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annablanna's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Racism, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Drug use, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Genocide, Death, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Murder, Medical trauma, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Kidnapping, Infertility, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
sph108'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: War, Addiction, Murder, Death, Genocide, Child death, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Drug use, Self harm, and Physical abuse
mei33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: War, Violence, Racism, Cursing, Rape, Addiction, Child death, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Sexism, Classism, Genocide, and Gore
Moderate: Medical content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Classism, Medical trauma, Blood, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Misogyny
jane_farstrider's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Violence, Genocide, and Rape
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Torture, Addiction, and Child death
matttruss'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
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Body horror, War, and Torture
enaraccoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Murder, and War
_dani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Torture, War, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, Drug use, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
mladerer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: War, Rape, Addiction, Colonisation, Violence, Genocide, and Gore
sabberg6'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: Body horror, Genocide, and War
Minor: Sexual violence and Rape
mmccombs's review against another edition
4.5
I knew vaguely that this book was based on real Chinese and Japanese history, but had no idea how deeply it drew from the Sino Japanese War and the Nanjing Massacre, which compels me to know more about this time in history (whenever a book makes me want to read more, particularly to seek out nonfiction, that is a huge accomplishment!). Obviously, because of this history, this book got dark and gruesome and hard to read, but I think Kuang included these parts (particularly chapter 21) tastefully and with a hope for the reader to understand the brutal gravity of war and informed Rin’s complicated response to it.
Rin’s character is so moving, I was prepared for a “morally gray” character but I think got so much more than that. She is funny, furious, sharp, naive, scared, brave… the list goes on, and I can’t wait to continue her character arc. I loved watching her, and the people around her, wrestle with history, with evil, with what one should do with power, and what one owes to their country. This touches on colonialism and racism in a way I think Kuang expanded upon and did much more interestingly in Babel, but it was cool to see those roots here.
I cannot wait to talk about this one in my bookclub, I think this will make for a great conversation, and I equally cannot wait to get into the rest of the series!
Graphic: War, Drug use, Torture, Addiction, Colonisation, Violence, Rape, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Racism, and Murder