Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

90 reviews

maecave15's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

**I highly recommend reading the review by Nenia Campbell on Goodreads.

This is a Chinese culture inspired dark fantasy, with sections inspired by the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking/Nanjing (neither of which I am familiar with). Honestly, it was dark and violent but boring at many times. 

The side characters were interesting enough, but the MC Rin was power hungry and didn't listen to anyone's advice. She was childish and annoying. I don't feel anything for her at all. I would much rather read about her step brother Kesegi, who has horrible parents and is abandoned by Rin (she never once contacts him even though she claims to have loved him and play a major role in raising him). 

The world building was pretty cool, and the plot was unique to me.The powers being attained through gods is a magic system I always enjoy. 

The middle section of the book lagged so much though that I almost gave up on it. I'm glad I picked it back up and finished it but I won't be continuing the series.

Trigger warning for chapter 21, it has VERY gruesome acts of violence. I can handle it but honestly with how horrifying this chapter is, the book should have a blatant warning for it. Apparently this is the section that is heavily based on the Rape of Nanjing/Nanking. Iris Chang authored a book, with explicit detail and pictures, about this dark time in history. (I have not read it, I am referencing it as another reviewer did so we know the point of chapter 21). 

I enjoyed this novel enough to finish it but I won't be picking up the next book in the trilogy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Abortion, Body horror, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Violence, War, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic friendship

sonias's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Literally wtf? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, and Abortion

Moderate: Genocide, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Torture, and Confinement

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

this was an experience i struggle to put into words. this book was so eloquently written with abundant imagery, character development, and history. the amount of world building was intense but so rich. it felt as though it was a place i had moved to and was slowly discovering it myself. the characters were bursting with personality. while this book isn’t necessarily “enjoyable” (because of the incredibly devastating subject matter), it was was such an amazing reading experience and i really want to continue with the series! 

****check trigger warnings****

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child death, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Addiction, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, War, Animal death, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

reka111's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing 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? It's complicated

5.0

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

The review contains spoilers!!!

Right now I feel so many things that I can't say; I want to burn the world, sob until I'm nothing but an empty dustpan and dance with the wild wind at the same time. So right now I feel everything and nothing, death and life, sorrow and happiness at the same time. I just finished reading it a few minutes ago and I can't get the words out of my head, I have so many thoughts about this book. 

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I have never read - and probably never will - another well-crafted book in my life.  This story has a past, present and future.  It tells about gods and mortals at the same time. The world itself was very interesting and I can't wait to go back there again, I'm not exaggerating when I say that although it was brutal (definitely not for those who can't stand blood and death, etc.) it still had its own beauty, something unfathomably beautiful in it.  I really liked that the writer drew a lot from mythology and brought real nightmares to life. 

Rin (Zsin in Hungarian) was a great main character, a real unquenchable flame.  I simply loved that we could trace what fire, power and so much death were able to do to that innocent little girl. Runin was very nice to me at first and still is, but I feel that later on I will lose her, she will be burned by her own flames and I can't do anything to save her. The knowledge that history will (probably) repeat itself fills me with great pain.  But actually I understood, I understood her soul, her whole damned being.  Although she didn't do the right thing many times, in the end most of us would have done exactly what she did in these situations, even the strongest will break during a long fight (just like Altan) and I'm sure that sooner or later Runin will break too. It's fate, you can't avoid fate and finally you can't make a deal with it, but you can indeed delay it. 

Nezha (Nö-Csa in Hungarian) I'm not lying when I say that I fell in love from the beginning, but really, but who's to blame?  I'm begging you, this boy knows something, he chains people to himself, I'm not at all surprised that Runin falls in love with him later on.  I liked his character. He goes through a huge development during the book (I've rarely seen character development like his).  He went from being a spoiled and cruel tyrant to an understanding and relatively forgiving person. Basically, Nezha is an excellent fighter, but he doesn't always think through what exactly he wants.  I want to know what happened to him and I want to let him know that he is not alone, that Runin wanted to go after him, that she was trying to save him even at the cost of her own life.  I hope we get more of him in the next book. 

Kitay and Venka are secondary characters, but they are very important in shaping the main character (Runin) into what she is.  Despite everything, Kitay stuck by her, he was her friend and one of her most devoted allies in the academy and beyond.  The voice of common sense, although he too was broken by the war, he did not forget that he is human, like anyone else, that he lives and breathes like any other living being and nothing is more important than that.  A part of me died because of Venka and I haven't recovered from it since, it's unbelievable that one of the best students of the academy, one of the most dangerous girls, was treated like this. It's disgusting what they did to her, it's disgusting what they did to women, but in war there really is no such thing as a winner or a loser, only broken souls, I feel that she will never recover from what she had to go through, I think she suffered more than anyone else.  I wish she had died, she would have been a real blessing compared to what they did to her. 

Jiang (Csiang in Hungarian) is my guardian, my hero and my support.  When I first read about the disappearance of the Gatekeeper, I didn't even suspect him, I saw him as a simple, a bit sloppy, but kind master (even after what was revealed), but then the gatekeeper who released monsters into the world started to suspect him, but he disappeared in  from picture.  And it made the seal even more suspicious.  My heart bled for him in prison, he never deserved what the empress did to him, it was simply cruel. 

Altan was so broken, so damned broken, it's a wonder he didn't fall to pieces.  He still fought bravely for his people, his country and himself. I'm glad he got the closure he deserved, I'm glad he got the revenge he deserved and I don't regret supporting him at all, because he deserved everything and even more.  They ruined his life, he carried more bleeding wounds than anyone else.  He needed this, he really needed this, he needed to find peace and be reunited with his people and family. 

I don't want to go into the Cike itself, but I loved them very much, each and every one of them with my whole soul.  They are a real family, not just outcasts and not just criminals, they are a real team. 

Betrayal is nothing new, especially not in books like this, but it still hurt, because a ruler's job is to rule her people, to protect them like gods, not to turn against them.  Not only Rin wants to kill the empress but also me. 

Other characters who died and deserve at least one mention: 

Tir 
Although we knew very little about him, I felt sorry for him and I feel that if I had been there, I would have tried to save him and help him. 

Irjah
(Ircsa in Hungarian)
I thought my soul would never stop sobbing. He deserves a thousand times better.

Raban 
my dear Raban, I am so used to his presence as to his air, my heart stopped when he died. 

Basically, the plot was easy to follow, but sometimes the time jumps really bothered me, we literally jumped weeks, months and years in just a few pages, which is fine, but I would have been very happy if the author had prepared me a little for these.It was terribly interesting, even though it took me so long to read it, although it is not exactly an easy afternoon's read with its 580 pages, and it dissects topics that cannot exactly be called easy.  Despite the fact that this was the first book about actual war, torture and death that I read, I took the hurdle quite easily. I'm not a big fan of these acts of violence, but they didn't really bother me either, because they showed me what a bloody war is like, the unvarnished truth. I can't wait to read the next book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Child death, Cursing, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Colonisation, War, Xenophobia, Torture, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, Confinement, Animal death, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Infertility, Gore, Genocide, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Classism, Child death, Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, Ableism, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Addiction, Vomit, Trafficking, Mental illness, Gun violence, Child abuse, Slavery, Sexual violence, Hate crime, and Forced institutionalization

fedekanejbrainrot's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

if this isn't the best fantasy you've ever read, then what the hell did you read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Abortion, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, and Physical abuse

antoneh's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Genocide, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Torture, Hate crime, Abortion, Rape, War, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Racism, Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Gore, and Drug use

sacredgayometry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

Beautifully written and culturally expansive- the world building and magic system are fascinating. There are some very dark and upsetting moments that feel difficult to read, but the overall result is a great read with incredibly complex characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Murder, Rape, Infertility, Gore, Violence, War, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexism, Bullying, and Forced institutionalization

If you have trauma related especially to heroin or opioids, they are often mentioned and abused and this may not be the book for you. There is also heavy allegory to the conflicts in China and Japan surrounding opium and colonization and the wars that have occurred especially during feudal periods. I found it reminiscent of the Vietnam war and World War II. War crimes are a heavy theme. Very well written but can be a very difficult read.

jlautry's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

 A war orphan earns her way into an elite military academy, and becomes a shaman with the ability to call upon Phoenix, the god of fire. 

 

This is the first in a series of three books. It gets rave reviews so I thought I’d give it a try. It was a good, solid read, even for someone like me who doesn’t really read fantasy. The storyline was good, the characters were interesting, and the world development was great. While I thought this book was good, I probably will not finish the series. I found myself skipping the parts heavy on the fantasy because it didn’t keep my interest. It is a long read (530 pages, small font, narrow margins), and the chapters are long, both of which are things I don’t like in books. Despite those things, it kept me, the non-fantasy reader, engaged for most of the book. 

 

Bottom line: If you like fantasy, you will most likely love this book. Please check trigger warnings before reading as it checks off nearly every one of them. However, 95% is in chapter 21, so if you’re concerned but still want to read it, just skip that chapter. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Genocide, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Murder, Body horror, War, Violence, Torture, and Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Addiction, Bullying, Classism, Slavery, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Infertility, Cursing, Pregnancy, Vomit, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Fire/Fire injury

alvina_ashraf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? No

5.0

 The Poppy War is chaos and gore amped up to a point where you find yourself repulsed by what you are reading. The author took some usual tropes and spun them on their head while never making them the point of the story. This story is about war, death, destruction and guilt. It is a chunky one so it'll take a lot of your time but you'll definitely feel like you've achieved something once you are done with it. Also, it is emotionally draining especially the last couple of hundred pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Gore, Genocide, Death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Abortion