Reviews tagging 'Deadnaming'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

5 reviews

samflowerv6's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I was assigned this for school. The poppy war is a bloody, scorching coming of age story of an angry orphan who finds power within herself. Rin is such an interesting and complex character. Based on historical tribulations of China. Check trigger warnings. Kitay, Nezha, Altan, Jiang and Rin are such deep and beautiful characters. I will be continuing this series.

“I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.”

“I don't love you. And I can kill anything.”

Well, fuck the heavenly order of things. If getting married to a gross old man was her preordained role on this earth, then Rin was determined to rewrite it.

“Nothing is written," said the Phoenix. "You humans always think you're destinied for greatness. Destiny is a myth. Destiny is the only myth. The gods choose nothing. You chose. You chose to take the exam. You chose to come to Sinegard. You chose to pledge Lore, you chose to study the paths of the gods, and you chose to follow your commander's demands over your master's warnings. At every critical juncture you were given an option; you were given a way out. Yet you picked precisely the roads that led you here. You are at this temple, kneeling before me, only because you wanted to be.” 

“Jiang was wrong. She was not dabbling in forces she could not control, for the gods were not dangerous. The gods had no power at all, except what she gave them. The gods could affect the universe only through humans like her. Her destiny had not been written in the stars, or in the registers of the Pantheon. She had made her choices fully and autonomously. And though she called upon the gods to aid her in battle, they were her tools from beginning to end. She was no victim of destiny. She was the last Speerly, commander of the Cike, and a shaman who called the gods to do her bidding. And she would call the gods to do such terrible things.”

“I don't need your pity. I need you to kill them for me. You have to kill them for me," Venka hissed. "Swear it. Swear on your blood that you will burn them.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Infertility, Murder, Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexism, Gore, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Death, Drug abuse, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Excrement, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Animal cruelty, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Classism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual harassment, Vomit, and War

felynmarie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Never have I ever read a book like this before. The train of emotions that I've felt while I'm reading this was out of this world. It was amazing!

Just go on and read this book 'cause you'll not regret it 😉
Please check the TWs before reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Vomit, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Rape, Torture, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, War, and Slavery

stitchof's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, War, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, and Suicide

faniladm's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

God, this is chaos. Very brutal, explicit, and destructive. 

Fang Runin (Rin), a unexpected student who enrolled Military Academy—located in Sinegard, the capital of Nikan—that she didn't belong because in history there's no students who from outskirts like Rin. She bullied. But Rin is not a girl who would be shut up upon it, she fight back in order to belong. 
Several years ahead war broken between Nikan and Federation, it is involved the students, included Rin. Along the war secret revealed about who Rin really are, and they afraid, scare, of her. Not why. But who are they, you should ask. 

The Poppy War is written by R. F. Kuang who is asian and studies Chinese history—yup, there's history in it—Opium War. I called The Poppy War as historical fantasy. The Poppy War draws how war are fucked up, terrible, inhumane, and insanity. More you get into the story, more it get worse and worse. How Rin desperated about the war, she saw something that she didn't believe that war is like hell, truly hell. Very chaotic and destructive. A lot of innocent people involved. 

I don't know why I enjoyed this book but I like it, totally captivating. The world building. The characters development. The fantasy. And the shamanism. All are fantastic. Even if it took me long time to finish because The Poppy War—thick book with long chapter—really intimidated me. 

What a dark fantasy! This is such a masterpiece, someone managed to combine history and fantasy to be in one, in The Poppy War. Kuang really great author for this. 

The Poppy War is not appropriated for young readers because has dark, explicit, and gruesome scenes of warfare and the aftermath. I wouldn't recommend for readers who under fifteen. 

Last but not least, kalo kalian udah punya KTP dan masih ragu buat baca The Poppy War. Well, I will sit for you and talk to you why you have to read The Poppy War. Let's convince you to put this dark fantasy to your next TBR. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Torture, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, Rape, Bullying, Body horror, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, War, Death, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

shainalite's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is insane. 
Karena buku ini buku pertama, kita dapat pengenalan dunia The Poppy War pelan-pelan, ga langsung seabrek jadi meskipun bikin penasaran maksudnya percakapan si A ini apa, pembaca ga bakal kebingungan dengan banyaknya informasi karena ntar juga dijelasin di bab-bab selanjutnya. 
Seperti buku-buku R.F. Kuang yang lain, meskipun buku ini buku terjemahan, bahasanya mudah dipahami dan engaging banget. Sebagai pembaca yang suka masukin 3-4 buku dalam current read, aku ga bisa berpaling dari buku ini buat nyari buku selingan.  Deskripsi yang digunakan untuk segala hal di buku ini juga pas porsinya sesuai dibutuhkan, jadi pembaca ga sampai bosan. 
Seperti yang disebutkan di blurb, buku ini terinspirasi dari chinese history yang bikin aku mengira-ngira wilayah ini di dunia nyata sebenarnya apa ya atau negara ini kayaknya negara anu deh di dunia nyata. Selain itu jenis bahasa yang digunakan para karakternya (meskipun R.F. Kuang ga menciptakan bahasa baru) juga aku pikir juga berasal dari bahasa dunia nyata, kayak logat Sinegard mungkin kayak American English, sedangkan logat orang-orang Tikany kayak British English. 
Di buku ini kita bisa melihat perkembangan karakter Rin sebagai tokoh utama dan gimana pembaca bisa terus mengikuti kisahnya meskipun Rin sudah memiliki pendapat yang jauh berbeda dari awal dia muncul. Aku suka semua karakter yang dimunculkan di buku ini terlepas mereka baik atau jahat, menurutku mereka sudah melakukan tugas mereka sebagai karakter tertentu dengan menggunakan potensi mereka. Yang kejam yaudah kejam banget, yang masih bingung dibikin makin bingung, dan yang sudah merasa punya pandangan tertentu tentang peperangan bakal terus mengeksplorasi karakternya seputar peperangan.
Beberapa hal sudah bisa ditebak, tapi emang buku ini bukan buku mystery atau detektif juga jadi pembaca yang bisa menebak pun kayaknya juga bukan sesuatu yang wow. 
Banyak banget trigger warning, hampir semua daftar di trigger warning di storygraph aku pakai semua, meskipun buku ini kayaknya YA. 
Aku jadi ingin baca buku yang menceritakan POV Nezha karena aku penasaran apa yang dia lakukan selama dia tidak berada di sekitar Rin, dan kenapa dia tau-tau muncul lagi terus menghilang lagi.
Meskipun buku ini penuh kekejaman perang dan trigger warning, aku sempet ngerasa ngeri dan ngilu, tapi ga sampe membekas terlalu lama. Buku Uprooted yang aku baca tahun lalu cukup bikin mual dan sakit kepala, entah kenapa, padahal buku ini lebih brutal, which is something I admire from R.F. Kuang. Bisa bikin buku yang menunjukkan gimana parahnya peperangan,tapi ga sampe bikin trauma, karena sebenarnya aku jenis pembaca yang selalu menghindari topik peperangan dalam sebuah buku.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racial slurs, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Animal death, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Vomit, Bullying, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Grief, Racism, and Self harm