This was a cover/hype buy. I'm new to dark academia and Kuang solidified my love for the genre. I adore this cover and the map that's inside! It's absolutely gorgeous and so is this story. To be honest, it took me a long time to get into it. I probably would've DNFed it if I hadn't had the audio to help me through (it's on Scribd right now!).

The first half reads like a history textbook with small bits of plot nestled in. It was a lot to digest and a ton of it went over my head. I feel like I'm too dumb to fully appreciate this book, but it's brilliant. The amount of work that was put into this novel is mind blowing.

My favorite part was the magic system and how language plays a huge part in it. I also loved how the magic system wasn't just for show; this novel explores every facet of the magic and how to manipulate it to your will.

Overall it was really good, but dense. If you have a love for language and Oxfordian settings... you'll adore this novel.