I judge a good book to me personally if it entertains me, teaches me something and/or makes me feel something significant - and this book made me feel ALOT. 

I was NOT expecting it to be this dark or the characters to be so flawed, but it was an excellent read.  although the themes were a tad on the nose and in your face.  

Welcome to Tiran, the bright haven that stands against the harsh outside world. A thriving metropolis that runs on magic that powers an advanced industrial economy and innovative technology. Sciona is a mage, who has worked her way up through the ranks to become Tiran’s first female highmage, one of the elite overseers of the city that maps and siphons the power used to keep it running. She is proud to be a mage, a follower of her faith, and highly independent. Orphaned since age four and raised by her aunt with her cousin, she’s a force to be reckoned with and takes no shit. Her sponsor believes in her, she believes in herself to be the best, and she will prove it. She and the other new inductees are tasked with creating a spell to siphon enough power to expand the barrier that keeps Tiran protected from the outside, a harsh environment being ravaged by blight, a mysterious occurrence that pulls the lifeforce out the living and decimates the land and its savage people, known as the Kwen. Not taken seriously, she’s assigned an unqualified Kwen janitor as her assistant. Thomil crossed the barrier into Tiran with his niece after his tribe was overtaken by blight, with nothing left to lose and a last hope to survive on the inside. Unfortunately, that comes at the cost of living in Tiran’s slums, taking the low, often dangerous jobs no Tiran resident will, and being treated as not only a lower-class citizen, but despised and mistreated by the Tiranish. As much as Thomil tries to keep to the background, he is assigned to be Sciona’s assistant.

Sciona is often too caught up in her work and self to notice how hard a Kwen’s life in Tiran can be. After all, shouldn’t the Kwen be grateful to be offered sanctuary in their majestic Tiran? Determined to prove herself in a man’s world, Sciona works tirelessly to create a spell to expand the glory that is Tiran. She is pleasantly surprised to find out Thomil is quite smart and helpful in her research. As they delve deeper into the hunt for magic sources and spells to harness the power, they are challenged by their peers who wish them to fail, and secrets are uncovered that will test their morals, their grit and sense of self.

Two unwelcome people find themselves tested at every turn. Taunted, threatened, challenged constantly, the two form a bond and ego-centric and often delusional Sciona finds herself caring for more than just herself for the first time. The character development for both Sciona and Thomil is well-written. They are both rough around the edges, but as we learn more, each evolve in significant ways. I also really enjoyed Carra and what she represented.

The story touches on thoughtfully explored themes of misogyny, prejudice, faith, family, love and sacrifice. What do we do protect those we love? What will we sacrifice, what risks are we willing to take? How do you fight injustice without being the same as those who oppress you?

I thought the dark academia vibes were fantastic. The magic system is unique, with mages using spellographs like typewriters in which a spell is input and then siphons power from mapped sources. The plot was compelling, and I feel like the themes were powerful and even at times rage-inducing. This book packs a punch in a standalone adult fantasy. It was thought-provoking and paced well. The ending brought this book so full circle in the best way, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spoiler warnings for gore and violence, sexual harassment, suicidal ideation, colonialism, genocide. 

This book grabbed me by the lapels and held on TIGHT! While reading this, I was consumed by it. I could not stop thinking about this at work, while driving...while existing lol. The writing is phenomenal, the character development is flawless. You will be emotionally scarred after reading this. This is a solid dark academia/fantasy stand alone. The MC is a woman in her mid 20's and I LOVED that. It made the character more relatable to me because I am the same age as Sciona (the main character). This is definitely added to the list as one of my favorite books ever...along with The Sword of Kaigen. I think I have a new favorite author.

Brutal and unflinching, yet peppered with so many pure, tender moments. Beautifully written. Somehow both otherworldly and alarmingly close to home. Incredibly cool magic system and worldbuilding so clear it feels tangible. Everything is done well in this book. Everything.

This read really made me reflect and stretched my feelings to the max. I lost count of the number of times I gasped or clapped a hand over my mouth. Wang shocked me in ways few other authors have. Very eager to check out their other work now. 

 Wow, this was probably the most intelligent, extensive, most immersive and overall most interesting book I've read, ever. And I've read quite a lot in my time. Probably saved me from an incoming reading slump, too.

I don't even know how to start this review because I don't want to take away the joy of discovering the story, so I will just drop some arguments why you should read it without goint into greater detail:
-intricate worldbuilding
-an unique, science- and religion-based magic system
-criticism on probably everything (e.g. said "religious" system)
-fascinating female MC with strong (strong) academic drive in a male-dominated world
-political but not in a politics-way but in a soul-crushing, system changing way
-beautiful academic-y writing which my professors should take inspiration from
-character development with some not so nice parts
-no focus on a love story (you decide if this is good or bad, i thought it was fitting)

You should not read this book if you are looking for a light, fun story or if you are triggered by rascism, sexism, xenophobia, murder, sexual assault or generally injustices against more or less everybody involved.
Whereas this book is in no way light or topic-wise super easy, I found myself sprinting through the book like there was no tomorrow. These hefty kinds of books tend to be a bit intimidating (at least for me, looking at Babel on my shelf), but just give it a go, it honestely is so intruiging that you probably just get sucked right in the story. So don't be intimidated, just give it a go!

Some further thoughts for people who might need more convincing or for those who've read it and just want to ramble about it like I do:
Gosh this book was it. In the beginning, I honestely did not want to start this. I had just read a lot of fantasy-heavy books which where just overall not that deep sometimes so startig a complex book seemed daunting. Still, it was on kindle unlimited and I probably saw someone speaking about it, so I gave it a go, expecting it to drag quite a bit. After 3 pages I turned off the page numbers on my kindle because they distracted me from the story (never happened before). After like 10 minutes I checked my progress and was on page 70, reaching page 250 the same evening. By then, I already knew this was going to be exceptional. Still, as the last quarter approached, I became really worried about the ending and if it would be cut short or would not be satisfying or if it would just be a convenient, easy way out - because honestely, I was way more anxious about everything than our mc. So count me surprised when the ending actually made sense?? and was consequent to all of the prior world-and character building? She really did that.

I now have to decide what to do with my life. Maybe read a thriller to calm down. Maybe read the sword of kaigan, because even though it doesn't really intruige me right now and it is quite a chonky book, I now trust M.L. Wangs brilliance and expect this one to be mind-blowingly executed, too. The only thing I know for sure is that I will force my friends to read this right now - for they know I have great taste and with maybe some emotional pressure the likes of trust me bro 

Pesado, emocionante e levou o fuck white people bem a sério (é sobre). Se você gostou de Babel você vai gostar desse também.