Kalamazoo Public Library, 2024
“Rebecca was a lovely guest. She was agreeable, yet flexible, regarding all of the arrangements. Someone I spoke to who heard her presentation called her “sassy,” in a good way. I would agree! Her intelligence and her sense of humor are a winning combination on the stage.
Georgetown University, 2024
“All attendees enjoyed how open and personable Rebecca was. She was an incredible addition to the panel and Forum!”
UChicago Taiwanese American Student Association, 2024
“Rebecca is at once eloquent and down-to-earth, gracefully navigating tone shifts to provide insightful responses to both profound and playful questions. She went above and beyond by generously staying over time to ensure all attendees had a chance to get their books personally signed. Rebecca is a remarkably patient and charming conversationalist — an overall delightful individual who we are honored to have collaborated with.
Hunter College, 2024
“Rebecca F. Kuang is genuine, high-spirited, and incredibly talented. Her charisma fills up a room and her humour is quick and sharp. Even with the circumstances of our event, RFK’s wisdom and cheer were much appreciated and genuinely received by the audience.”
Humanities North Dakota, 2024
“Rebecca F. Kuang is not only a master author, she is an intelligent, humorous, and inspiring speaker. We loved hosting her as our One Book One ND featured author.”
West Virginia Book Festival, 2023
“Rebecca was our most eagerly anticipated author of the day and her presentation did not disappoint! She gave a well-researched and thought-provoking talk that got rave reviews from attendees. I was especially impressed with her responses during Q&A segment. She answered each question with a fantastic blend of candor, humor, and insight.”
Fantasy Writers Week, 2023
“Wow wow wow to R. F. Kuang’s interview. She is just bubbling over with enthusiasm, personality, and intellect. It’s amazing that she’s delving into such different settings and characters. I love how she describes her process – writing the scenes she feels passionate about then going back and interlacing them to make the plot, how she has to love what she’s working on to write it. And the 3-part structure with many small points of tension and resolution within. I like her ideas of magic as a metaphor for nuclear weapons or DNA technology – “everyone is a bit afraid because no one can control it perfectly.” The interviewer had great questions and was able to optimize the time with Kuang. Thank you for making this happen.”
Wesleyan University, 2023
“I thought the event was a great success, there were many people all very eager for the Q&A portions as much as the book signing. I loved seeing just how excited the attendees were to have Rebecca with us! You could tell she was connecting with the audience and that they were super engaged. Rebecca was an amazing speaker, and always gave incredible in-depth responses to the questions Steve asked that really blew us all away!”
Oxford Review of Books
“The true magic of Kuang’s novel lies in its ability to be both rigorously academic and consistently welcoming to the reader, making translation on the page feel as enchanting and powerful as any effects it can achieve with the aid of silver.”
Kirkus Reviews
“It’s ambitious and powerful while displaying a deep love of language and literature…Dark academia as it should be.”
Booklist (starred review)
“Kuang follows her award-winning Poppy War trilogy with an engaging fantasy about the magic of language. Her richly descriptive stand-alone novel about an ever-expanding, alternate-world empire powered by magically enhanced silver talismans scrutinizes linguistics, history, politics, and the social customs of Victorian-era Great Britain.”