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sam_emerson6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
mj_hyperfixation_station's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
shainalite's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
overbooked207's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4th book of January 2023 and 4th of the year:
âWar doesn't determine who's right. War determines who remains.â - R.F. Kuang.
A military epic fantasy novel inspired by the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking, this book was engaging, hard to put down, and very dark and harrowing, showing how absolutely horrid war is and the trauma, horror, and destruction that comes out of it. It had absolutely amazing writing and world-building, relevant commentary, intricate, brutal, and well-written fight and battle scenes, a beautiful cover, a great audiobook, and fleshed-out/well-developed and complex characters. I love reading about complex characters who make mistakes, arenât perfect, and/or are forced to make big and hard decisions. I especially love consuming content with angry characters in it. Characters who see or experience injustice and are fueled by their rage. Many times, I find it very cathartic because everybody reacts to trauma differently, with there being no such thing as the âperfectâ victim that the media/world expects and wants when horrible things happen. And anger is an essential part of healing and can be very useful when channeled toward good, and, while there are more now, I donât see as many books/movies/shows that have a main character who expresses this understandable anger, and Rin does, so I really appreciated that. I highly recommend this. Just please be aware of all of the TWs(which I started listing alphabetically to make it easier for people) because there are many heavy things in this, and it was very hard to read at times due to them. TWs for abandonment, ableism, abuse(child, domestic, physical, and sexual), addiction, alcoholism, animal cruelty/death, blood, body horror, body shaming, bullying, child death, classism, colonization, confinement, cursing, death, drugs/drug use, excrement, fatphobia, fire/fire injury, forced institutionalization, gaslighting, genocide, gore, grief, gun violence, hate crime, infertility, injuries/injury detail, kidnapping, medical content/trauma, menstruation, mental illness, mention of forced marriage and prostitution, misogyny, murder, panic attacks, pedophilia, police brutality, pregnancy, PTSD, racism, rape(mentioned a few times throughout and described in detail by a survivor toward the end of chapter 21(80% through the book and at around 14:57:35 to around 15:03:58 in the audiobook)), religious bigotry, self-harm, sexism, sexual assault/violence, slavery, slurs, stalking, suicidal thoughts, suicide, torture, trafficking, violence, vomit, war, and xenophobia.đ§âď¸đš
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
yammiereadsuwu's review against another edition
- 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
okay okay.
- I loved this book. RF Kuang is my favorite author. I justâŚAGSJSHSJSJJE
- Itâs tragic, i felt like the book was stomping on my heart half the time. I loved every second of it. I was able to sit hours on end reading with no interruption (a rare phenomena to me) and i wouldve finished faster if outside factors didnt stop me. Itâs engaging and for people who can see visual images while reading, i felt like i was watching a movie while reading, the descriptions are really well written.
- The charactersâŚI read Babel before I read TPW and I love Kuangâs characterization. I love how she gives them emotions and internal conflicts. I love how sometimes their actions arent aligned with whats âmorally rightâ and they acknowledge it and do it anyway. The characters are unique and even tho the book is from Rinâs POV i could deeply understand all the characters that mattered. (i â¤ď¸ ramsa, heâs my boy)
- The world building is magnificent. The details. The explanations. The slow reveal of the universe. I loved it all. I did have to re-read some passages & google some things but only because im a fast reader and sometimes my mind doesnt fully absorb what i read. I read a negative review that said the world building is inconsistent, but for me I didnt see it as such at all.
- The plot is great but I dont really care about that usually. I also hate unresolved issues that foreshadow following booksâŚKuang changed my mind on both tho. I think the foreshadowing is great and i want to pick up the second book instantly.
- I love Rin. I just. I love her. IDC what anyone says, shes my girl. I also love Altan. Some of his moments werenât the greatest but he was real and I loved him for it. Jiang, i wanna give you a hug. Kitay, I have some unresolved feelings for you, I hope the second book repairs those bc I love(d) you (I WANT TO DROP THE D SO YOU BETTER ACT RIGHT)
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ka_ke's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
The Poppy War will force you to think about privilege, oppression and what it means to be human. Your beliefs will be challenged and your views will change. It is not for those looking for a happy ending.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
taroroot's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Gore, and Panic attacks/disorders
theslowreadernumber5's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ceejreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
_azure76's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders