From the first few pages I knew I wanted to take my time with this book, and it is my most heavily annotated book I own now. Everything written in this book, from its depictions of romanticism of the student life, the love between friends, the betrayal of family, the horrors of racism colourism and sexism and what happens when they intersect, the harsh truth of revolutions and sacrifices, and they way grief take control over all your senses before you know it... everything was just perfect for me.
I have never had an "absolute favourite book" that I could point to when people asked me if I did, but my god do I have one now. This was the book I was looking for all throughout my undergrad, the perfect dark academia book, with its beautiful and heartbreaking writing and story telling, and feeling like I was being seen and recognized by my experiences. I felt like screaming on the rooftops every time I felt like wow R. F Kuang gets it!!! She couldn't have written this any more perfect.
It is everything for me, and I don't think I'll emotionally recover for a long long time!