’s nice to have other aspects than Western tradition being present. I like that Peter had a chance to save Alice after the wall incident too.

Gotta love how cats are just magical. No explanation. They just are. Full stop.
The bone dogs are creepy tho. Wth is Peter thinking? Ofc they’re going to be hostile. This is not your freaking backyard or the neighborhood dog park smh

Ooooh. There was a name drop of Grimes Graves in that chalk section as a source location. I wonder if that’s the same Grimes as our Notorious Professor, and if it will matter. Maybe he’ll have chalk that works in hell?||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 8 || I suspect things are going to start getting more fraught as they continue on, especially now that they know they can’t use their magic. I’ve never read The Waste Lands and I probably should fix that eventually. I hope Archimedes will be ok. Great name for a cat ngl||

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Ch 9 ||Not loving the focus on the “7 Deadly Sins” of Christianity, but I think it was a valid choice to combine Lust and Gluttony in “Desire”. Having a student center for the setting of Desire also fits imo. There’s so much yearning and longing when you’re a student; physically, emotionally, aspirationally. So much you don’t have, but strive to accomplish or attain. I like that she’s including many different kinds of addictions here too and some that I never really considered (like book sniffing lol) Also, the individual room separations, as most of us are very much alone in our desires and pursue them independently or secretly.

Oof. Alice is dunked into the Lethe? That’s not going to be good. I wonder if Peter will be able to mitigate that somehow since I suspect her memories will be important ultimately for tracking down Grimes||

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Is this supposed to be set in the 1960s? I still can’t tell

kind pawn
hybrid plinth
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I’m not getting 80s vibes at all yet

kind pawn
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I wasn't a huge fan of this book c_sweat

hybrid plinth
kind pawn
hybrid plinth
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Liking it a lot better than Emma blobPeek

hasty venture
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Also the ||feminist movement, it’s very different from today||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 10 || wait, if magic doesn’t work, why do the flasks work? Because they were magical before literally going to hell?

Hmmm. experimenting on your grad students? Holy Breach of Academic Ethics, Batman. But seriously. Ew. this Grimes is clearly not worth all of this effort. Interesting that mortal magic could overpower the divine intention of the Lethe tho. And seriously, it would suck to not be able to forget your every little misstep. My insomnia hurts just thinking about it

I wonder what other tasks he had his students doing on his behalf. Who is supervising this dude?

Thatcher mentioned, so that’s the first hint of an 80s reference to me. Idk that it matters overall, but I’m just curious why not the contemporary 2020s. Feels like there should be a reason.

Intriguing that Kuang’s magic systems here and in Babel include an aspect of languages and that this one includes mathematical constructs too.

Hmmmm. I think Alice might be misinterpreting Peter’s papers||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 11 || hmmm lots of backstory here. I wonder if the rest of this cohort knows how to reach them in hell||

Ch 12 || ok we’re heading into betrayal territory here of Greed and Envy and I think this is going to mess with Alice’s head. I wonder if the surroundings of each area are affecting them? Like she’s becoming way more distrustful of him now and maybe it’s not entirely due to her assumptions? I think her opinions of him have been manipulated all along. Grimes continues to be a horrible mentor and yeah, I’m hoping that whatever happens he doesn’t victimize either of them further here. Not loving Peter’s begging Alice to pretend to love him, but this test is pretty twisty. Be loyal to each other and you’re golden. Betray each other and you both are doomed. But. Betray someone who is loyal, and you alone reap the reward. Ugh. human nature sucks. Not at all surprised that Peter selected red actually||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 13 || I knew they had history! Only Kuang would dissect logically and academically how it feels to fall in love lmao||

Ch 14 || Peter is not going to forget about this any time soon, but I figured they’d be rescued somehow. We’re not even 50% into the book yet.||

Ch 15 ||oh nice. Way more plot development. I like Elspeth a lot! It’s about time they met someone who could give them some answers too. Figures that the main baddies in hell would be other people. Very Sartre. These Kripkes sound utterly ruthless, and seem to match up with the current levels of “deadly sins” of greed and envy in the search of power. I wonder if we’ll meet any other “sojourners”. Seems unlikely.||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 16 || wasn’t ready for an exploratory look at suicide, but should have been. These logic puzzles seem like they could be from actual philosophy precepts. I’m wondering if Kuang created them or if they are basic thought experiments? ||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 17 || Sometimes these overly philosophical chapters are really difficult to maintain my overall interest. But I get that she’s trying to build the magickal studies as a valid field of study. It’s just boring to me ngl||

Ch 18 || That was sooooo not ok what they did to Elspeth! I’m glad that Archimedes was loyal to her. She was so kind to them in so many ways and they just straight up betrayed her! They deserved the Butterflies of Wrath. (Dammit. I want Butterflies of Wrath) I really liked her and I hope she returns at a critical moment.

Also, I just want to say that the idea that people are happy in hell because that’s where they wanted to be works for me. I kinda feel like if an “afterlife” is even a thing, you get the version you expect.||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 19 ||well, we knew they’d get caught by the Kripkes sooner or later. This Escher trap is cool tho. I wonder if they’re officially in “Cruelty” yet. I wonder if the cuckoo manifested because it was something they dreaded from their irl and if it would be a different alarm for someone else in the trap. Seems odd it would be that specific thing for everyone without context. I still think hell is what you make it out to be||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 20 || Ok, maybe this is why she’s set it in the 80s, because that’s how I remember being a young woman at that time during the societal shift in attitudes about women choosing a career path. This chapter was very triggering for me on a few levels. I will only say that it’s very relatable and while I don’t really like Alice, I feel her frustrations. I wish Helen was more kind, but I think Alice also needed to hear some of that. I have also felt that “if was were to die right now, I’d be ok with that” feeling multiple times, and had it escalate into more serious considerations. I think it’s interesting that Alice had the example of Elspeth’s reputation in the wake of her choice to compare how she herself could be gossiped over. I knew Grimes would be an asshat and I’m not at all surprised by any of his powerplay here. What I don’t understand atp, is why she chose to follow him into hell giving up ½ of her lifespan. Peter’s reaction doesn’t make much sense either unless he’s just trying to protect Alice||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 21 || ok. That motivation against Grimes seems legit if not completely messy and complicated. I knew Peter was trying to protect her somehow. But sacrificing himself is hardcore selflessness. I suspecting a declaration of love here, which everyone but Alice has seen from a mile away lol||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 22 || ok yeah. Sickly solitary childhood. Been there Peter, I see you. I also feel like I didn’t learn how to socialize the same way that my peers did, and I particularly feel this with other women my age. I also don’t play the social games they do, and more than 1 guy has called me emasculating because I don’t act like they think I should as a female in any given situation. It all just makes me roll my eyes. I have no time for any of it lol. Anyway, makes sense that he’d be awkward and uncertain about forging relationships

Sucks that Peter’s condition is so debilitating tho. I really wish he’d let Alice know before they became estranged, but I suppose it would be embarrassing. Also, then we wouldn’t have a plot lol. Also, also… Grimes unethical? Shocking. poobSmirk I wonder which of their oversights actually killed him?||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 23 || ffs just be honest, Alice. Also. Get out and then figure out how to save him. Seriously.||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 24 || There is a bonding aspect to being from the US abroad together. I would think especially so in the UK given our entwined history, but definitely elsewhere too. It can be so embarrassing to be American in a global community. I wonder if that’s part of why he liked her? But I think that might be affording him too much humanity lol||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 25 || I wondered when we’d start seeing more mythic characters show up. The furies seem pretty generous towards Alice considering. This trek is not very exciting, tho I’m glad Archimedes found her. I wouldn’t think he’d have forgiven her but I still hope Elspeth shows back up too||

Ch 26 || hmm This guy is nosy but I guess he’s helping for now. I feel like there’s wordplay there with “Grade Us” and this being all thematic around academic dissertations. Interesting that he’s scared of the Kripkes too. A whole city for the most serious sins, when the others got a building/field. Ooof. ||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 27 || There is no possible way that I would be able to cope in this kind of bazaar. I would be absolutely overwhelmed. I actually think this whole writing group has some comedic aspects to it but it’s also quite sad. I don’t trust Gertrude any more than I trust Gradus to be her ally||

Ch 28 || I’ve never been able to learn how to meditate. I’ve tried more than once but I just can’t seem to figure out how to turn off my brain. This trap was fairly seductive in that at this point Alice really just wants a refuge. But I guess she also is still looking for answers. I still hope that she can figure out a way to rescue Peter. In a way I guess this does feel episodic in its chapters like Alice in Wonderland, but otherwise I’m not completely seeing the connection even tho I’m getting tired of references to rabbit holes lol||

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Should be able to finish this tomorrow

wary vigil
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Picking this back up because I was so close to the end and why not. I'll try to finish it tomorrow monkeyAwkward

Ch 32: ||Oh man, the fight between Alice and the Kripkes and their minions was surprisingly thrilling! I'm surprised that Alice and the Kripkes didn't talk to each other at all tbh. Gradus's end was nice too. I like how Kuang kept his identity a mystery.||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 29 || yikes. Glad she got free, but they’re getting closer. I feel badly for the cat. Who would have thought hell would be so barren. I wonder what that says about Alice? Cuz I still think they get what they expect||

Ch 30 ||Alice is getting braver. I don’t think I could handle disembodying a cat and wearing it. Gradus is maybe up to something with this chalk business. Where the hell (ha!) is Grimes tho?||

Ch 31 || oooh she took Kripke back instead of Grimes? Interesting choice. And oof into the water they go||

hybrid plinth
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Ch 32|| wow. Gradus was given reincarnation… for helping Alice? And the Kripkes are all just gone? And ooof. Alice is losing memory now. Such a fear, but sometimes such a blessing. There are definitely memories I would love to lose.
Yay Elspeth!!!||

hybrid plinth
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Done! Thoughts tomorrow

vagrant lotus
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5: ||To be honest I dont have much or many thoughts as of right now. I am really enjoying the book, thats for sure atleast. I did really like teh idea and thoughts of how Hell reflects kind of what you yourselve is familiar with.
I also enjoyed how this chapter was in many parts just a disussion of how Hell is built up. OH and I agree with Peter that sometimes when reading one may forget to remeber the time it was written, atlest I do that at times.

OH and his babble when he woke up I was just like... calm down||

vagrant lotus
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Chapter 7: I have missed something, but ||Who or what is it writing those in cursive at end of chapters? Since now they mentioned spesificly Alice and Peter missing something||

vagrant lotus
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20: ||To be honest I am not sure what to really say rn...
I can't see I have felt much if what is Alice is feeling. But I feel bad for her, I know the thoughts of not care if you may stop to exist. I know it must suck that Helen that may have been a helsing hand did not help her much.

But I also have to say, I do love how they use chalk so much. Line how in the end here it said the chalk living-desd energy. And I just remember in earlier chapter when they explained that chalk was magick important tool. And I just think all the theoretical science and I just for some reason like the comparison||

wary vigil
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Finished! Final thoughts a littlelater

vagrant lotus
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27: ||I don't really trust any one if them....||

vagrant lotus
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28: ||This was very much a trap. So glad she did not follow along or wanted to meditate even though it seemed tempting. But again, just waiting for end seems very very very much dumb. And I was correct don't trust.
I am glad Alice did not want to die that would just end the story||

vagrant lotus
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31: ||Okok..... A lot happened here. She took Kripke, and he not liking world's being on top of each other, maybe like is wrong word. It more like not used to seeing collaps?
And now to the water||

vagrant lotus
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Finnished: ||This is one of those books that feels heavy in a thoughtful way, it leans hard into themes of the cost of knowledge, which feels very brand when I compare it to Babble, like it felt a little what I expect from her. However, this time the story doesn’t always move smoothly, it would maybe have liked slightly more even? Some chapters move very quickly and have a lot of action, while others are only backstory or have very little action. I did really enjoy reading these essays at the end of many of the chapters, wish there were more of them, as they may have been my favourite aspect. Felt new, we got to understand how things worked by discovering it when reading in these, instead of being told it.
The writing itself is sharp and confident, especially when it comes to academic rivalries and power dynamics. Those parts feel real and biting. Yet, as mentioned earlier, some sections were unnecessarily dragged. The mythic elements are cool on paper, but they don’t really land how intended. I was not convinced by the magick, not to mention it kind of annoyed me how it was just called magic but with a k, felt it was misspelt all the time. I did, however, enjoy that it was having clear and visible inspiration from irl academics, and I always love seeing academics involved in fantasy books. Even though this one was not perfectly done.
I don't really feel like writing a lengthy analysis of the characters in this book, mostly because I just were not interested. I was not invested in the story, to be honest, I read it, but I will not go back in my head and think about it. Not worth owning this book, could very much just have been a library read. SO that being said, Alice was just annoying. I did not really feel she was built up properly, it was almost forced in my face that I am supposed to care. In the first chapters, I could care a little, but the further in I just disliked her more and more. Maybe a little, since further along in the book, Alice got almost I am the main character around her.
Overall, it is an okay read if you like dark academic stories, but it is very much just OK and not really anything more than that. I can see it is Kuang who has written the book, and this is written in her style.|| 2.5/5

hybrid plinth
hybrid plinth
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Final thoughts (I still haven’t read everyone’s comments)
|| I thought this was an ambitious concept to tackle, and I think she did a decent job of blending so many cultural ideas into this version of an underworld/hell. She stayed true to her focus on language being a big part of her magic system like in Babel, but this one seemed to have even less focus on how magic was used in the world at large. I think that’s ok since all of the book takes place in hell.

I liked her worldbuilding and how she made it connect with the magicians’ experiences too. I had a pretty clear idea of how it was all supposed to look, which is not easy considering none of us has ever seen such a place. I think Kuang does a good job of creating characters that the reader loves to hate. Grimes is awful, and Alice is too in some ways. Peter felt kinda flat in some ways. I think my favorite was Elspeth and I would have really enjoyed some of this in her POV. I think the whole build up around the Kripkes as the Baddies kinda fell flat too with how it all played out

The final section was… fine? It didn’t really have any big surprises for me at all. I did appreciate that Lord Yama was not evil and was not out to trick Alice, but actually did a great job of helping her out. As a journey quest, I think the book did well with making the point that life is made up of the choices we make and the things we choose to say or not say along the way. If I ever get another cat, I might name it Archimedes. It’s a great cat name lol||

wary vigil
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Final Thoughts:

||It was fine, but I'm very disappointed after how much I liked Babel. Katabasis was kinda boring and hella predictable. The plot felt tropey tbh. At least it was pretty easy to read lol.||

||Peter and Alice were kind of annoying overall. I wasn't a fan of all their miscommunications. They're allergic to having any sort of conversation until they're basically forced to. And I finally started to care about the characters and then one of them dies. He was brought back at the end, but it killed any momentum I had with the book for a while, especially because I was starting to like Peter better than Alice lol. I liked that Alice kinda grew a spine in the end though. I wish Elspeth and the Kripkes had a bigger role in the story. They were pretty interesting.||

||I didn't like how the first 2-3 courts were very detailed and the rest of the courts were barren and/or chaos. Shoutout to Dis for being another developed area I guess? I wish Kuang had developed the rest of the courts better, even if for a few paragraphs each. I also feel like the magic system wasn't as developed as it was in Babel, and that's a little disappointing. But I also didn't really get most of the math and paradoxes. I don't understand how some of these paradoxes are actually paradoxical but oh well kek||

Probably gonna give it 3 stars.

unreal linden
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maybe i should read babel

twilit bobcat
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Babel is soooo goood!!!

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I don’t even read fantasy