Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

347 reviews

chasinggrace's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Drug use, War, Drug abuse, Vomit, Addiction, Sexual violence, Slavery, Genocide, Physical abuse, Gore, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Violence, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Death, Suicide, Torture, Excrement, Infertility, and Murder

jhbandcats's review against another edition

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A story of epic proportions, The Poppy War is a fantasy-infused telling of the repeated Japanese invasions of China in the 1930s. The first third is about the outcast Rin at a military academy, the second third corresponds to the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, and the third is the Rape of Nanking and its aftermath as Rin seeks vengeance for the destruction of her country and the deaths of her friends. 

It’s beautifully written and violent and ghastly and imaginative, an amazing endeavor for any writer but especially one who was writing this as an undergraduate. As in her later book Babel, Kuang’s scholarship shines throughout. The best part, though, is the storytelling. I was riveted by the first sentence (‘Take off your clothes!’) and my attention never flagged. 

I’m glad this is a trilogy because I am NOT ready to say goodbye to this world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Bullying, Classism, Genocide, Gore, War, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Addiction, Drug use, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gore, Addiction, Drug abuse, Animal death, Blood, Genocide, Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Self harm, Violence, War, and Body horror

Moderate: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Physical abuse

Minor: Toxic friendship and Slavery

lola218_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Torture, Drug use, Xenophobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, Slavery, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Violence, Sexual assault, Animal death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, War, Genocide, Grief, and Gore

Moderate: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Infertility

angleslist's review against another edition

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

5.0

perfect in every way and creates a necessary conversation on chinese war-time history and the atrocities committed against china in the past as well as the many other atrocities currently occuring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Self harm, Murder, Death, Blood, War, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Slavery, Drug use, Colonisation, Torture, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Classism

grandiose_r's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book really gripped me and shook me to my core. I recognized so many things from what my father told me from his time growing in immediate post WW2 China (born on the exact day of Japan's official surrender), and his growing up hearing first hand accounts of the Nanjing Massacre as well as further atrocities commit by remaining soldiers even after the official surrender.

On a different note, I loved the novel's approach to drugs and gods and hope it's explored further in the following parts of the series.

R.F. Kuang did an amazing job with this debut novel and I will definitely be returning to this series, but I'm gonna have to take a break from this kind of war literature that hits a bit too close to home for a while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Torture, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Drug use, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Medical content, Vomit, Violence, Addiction, Child death, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, War, Death, Genocide, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Infertility, Excrement, and Confinement

xx_salem's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I liked the book and loved the main character and how far she was willing to take it. However I slowly began to dislike how she took over the motives of others and lost her own motives, I couldn’t understand her stake in anything or why she cared that much. The ending left a little to be desired, like it was brushed over, but I hope to see more consequences in the next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, Genocide, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Addiction, Animal death, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder, Body shaming, Colonisation, Self harm, Mental illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Torture, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Animal cruelty, Grief, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Vomit, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and War

kape's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, Drug use, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual violence, War, and Violence

pagesihavenotyetread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Violence, Suicide, Bullying, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Classism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, War, and Xenophobia

guinness74's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

Kuang’s writing is intense and terrifying. The worlds she creates are stark, imaginative, and delightful, all while being built on a historical framework. To invest yourself in her books is to engage in historical fiction at its finest. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, War, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, and Violence