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rakkaussipsi's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
iydpyd's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
There were a couple parts that lagged for me
I think the book does a great job of walking us through complex and hard ideas and world building.
For a story that covers so much ground and has something of a tone shift when a military school story turns into a war story, it didn’t feel disjointed. It’s not hopeful. It doesn't make you feel warm about humanity. There’s not much “goodness” in this.
I don’t think it’s the best book to pick up if you’re in a place of deep anxiety or feeling fragile personally. It didn’t nothing to help with my general anxiety, which was already peaking, during the week I was reading it.
I’m halfway through The Dragon Republic and I’m have more criticisms of that one. I don’t know about the whole series, but I do think this first book was very much worth the read- if only for the execution (of the story.)
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
chris_reads'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Physical abuse, Excrement, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
makaylasb'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
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Classism
bloodroses'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
2.0
Graphic: Self harm and War
jays_secret_garden'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? Yes
5.0
—————————
•6/5⭐️
Nothing could have prepared me for the third part of this book. I foolishly thought that the second part was absolutely crazy, but the third? Devastating. This book completely changed my perspective on life. It was so beautifully written that I feel like people don’t write books like this anymore. The FMC, Rin, is one of the best characters I have read in my entire life. From the first line she had in the book, I knew. Her absolute rage and hate actually means the world to me because how dare they make women and children hurt this much?
The topic of war, genocide, r*pe, etc., is HEAVY. I didn’t really read the trigger warnings because I like to go into books blind, but please read them :). Nothing could have prepared my heart for the heartbreak it would experience while reading the Golyn Noriis part, and even more so after reading the author’s note and finding out everything was inspired by real-life experiences of Chinese people. It broke my heart to read Venka’s story—I was sobbing!!!
I cannot wait to continue with the series because every two pages, something insane and unpredictable happens, and I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK!
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ashlyncherie'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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
funguyreads'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: Drug abuse, Genocide, Rape, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Murder
anxiousshorebird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book suffered from mismatched tone and some bad pacing. It felt like a YA magic school novel (complete with a Draco Malfoy type character) for way too long. Then by the end it was a grim dark, violent, war torn character study. It felt like an abrupt shift. Looking back, I see some merit to experiencing the MC's journey from determined teenager to hardened soldier along with her. While reading it, however, I found myself wishing her origins were told through intermittent flashbacks.
I really enjoy the world that Juang created. I love that she hasn't shied away from a DEEPLY flawed main character. Frankly, I don't even like this MC. But o sure loved reading her story once I got passed the slog of her schooling.
All in all, it's far from a 5 star read for me, but it's a very commendable debut novel. I won't hesitate to read the rest of the trilogy. I plan to read a light romance before the next Poppy War book though, because this shit got DARK.
Speaking of, please check the content warnings. Since the beginning is so much more tame than the rest, it's worth the risk of spoiling yourself a bit to make sure you know what you're getting into. I recommend skipping chapter 21 if you're someone who can take a lot, but have a limit.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Self harm, Excrement, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
benji_dw'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and War