Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

679 reviews

sierraclimbs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.25

I enjoyed this book much more upon re-read. I think the first time I read it I wasn’t well informed about the adult nature of this story & therefore was pretty taken aback by the violence & tragedy of it all. But going in to it a second time knowing what to expect I really really enjoyed it. 
It feels like an Asian version of Game of Thrones. Creative, heart wrenching, unexpected twists, complicated human relations, magic, it’s got it all.
This story is not for the faint of heart. It’s about young children/ young adults going through terrible things. But I think it does an amazing job depicting the truly contradictory nature of humanity. Nothing is black & white. People change their minds. The human condition is complex & doesn’t always do what is right.  
Excited to have reacquainted myself with the story & characters so I can read the next two. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Violence, War, and Colonisation

Moderate: Physical abuse, Addiction, Self harm, Slavery, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Abortion

This is a book about war… and it does not take that lightly. It is very graphic & very raw. There is also heavy drug usage

it’s connected to the magic system

indrabindra's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I appreciate that there is no romance plot!

Quite graphic, handles grim themes responsibly. Not as sophisticated as her more resent works and waxy at times. Engaging nonetheless! I will be reading on in the series

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cursing, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Infertility, War, Medical content, Racism, Abandonment, and Drug use

ahsokascult's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and War

Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, Addiction, Blood, and Bullying

thebibliomaniac_27's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Racism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Body shaming, Gore, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Rape, War, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Self harm, and Torture

punzy8's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Classism, Drug use, and Grief

ariangel's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Torture, Sexual violence, Self harm, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Child death, Violence, Trafficking, Racism, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Grief, and Genocide

kimreads14's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

3.75

First rating 3.75⭐️… but I think I need to digest it a bit more before sticking to a final rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Torture, War, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Colonisation, Drug use, Excrement, Genocide, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

xelanimation's review

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

5.0

On the back of this book, there’s a quote that says “I thought myself prepared. I was not”. That statement is entirely correct. This story was fantastic, the characters were achingly real, I understood each of them. Despite the many moving pieces, I understood everything I needed to about what was going on, which I sometimes need to take time to do with fantasy epics, which goes to show R. F. Kuang knows how to keep her writing clear. The first half of the book I would say was simply enjoyable, a classic tale of a student leaving behind and escaping her life with a bleak future for the promise of a bright future at a renowned school. Learning about the world through her, watching her work hard, it was all exactly the kind of thing I’ve loved before. But while the second half is just as good, if not significantly better, you should know it’s completely different. It’s harrowing, with vivid, disturbing imagery and descriptions, that can only be described as devastating. There are high levels of violence, of all kinds, so just proceed warned and with caution. All of that being said, R. F. Kuang is a fantastic writer, and clearly has been since she began publishing, I will read anything she writes. But I hope she understands that I need a break of a few fluffy books before reading the next instalment of the Poppy War.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Animal death, War, Racism, Grief, Genocide, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Child death, and Addiction

hannnrodriguez'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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Pregnancy, Slavery, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Rape, Addiction, Gore, Blood, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Genocide, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Police brutality, Child death, and Child abuse

thereadingmarshmallow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Child death, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Slavery, Torture, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Cursing, Dysphoria, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, War, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt