Have you ever sat down and just listened to someone that was spiralling? Did you ever give them the space to reap their soul of all their torment? 

That is what this entire novel is, on a very dark level. It’s tiny and it’s rather powerful. A world, a picture, and a story is built with each new chapter. Then each consecutive one, aspects of the previous are broken down, then built back up with new foundations. With every paged turned, the ripple effect is pungent and cathartic. As much as the actions are “savagery” you gain an understanding. As much as you recoil in disgust, you grow in sympathy. 

At Night All Blood Is Black, by David Diop (translated by Anna Moschovakis) has a very unique writing style and voice. A perspective of WW1 that you don’t often see. A West African fighting for France in the trenches, not knowing the language, and being encouraged to play the roll of ‘savage’. It was all too common, and not at all that well represented in main stream media. The character, ‘Alfa Ndiaye’s’ journey is an insight into a world of celebrated brutality until you comrades change their mind. It’s a tumultuous downwards spiral of the human mind and the progression of how one decides to deal with what he has experience in an attempt to cope and reconcile with himself. 

Note Trigger Warnings: Violence, Gore, Torture, Mental Illness, Rape

"If you remove the foundation of trust from a relationship, then what is the point of that relationship."

Honestly this series, perfection. Any flaw I had with books one to three where eradicated in the Alloy of Law, my only complaint with it now, is that it wasn't as 'epic'.

The exportation of language and translation, along with the discussions that stem from this, unreal, and I could read the way R.F. Kuang writes these topics all day long. The deep dive into colonialism, woman’s rights, racial discrimination, imperial dominance and the use of resources ‘then having an issue with how they are acquired’…. Urgh, honestly slow clap Kuang. Nothing pleases me in a book more than being made to think and question. 

For a while I was left wanting thinking this was not going to be nearly dark enough, that the main characters where all far to kind, nice, moral and so on. But all preconceptions were thrown out the window at the half way point. The characters went from being somewhat flat to very dimensional, moral dilemmas were put to the forefront and human nature was explored in all facets of light.

There is a part of me that dislikes that fantasy was introduced in to this storyline, another part of me is pleased that people might find themselves reading this, expecting an epic fantasy and instead getting a very ‘subtle?’… no a slap in the face with some very emotive and important topics.  

On the fantasy note, from books one to three I can’t say I cared much for the magic system and again I wished it had been left out. It felt as though it was a completely different book thrown into this story line. That being said… my opinion starts to slowly change; it wasn’t until right at the end however that my appreciation for the silver ‘witchcraft/wizardry’ really fell into place and I loved and saw the importance of it in this story line. 


Finally, dam did that ending make my heart drop, it was so beautiful in its destruction. The way the magical system was tied back in, the way history and memories came back in full circle, nothing short of poetic even in all its brutality.

Anyone could read and enjoy 'Babel. or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution' Novel, from contemporary literature lovers to massive fantasy readers it has it all. 

I said Haunting Adeline I, was heavy on the trigger warnings, it has nothing on Haunting Adeline II… It was like reliving the feeling of watching ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ for the first time all over again, only this time there were a multitude of male leads I wanted to *. You got a deep dive into PTSD and the fact that surviving is only the first step to a very, very long and difficult road to recovery, and being able to live even some small resemblance of your life again.

It is far from flawless and could very well have been shorter, I had many issues with varying aspects but we are going to ignore those. Because in spite of them… the way it delt with trauma, five razor shape crimson stars. For keeping me on the edge of my seat, five stars, for making me fall in love with multiple charters five stars, for the way my heart raced out of fear, terror, anger, delight, love and lust five stars.

There’s many things I wish to say about this series and I will revisit this review and elaborate on them later. But for now, I have 127 highlights, and a thousand thoughts and cannot begin to summaries any of them simply. Read the trigger warnings, this book is not for everybody, but it was for me. 

 I’m not going to lie I requested the ARC of this from NetGalley because that cover has me in an utter choke hold. Stunning.

I do plan to buy this book in a physical copy, and read it after I have read some of Camus litterateur. I also hope that at a later date in a mind set more keen on this microscope observation, I may have a better time with it.

My Nemesis is a very intellectual portrayal of Tessa and her relationships with the people surrounding her, somewhat warped, morally grey and challenging to read at times. The betrayal runs deep and had myself feeling many emotions most prominently a combination of frustration and empathy.

Tessa’s exploration into these connections, with Wah in particular forces her to open her own eyes. The discussions are interesting, I however did not feel any connection to any of the characters, I also found the language highly elevated throwing me out of my depths. Like I said I do plan to give this another go, but only read this if you enjoy a slow conversation between highly intelligent individuals.



“So what does that make us, Camus and me and someone like Charlie? Fantasists like Don Juan? Or only people who need, now and again, to seek refuge from the reality of their lives, the truth of themselves?”