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This was such a good sequel in that it felt almost like an extension of the first book, continuing with all the things that made “Daughter of the Moon Goddess” so good (gorgeous prose, fascinating characters, compelling love story, motivations like family and honor, high stakes) and builds on them. We meet new characters and face new dangers, and watch as protagonist Xingyin will go to any length to protect the people she loves. Fantastic finish to an incredibly good series, and I can’t recommend the work of Sue Lynn Tan enough.

This book features amazing prose, a fascinating world inspired by Chinese mythology, a compelling love story, and a young woman, immortal, talented in both archery and magic, on a quest to save her mother from unjust imprisonment. It’s incredibly good, and the audiobook version is narrated beautifully by Natalie Naudus.

This book is fascinating, beautifully written, and has some of the best characters I’ve ever read. The setting, magic system, and themes all weave together to form a brutal critique of the British Empire, colonialism, capitalism, and systemic racism. Those critiques can, of course, be applied to the world we live in. “Babel” is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I cannot wait to read more of what R.F. Kuang’s work.