Kuang just doesn't know how to miss! I was a little nervous when I heard about this, worried that the premise was just a little too similar to Babel, but I'm happy to say that I ought to have had more faith in her. Brilliant in both premise and execution, I ended up having to force myself to slow down so I could absorb all the details. Kuang both informs and entertains, and I heavily recommend this book to anyone who likes jotting down new titles and authors as they read.

R. F. Kuang's done it again! She sure does know how to craft an unputdownable book. I will say, this is very much a book for and of writers and academia. I think lots of other people will like it regardless, but it's set in academia and clearly heavily influenced by Kuang's experiences with it. But a trip to hell to save your abusive advisor? Now come on, that's a premise!

TWs for abusive teachers, sexism, sexual assault, suicidal ideation and mentions of suicide, violence, and gore.

Katabasis is a dark academia novel with themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the occult. The book explores the cost of knowledge, the obsession with intellectual achievement, and the blurred lines between academia and the forbidden.

Alice Law: is a postgraduate at Cambridge at Department of Analytic Magick making a decision to Hell to rescue Professor Jacob Grimes’s soul. Alice is a hardworking college student who pushes herself to the limit, even working herself to the bone without getting a dime in return. Even when her body screams for a break and she’s on the verge of passing out, she downs cup after cup of caffeine just to keep herself going. Despite Peter’s warnings and the steep price she had to pay for the journey, Alice was dead set on going no matter what to save her professor's soul.

"Would she rather graduate, produce brilliant research, and go out in a blaze of glory? Or would she rather live out her natural lifespan, gray haired and drooling, fading into irrelevance, consumed by regret... She would sacrifice her firstborn for a professiorial post. She would serve a limb. She would give anything, so long as she still had her mind, so long as she could still think"
➡️This passage encapsulates a dark academic mindset—where intellectual greatness is pursued at any cost. The protagonist’s ambition is self-destructive, fueled by an existential fear of being forgotten. The contrast between blaze of glory vs. slow decline suggests a tragic fate, foreshadowing the heavy price she may pay for her pursuit of knowledge.

Peter Murdoch: he was simply born brilliant, all that knowledge poured by gods without spillage to him, He is infuriatingly flawless, one of those academics, a magician born to a physicist, a biologist. Peter already had every good thing in the world, but he is never crowed or condescended

Hell was an inconstant and shifting plane. Its landmarks were conceptual, not fixed. Hell reveals itself to you in whatever order it so chooses. In Hell, everything was turned upside-down and shudderingly translucent, as if projected across a staticky cable connection. One of the more vexing problems with a sojourn to Hell was figuring out where to go and where to find the soul you hoped to rescue.

"Souls often lingered in Asphodel for years-decades-before trying for reincarnation. Loss of identity was a terrifying prospect. Who were you without your memories, your background, your relationships, your station? What if your lot in the next life was far worse than the life you’ve just lived? It didn’t matter that in theory souls enjoyed infinite lives, and infinite chances to experience things good and bad. From the subjective perspective of the soul, reincarnation was no different from death."
➡️This passage portrays reincarnation as a horror rather than a gift, emphasizing themes of identity, existential dread, and the fear of the unknown. It challenges the typical notion that living multiple lives is a blessing, instead suggesting that without memory and selfhood, it is indistinguishable from oblivion. As I shared the same fear of reincarnation as the character in the book. I was afraid that even if I was living a good life in this lifetime, I might end up as a worse person in the next, trapped in a life full of suffering. That’s why R.F. Kuang said, "Reincarnation was no different from death."

Katabasis is a perfect read for someone studying English like me. R.F. Kuang helps me review what I’ve learned through details related to linguistics. Besides that, the book doesn’t just explore social issues—it also touches on scientific concepts, like Euclidean geometry in mathematics. Unfortunately, I’m not smart enough to grasp it on my own, so I had to rely on Google quite a bit to understand what she was getting at in that section. For example: “But that’s consistent with my map.” Peter continued. “That is – it’s just an oversimplified version of my map, if we take Hell as non-Euclidean” Alice had only been to one lecture about non-Euclidean geometries , and what she remembered was a lot of diagrams of potato chips and coral reefs." R.F. Kuang has a brilliant way of incorporating complex concepts like non-Euclidean geometry into her storytelling without making it feel overwhelming. Instead of dumping dry mathematical explanations, she uses relatable and even humorous imagery—like coral reefs and potato chips—to make abstract ideas more digestible.

R.F. Kuang’s writing style is a masterful blend of sharp precision and emotional depth, making her work both intellectually engaging and deeply immersive. She balances simple and complex sentence structures with great skill, creating a rhythm that flows naturally while keeping readers hooked. Her prose is clear and unembellished when necessary, yet she’s capable of weaving in intricate descriptions and evocative imagery when the story calls for it. This flexibility allows her writing to be both accessible and sophisticated.

Thanks to Avon, HarperVoyagerUS, and NetGalley for sending me this in exchange for my honest review

R.F. Kuang is undoubtedly one of the most talented authors of our generation. From the breathtaking Poppy War series to the stunning Babel (my personal favorite), her work has consistently impressed readers. Naturally, I was excited to dive into Katabasis and see Kuang explore romance and fantasy from a fresh perspective. However, after reading it, I found the book to be surprisingly dull and, in my opinion, one of her weaker works.

Kuang’s greatest talent lies in her ability to captivate readers, pulling them through the story with a sense of excitement and curiosity, always making them eager to turn the next page. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me here. The plot fell flat, and I struggled to connect and understand the main characters, Alice and Peter.

That said, I’m not saying the book is bad—it certainly isn’t. It has its merits, but in comparison to her other works, it doesn’t quite live up to the same level of greatness. It’s good, but not great.

R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis is a thought-provoking and brilliantly crafted read that delves deep into the cost of success, the imbalance of power, and the dark side of academia.

The world-building in Katabasis is exceptional, particularly the unique and complex magic system. The interplay of paradoxes, pentagrams, and chalk creates a fascinating backdrop to the story. However, there are times when the exposition on the magic system feels a bit too heavy, detracting from the pace of the plot. That said, the concept is brilliant and adds an intriguing layer to the overall narrative.

I also really enjoyed Alice and Peter. They are very well-developed characters. Their growth throughout the story is evident, and their relationship dynamic feels very believable.

While the plot seemed to lose steam by the end, I still found it to be an enjoyable read overall, though I couldn’t help but compare it to Kuang's other series, The Poppy War, which was far more emotionally devastating for me.

Katabasis is definitely worth reading. If you were a fan of Kuang’s Babel, this one will be right up your alley.

First off, thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. I can’t say I acted like a professional when I got the email about it while at work. What a perfect quest novel! The heroes, the villains, the betrayals, all of it!! Most interesting concept of Hell I’ve heard or read, as it combines or considers all possibilities. I Read this is less than 48 hours, absolutely could not put it down. The way Kuang combined all sorts of theories, ideas, and concepts of Hell was so compelling, especially when combined with logic. There’s something so immediately addictive about Kuang’s prose. I’m in it and sinking into the world, the story, the text, the characters before I even realize it. I love Peter and Alice. The depth of all the characters (well, not most of the Shades) was amazing. I felt like I knew them, had had tea with them in Cambridge. The details were perfect. The magick system was logical (haha) and easy to follow. I love magick systems that could *in theory* be possible or at least believable. All of R. F. Kuang’s books are an immediate buy and read for me, this one absolutely goes along with all the rest. I’m so excited to get my physical copy in August!

4.5 stars!

Enchanting, ridiculous, disturbing, and unique, Katabasis is unforgettable all the way through. This story had me in a chokehold for two days and I'm not complaining!

For Alice Law and Peter Murdoch, the road to hell is paved with all-nighters and paradoxes. When Alice accidentally kills her adviser, she has to leave the hallowed halls of the Cambridge Analytical Magick department with Peter, her academic rival, tagging along. The philosophy and linguistic aspects of this were so fun, I ate that stuff up. Peter and Alice are deeply compelling characters. Alice in particular is flawed but in a way that any academic will understand. She reminds me a lot of Sciona from Blood Over Bright Haven. It was really strong on the whole but there was like 80 pages towards the end that dragged a bit. I also never really got emotionally invested so I wasn't like sobbing or throwing the book across the room. Still super amazing.

Up until now I had only read Babel, which I had mixed feelings on, but I definitely still want to keep up with R.F. Kuang because of books like Katabasis. She is bringing so much to the book scene right now, I can't wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to R. F. Kuang and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

R.F. Kuang is uniquely suited to imagining Hell as a university campus. An interesting blend of classic and original thought brings this version of Hell to life. The unraveling of Alice and Peter's characters added a much-needed dimension to this book which would have been too dry and flavorless without it. The evil and mysterious Professor Grimes provided enough conflict to engage the reader and look forward to the end result. Kuang's writing is very academic (obviously) which is hard to read and enjoy for some - myself included - and I'm left feeling like I'm not quite smart enough to be reading her novels. Overall, a one-of-a-kind book worth reading.

Jump in, let’s go to Hell! Is it strange to describe a descent into the underworld with your academic rival as a romp? Kuang’s mastery of prose and language shines in this new fantasy that follows two Cambridge postgraduates into Hell, as they follow their recently deceased graduate advisor. This book explored so many topics in a really interesting and engaging way, even if the ill-fated romance fell flat at times. Similar to Babel in its dissecting of academia, but with a much more internalized lens of critique.

Characters are fabulous. I wish I would have read Dante’s inferno first. I wish I understood all the academic references. I love dark academia but this might have been too academic for me.

This book was nothing like I expected. I've never felt so smart and dumb (in a good way!) while reading something. I loved getting to explore Hell with Alice and Peter. I also loved learning about the magic system in the world. It was such an interesting concept and I'd love to read more from this world.

Plot: 3/5 Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4/5
When a Magick goes awry and her brilliant and cruelly demanding professor is dispatched to Hell in a particularly gruesome way, Alice Law follows him in an attempt to bring him back to Oxford, guided by ancient texts, paradoxical logic puzzles, and esoteric mathematics. Accompanied at the last minute by fellow magician-in-training wunderkind Peter Murdoch, the entire story is their “Katabasis” — the Hero’s journey into the underworld.

Kuang’s writing is always spectacular with vivid imagery, twisting plots, and an impressive inclusion of scientific, philosophical, and classical arcana woven together into a complete and warped world. It is one long adventure story — surprising in its twists and turns — but still a one-threat-after-another adventure story. Far too much for my taste. The characters had depth — but IMO with far more focus on the neurosis of genius and susceptibility to manipulation, and the (way too) slow unpacking of that neurosis to expose self knowledge and latent interpersonal gains. I am a huge fan of both “Babel” and “Yellowface” but I can’t say I enjoyed this book. I do think it will appeal to those who love adventure stories and are perhaps more interested in the kind of self discovery one makes in their twenties.

As a fan of some of Kuang’s other works I was very excited for Katabasis. However what I expected to be a sweeping epic adventure felt more like a drudge through a never ending lecture. I wish we had more character development and relationship exploration than ponderings of theory and references to past sojourners. I found that I wasn't interested in the main characters and that the side characters were more dynamic. However I can appreciate the immense amount of dedication it must have taken to weave so many different accounts of hell into the story. I did enjoy that beliefs, deities, and concepts from cultures around the world were given equal respect in this underworld.

If you liked Babel, you're going to love Katabasis! They are definitely on the same level intellectually. It is absolutely LOADED with academic references and theories – sometimes frustratingly so, (At least for me!)

What can be said about RF Kuang that hasn't already been said? She is a prodigy, a master, and Katabasis proves it. This is gorgeous, wonderful, beautiful, big-brained sort of reading that feels bigger than us. I am weak for any play on Dante's inferno, and I was over the moon when I saw that RF Kuang was writing her own. This book is suspensful, it is romantic, it is heartbreaking, it is shocking, it is... everything. Plain and simple.

Thank you for the arc!
I fought migraines and midterms to inhale every page of this book. As per usual, R F Kuang is a genius. I loved every second of this; I think it’s her best work yet. I have nothing but glowing things to say about Alice, Peter, and the incredible Hellscape R F Kuang built.

Katabasis by R F Kuang is a gorgeous story about a journey to the underworld taken by 2 graduate students.
When Alice Law's advisor dies suddenly, she makes a plan to journey to hell to retrieve him. She has gotten too far into her degree for something like this to stop her. When a fellow grad student, Peter Murdoch stumbles upon her trying to open the portal, he immediately demands to tag along. The two will have to put their differences aside and journey through hell together to try to bring him back.
This was such a beautiful, sad, funny book. I loved the story, the characters, the dialogue, and the plot. I loved how they made references to many of the classics and incorporated a large variety of mythologies in the story. I absolutely love R F Kuang's books and this was by far my favorite of hers which is not easy to do since all of her books set such a high bar.

Some books are too magnificent to simply be described—they must be devoured and savored slowly to fully appreciate their brilliance. This is one of them—a spellbinding blend of enemies-to-lovers romance and dark academia fantasy, featuring a mind-blowing journey through hell, where every level embodies sins like pride, desire, greed, wrath, and tyranny, alongside the infamous City of Dis. The story weaves together elements of mathematics, philosophy, and religion, enriched with fascinating anecdotes from Ancient Greek mythology.

Alice Law, an ambitious and brilliant mind in Cambridge’s Magick field, accidentally kills her mentor by misdrawing a pentagram. Determined to bring him back, she embarks on a dangerous quest to hell—only to be joined by her arch-nemesis (and former crush), Peter Murdoch. Their mentor, Grimes, could be anywhere in the underworld, and as they navigate its treacherous levels, they encounter terrifying entities, battle monstrous creatures, and undergo hell’s grueling trials.

Trapped in a relentless race against time, Alice and Peter must confront their tangled past, wavering between love and hate, while guarding dark secrets that could destroy them. The deeper they descend, the greater the danger—not just of losing their lives but of succumbing to the underworld itself. If their secrets come to light, will they escape hell unscathed, or will they be doomed to wander its eternal abyss, their memories erased forever?

Overall: Words cannot capture how much I adored this book—it’s not just my favorite fantasy of the year but possibly the best book I’ve read all year! With its sharp academic wit, themes of abuse, existential questioning, self-respect, and the infinite choices that shape our lives, this novel masterfully blends intellectual depth with an addictive rivals-to-lovers romance. I can’t recommend it enough—add it to your reading list immediately, and prepare to be enthralled by its intricate, mysterious, and utterly unputdownable adventure.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing a digital review copy of this masterpiece in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Katabasis is a brilliant, incisive, and hauntingly beautiful novel that defies easy categorization. R.F. Kuang, known for her sharp social commentary and masterful storytelling, delivers a tale that is equal parts dark academia, magical adventure, and searing critique of power structures. While some readers might come to this book expecting a sweeping love story set in Hell, what they’ll find instead is a deeply layered exploration of ambition, abuse, and the cost of success in the cutthroat world of academia—with a touch of romance that feels earned and poignant rather than central.

Kuang’s portrayal of Hell is both imaginative and symbolic, serving as a mirror to the oppressive systems of academia. The parallels between the underworld and the ivory tower are impossible to miss, and Kuang’s critique of power imbalances and exploitation. Her writing is both lyrical and unflinching, weaving together themes of ambition, trauma, and resilience with a deft hand.

If you’re looking for a straightforward romance, this might not be the book for you. But if you’re ready for a thought-provoking, emotionally resonant journey through Hell, both literal and metaphorical, Katabasis is a masterpiece. Kuang has once again proven herself to be one of the most daring and insightful voices in contemporary fantasy. This is a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

What does Hell look like? The answer varies on whom you ask. R.F. Kuang brilliantly weaves together different interpretations of Hell—from various religious texts and philosophical travelogues across cultures, Eastern and Western, to even students’ claims that academia itself is hellish—in a creative and fascinating way that scratched a part of my brain.

Overall, I had a fantastic time reading my sixth R.F. Kuang book. While it delves deeply into philosophy, logic, and maths, the action-packed scenes and the characters kept me engaged. At its heart, this book is really about finding your identity and what truly matters in life. If you strip away all your accolades, your genius, the recognition and praise from your professors, who are you? Ultimately, my takeaway is that I truly am not made for grad school, and if I ever do go, I hope to find an advisor I wouldn’t have to follow to Hell just to get a recommendation letter.

Katabasis won’t be for everyone, but I’m confident that it will deeply resonate with some readers, becoming their new favorite book. I can’t wait to read the final version in August!

Full review on my Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

A big thank you to Harper Collins International for sending a digital galley my way. As always, all thoughts are my own.