Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

29 reviews

alex_salamander's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Vomit, Rape, War, Grief, Death, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Violence, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Body horror, Gore, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Child death, and Racism

Moderate: Confinement, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

noosh_pdf's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

When they say this book is dark, they mean it. Do not be fooled by the beginning chapters of this book that feign hopeful stories of aspiring soldiers. The darkness of this book has subjected itself to one specific chapter, chapter 21. There are gruesome, cruel, horrifying depictions of war crimes. Nothing will prepare you for it. Read trigger warnings. Please.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Mental illness, Abortion, War, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Grief, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, Addiction, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Vomit, Violence, Self harm, Genocide, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Cursing

lillypillygooseberry's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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

3.75

lots of horrific imagery in this book. Definitely read the trigger warnings, especially if you identify as female: I consider myself pretty numb to most things in book but some of the descriptions were truly horrifying, especially because they are based on real-life events.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Confinement, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Colonisation, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, War, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, and Infertility

hannahjoanx7's review

adventurous challenging dark sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Murder, Violence, Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Body horror, Death of parent, Rape, Self harm, and War

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

nat_kiverse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Confinement, Drug abuse, Child death, Murder, Colonisation, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Vomit, and War

thedambookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, War, Addiction, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Self harm, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual content, Drug use, Genocide, and Grief

juneylu's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.25

For me, this book read like the story of Attack On Titan but with a Chinese, Maoist inspired coat. I really enjoyed it, the comparison doesn’t diminish the excellence of the book. The critique of pacing and the academy arch was valid, it was definitely not as exciting as later parts.

The Nanking inspired massacre was the emotional high point of the novel. I found it very moving as someone who is Chinese, it was personal. Some may say it was unnecessary, I felt it made sense as it was something that effected all of the characters in some type of way, it’s impact can be felt in later books as well. Its brutality still is lighter than the real events, and I hope this book has helped many people to learn about the Nanking Massacre.  Rin is a very complicated character. She went from a hard-working small-town girl to a genocidal warrior in one book, but the character development felt understood. Is she someone I should personally support? Not at all, but I enjoy the grey morality she exists in.

Overall, I loved this book, it’s a start of a great series. Is the hype deserved? Not entirely, because many misadvertise it as a romance. But it is still a great book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Physical abuse, War, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Violence, Torture, Body horror, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Addiction, and Cursing

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

mel_sh's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

 where do i find the words to talk about this book? i was hooked from the first sentence where a teacher yelled at rin to take off her clothes until the very last sentence. between that time, things in this plot change so drastically its hard to process just how much changed. the characters grow so much, the stakes become so much higher, the events much darker.
i've had this series marketed to me as YA fantasy but it is 1000% an adult series with adult themes so please do not go into this book thinking it will just be yet another tiktok recommended fluffy ya fantasy with magic. chapter 21 will forever be ingrained in my head as one of the saddest and most gruesome things i’ve ever read and it is not something that should be gone into blind.
that being said, there is no denying that this book is a masterpiece and i’m so upset it’s taken me this long to read this but also so happy because i feel like i wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as a 16yr old as i did as a 19yr old. this was wonderful and life changing and i cannot wait to read the rest 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, War, Addiction, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Blood, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Grief, Violence, Animal death, Classism, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Bullying, and Child death

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Misogyny, Abandonment, Ableism, Infertility, Racism, and Emotional abuse