charavel finished reading and wrote a review...
Sorry 🫣
Sometimes I fear I’m hardest on authors I already love. Babel is such a treasure and dense in all the right ways. I found myself caught up in disappointments reading Katabasis. The magic system didn’t feel as integrated (mostly because babel’s was just so cool), the pacing dragged, I didn’t love the characters as much, and mostly I was disappointed by the missed opportunity to play with the layers of hell more. Dont get me wrong, there is plenty to appreciate here, but as much as I wanted to love this it just didn’t pull together for my personal reading pleasure.
charavel started reading...

The Book of I
David Greig
charavel commented on a post
The humanoid biology the author has created here with its resultant culture is genius and very interesting. That said, the story itself is not very interesting and she leans so heavily on invented and dry language that when I forget about the book for a few months (because the story is not engaging) and come back to it, the incessant fabricated language can make it a slog. I started this book a year or so ago and am maybe half way through. Just not enjoying the read.
charavel commented on a post
Intellectually I know books don’t have an expiration date but I feel so behind in not having read this particular dark academia entry. I’m finally getting it!
I have friends who’ve loved this and disliked it, so I’m hoping I land on the loving it side. Language. Colonization. Oxford. Academia. Original magic system. Seems like a green light to me.
This’ll be my first read from the author. Yellowface next most likely.
charavel finished reading and left a rating...
charavel commented on a post
Literally my biggest pet peeve is adding a new perspective this far into a book..
charavel finished reading and left a rating...
Post from the Katabasis forum
Literally my biggest pet peeve is adding a new perspective this far into a book..
charavel wants to read...

In the Country of Others
Leïla Slimani
charavel wants to read...

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
Elif Shafak
Post from the Childhood (The Copenhagen Trilogy #1) forum
“I look up at [my mother] and understand many things at once. She is smaller than other adult women, younger than other mothers, and there’s a world outside my street that she fears. And whenever we both fear it together, she will stab me in the back.”
Complicated mother/daughter relationships 🫶