Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

53 reviews

kibiiiariii's review

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Drug use, Slavery, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abandonment, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Torture, Trafficking, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Toxic friendship, War, Xenophobia, Animal death, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Cursing, and Death

secretgoldfish's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I've never read a book where I didn't know who to root for by the end. I've also never read a book that went from 0 to 100 so fast.
The vibe of this book is the scene in Mulan where they're singing about girls and then they come over the hill and see the village burned to the ground.
Its so sudden. So jarring. And so intense. I loved every second of this book. Its so real and mystical at the same time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, War, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, Classism, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

donzzles's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

fang runin girlboss slay go commit your funky little harrowing war crimes queen!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Body horror, Colonisation, Gore, Murder, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Genocide

Moderate: Self harm, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence

Minor: Ableism

comfycozytomes's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This book went from 1 - 100 simultaneously so gradually and so quickly. I truly had no idea what this book was about going into it and I feel truly changed upon finishing it. A hauntingly, brutal and beautifully written story. This book is such a journey and asks truly difficult questions in the prelude to the end, what is an acceptable sacrifice in the face of war, in the face of total annihilation, how far is too far, what is justice...what is justifiable...and how can you come back from the choices you make with the circumstances presented to you? 

The allusions to true history are so well integrated into the themes of this fictional story, I recommend everyone read the author's note in the back, which references the nonfiction books/scenes/references woven into this story. I truly wept when I read Kuang's words in that section as I reflected upon those moments in the book, it added a new layer to what I had only suspected from my limited memory/knowledge as I read the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Rape, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, and Torture

ibroughtyouknives's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Body horror, Classism, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Genocide, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, War, and Cursing

Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Sexual violence

Minor: Ableism

ali_arkanciel's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

shellroch285's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I’m not a big fan of military fantasy, but I felt like this was really well-written and enjoyed seeing the characters make decisions! I felt like I learned a lot from this book about the craft of writing, and I’m looking forward to reading the second in the trilogy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Genocide, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Blood, Slavery, and Torture

Minor: Fatphobia and Ableism

droggelbecher42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Very good book, but I didn't know what I was getting into. The beginning reads so much like a classic coming-of-age (gifted kid goes to academy) book that I didn't expect the graphic violence later on. But even the beginning, slow parts with lots of common tropes was very well written and I honestly wouldn't have minded reading a whole book about only Sinegard.
I think I do want to read the rest of the series, but might need a breather inbetween, because this was so heavy

The description of the massacre Golyn Niis genuinely made me feel sick, because it was so well written. Also Kitay is my favourite character and I don't care that he might have betrayed Rin & Atlan to the federation (let's be honest, he knew where they were going and that last conversation on the ship was very sus)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, War, Classism, Violence, Xenophobia, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Genocide, and Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Rape, and Grief

eldritch_archivist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is so fucked up. Truly do not read it if you are not prepared for graphic depictions of the horrors of war crimes and sexual violence. Left me asking: do I support women's wrongs? I just don't know but it sure was an incredible read. The author really took the main character and said "what if I made her so much worse?"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Classism, Colonisation, Self harm, Gore, Murder, Bullying, Body horror, Kidnapping, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Suicide, Torture, Child abuse, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Ableism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pandemic/Epidemic, Excrement, Miscarriage, Racism, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Pedophilia

allisonmspiers's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Racism, Physical abuse, Grief, Genocide, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death, Classism, Violence, Cursing, Torture, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Child death, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Drug use, Abandonment, Ableism, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, and Animal cruelty

Forced marriage, human experimentation, massacres, menstruation,