Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

560 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

Review

This was probably my most anticipated read of the year, and it (mostly) lived up to my expectations. I loved the concept of this book. A lot of people recommended doing a lot of "research" before reading, like Dante's Inferno, Homer's Odyssey and other classic works for a full understanding of the book, but I didn't. Sure, I didn't understand every reference, but I enjoyed that it felt like the characters were the experts, and I was just a witness to their genius. I also enjoyed the depiction of a very intensive, rigorous higher education and how Alice grapples with her mental need to succeed but also her physical need to survive. It was so close to possibly being a 5 star book for me, but I just didn't absolutely love the ending. The little bit of romance we get in this was also just okay to me. Still, Kuang stays up there as one of my favorite authors with this one.

Babel by R. F. Kuang

Babel by R. F. Kuang

544 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

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?

Review

I really liked this! It's very dense, but incredibly well researched and tackles such interesting topics, especially the relationship between colonialism and language, and also race, class and academia. It definitely felt like the characters existed to represent these ideas. And I loved how the magic was based around language. You can tell Kuang is incredibly intelligent. Overall, it really worked for me!

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman -- 336 pages

Secrets don't die when you do.

It’s the first week of senior year at Middlebrook Academy. For Amy and her best friend Sarah, that means late-night parties at the boathouse, bike rides through their sleepy Connecticut town, and the crisp beginning of a New England fall.

Then tragedy. Sarah and her boyfriend are brutally murdered in their dorm room. Now the week Amy has been dreaming about for years has turned into a nightmare, especially when all eyes turn to her as the culprit. She was Sarah’s only roommate, the only other person there when she died—or so she told the police to cover for her own boyfriend’s suspicious whereabouts. And even though they were best friends, with every passing day, Amy begins to learn that Sarah lied about a lot of things.

Liz, editor of the school newspaper and social outcast, is determined to uncover the truth about what happened on campus, in hopes her reporting will land a prestigious scholarship to college. As Liz dives deeper into her investigation, the secrets these murdered seniors never wanted out come to light. The deeper Liz digs, the messier the truth becomes – and with a killer still on campus, she can’t afford to make any mistakes. 

The Meadowbrook Murders is a gripping mystery about the inextricable way power, privilege, and secrets are linked, and how telling the truth can come at a deadly price.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros with Justis Bolding (Narrator), Rebecca Soler (Narrator), Teddy Hamilton (Narrator), Jasmin Walker (Narrator), 24 hours (527 pages)

"After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath."--Provided by publisher

While worth the read, for sure, this was a middling addition to the Empyrean series. I think because what was supposed to be a trilogy was turned into a 50-book series, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm both seem drawn out and a bit repetitive. I would have loved some more world building as there was ample scenarios to do so with the travel the core of characters did. I am fully invested in the characters and storyline at this point, even though I am hoping this series picks up a bit with the next two books. 

 

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros with Teddy Hamilton (Narrator), Rebecca Soler (Narrator), 28 hrs, 17 min (623 pages)

"Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College, Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. 

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves. 

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. 

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College, and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end."--Provided by publisher

The sophomore book in this series fell a bit flat for me. I found our MC Violet (and Andarna) quite frustrating in this storyline, and the book goes from 0 to 100 and back again over and over, pulling you in all directions. However, the story progressed and I found several story arcs very emotional. And then that ending...

 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros with Rebecca Soler (Narrator), Teddy Hamilton (Narrator) - 21 hrs., 22 min (517 p.)

"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die."--Provided by publisher

If you are a fantasy/romantasy lover, this wildly popular book is absolutely already on your radar. Now that it's been out for a couple of years, opinions have formed and it's a divisive title of "love it or hate it." I am in the LOVE IT camp! This was a re-read for me, in preparation for the 3rd book in the series being published. My previous review: "This seemed to be the "it book" of the summer, and it was right up my ally, so I dove right in. I feel like it deserved the hype. It was well-written, with great world building and a great female lead. Can't wait for the next book in the series!" This was my first book narrated by Soler, and it took me a while to settle into her reading. I feel like she did a pretty good job, though I was disappointed in the obvious disregard for pronouncing Gaelic correctly. 

 

Furysong by Rosaria Munda

Furysong (The Aurelian Cycle #3) by Rosaria Munda, 486 p.

"A new revolution is underway, and nobody will emerge unscathed.

In New Pythos, Griff is facing an execution by the dragonborn, who are furious at his betrayal. He has allies on both sides seeking to defy his fate, but the price of his freedom might come at a dear cost. And Delo will have to make a choice: follow his family, or finally surrender to his conscience.

Meanwhile, Annie must race home to hatch a plan to save her Guardians and their dragons. With Callipolis on the brink of collapse and the triarchy set to be reinstated, she may be the one person who can save the city—if she can overcome her own doubts about her future. Lee is a revolutionary at heart, but now he’ll have to find a way to fight with diplomacy. Going up against the dragonborn court and a foreign princess, he faces a test of loyalty that sets his head against his heart.

As the fate of Callipolis darkens, Annie and Lee must determine what they are willing to sacrifice in order to save each other, defeat their enemies, and reclaim their home." --Goodreads blurb

This trilogy ended up being a really great and engrossing read. It was slower to start, but the friendships, relationship dynamics, and strong civil-minded storyline kept me coming back for each book in the series. 

 

Flamefall by Rosaria Munda

Flamefall (The Aurelian Cycle #2) by Rosaria Munda, 496 p.

"After fleeing the revolution and settling into the craggy cliffs of New Pythos, the Dragonlords are eager to punish their usurpers--and reclaim their city. Their first order of business was destroying the Callipolan food supply. Now they're coming for the Dragonriders.

Annie is Callipolis's new Firstrider, and while her goal has always been to protect the people, being the government's enforcer has turned her into public enemy number one.Lee struggles to find his place after killing kin to prove himself to a leader who betrayed him. He can support Annie and the other Guardians . . . or join the radicals who look to topple the new regime. Griff, a lowborn dragonrider who serves New Pythos, knows he has no future. And now that Julia, the Firstrider who had protected him, is dead, he is called on to sacrifice everything for the lords that oppress his people--or to forge a new path with the Callipolan Firstrider seeking his help.

With famine tearing Callipolis apart and the Pythians determined to take back what they lost, it will be up to Annie, Lee, and Griff to decide what to fight for--and who to love."--Goodreads blurb

This book was just as good as the first in the series, and I especially enjoyed the development of the characters in the friend group. Really dumb decisions were still made in this book, just like the first, but I feel like there's a hint of more mature decisions coming on the horizon. 

 

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle #1) by Rosaria Munda, 432 p. 

"Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone--even the lowborn--a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.

Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn't be more different. Annie's lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee's aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.

But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city. With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he's come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs."--Goodreads blurb

This was the first book I've read by Munda and I enjoyed it enough to continue the series. Her characters are teenagers...is that enough said? I hate miscommunication between main characters (a trope I just can't get behind), especially when they're touted as being so smart. Friendships played a big part throughout this story, and those developing relationships kept me going to the end. And there's dragons, so I'm sticking around.

 

The Will of the Many by James Islington

The Will of the Many by James Islington, 639 p.

"The Catenan Republic – the Hierarchy – may rule the world now, but they do not know everything. I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus – what they call Will – to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do. 

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me. But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart. And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me. And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me." --Amazon blurb

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros

"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die."--Goodreads

This seemed to be the "it book" of the summer, and it was right up my ally, so I dove right in. I feel like it deserved the hype. It was well-written, with great world building and a great female lead. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo -- 484 pages

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

The Golden Enclaves (Scholomance #3) by Naomi Novik, 407 p.

"The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out--and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in." --Goodreads blurb

As much as I love Novik, her writing style and her storytelling, I just didn't love this conclusion to this series. I wish this would have been two more fleshed-out books instead of cramming a lot into this one, and not very comprehensively. The Orion reveal wasn't a big enough deal and the way the relationship ended up was just weird. Still a huge Novik fan and will be always!

 

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

The Last Graduate (The Scholomance #2) by Naomi Novik, 388 p.

"At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year—and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules." --Goodreads blurb

This was a re-read for me in preparation for the third and final book in the series releasing soon. I'm a huge Novik fan, from way back in her Temeraire days, up to her widely popular and award-winning books Spinning Silver and Uprooted. Her writing style is great, and I love a good Dark Academia book, plus more in the vein of urban fantasy as well. This series is fun, with flawed characters and great dialogue. The magic system is pretty original as well. I'm sad the next book is the last one! 
 

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik, 336 p.

"Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students."--Goodreads blurb

This was a re-read for me in preparation for the third and final book in the series releasing soon. I'm a huge Novik fan, from way back in her Temeraire days, up to her widely popular and award-winning books Spinning Silver and Uprooted. Her writing style is great, and I love a good Dark Academia book, plus more in the vein of urban fantasy as well. This series is fun, with flawed characters and great dialogue. The magic system is pretty original as well. Looking foward to the next one!