Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Haşhaş Savaşı by R.F. Kuang

222 reviews

kris_tea516's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

 

Synopsis: Rin is a poor, foster child to a drug-dealing foster mother & opium-addicted foster father. However, she is incredibly intelligent and convinces a local teacher to teach her before a big exam that lands her a place in a prestigious school. During her training, Rin discovers she can commune with gods and access powers other humans cannot. A quirky professor takes her under his wing to train her privately. Soon war breaks out and Rin joins a special team of mercenaries to battle the evil Federation of Mugen. 

 

Review: There were times when I genuinely liked this book and others when I absolutely hated it. What I hate about the book outweighs what I enjoyed so I’m giving it 2 stars. So many people love this book so I had high hopes for it but, sadly, I was disappointed. I will also add that, even though I would not recommend this to anyone under 17 or 18 years old, it felt like & has been classified as a Young Adult novel. That is a genre that I cannot honestly say I’ve ever found anything that I enjoy; so, my dislike of this book might be partly due to the genre style. 

 

This audiobook is almost 20 hrs long. I think it could have been half that and been a better book. I don’t mind long, epic sagas but they need to draw me in so much to the story that I don’t want to leave that world. This book just wanted me to escape as soon as possible. It's a book about war & has many unnecessarily graphic & horrific descriptions of child abuse (physical & sexual), rape, torture, and violent death. I know war is horrible but I really couldn’t figure out what was so great about this nation that made these people want to fight so hard for it. None of the descriptions about the world made me want to be there. 

 

This book is also about a group of humans who can call upon their gods to give them supernatural powers. I like that idea but the motivations and how this magic worked were very confusing to me & I still cannot explain it. I understand that this is the first book in a trilogy and that most of my questions and confusion may be answered in subsequent books but I felt like the direction of how the magic worked in this world changed so much that I wasn’t sure if even the author knew where she was going with it all. There was one part that really got me interested in the history of these gods & what their motivations were but it never came up again. In my opinion, that was probably the most interesting moment of the book & it was just dropped in at a weird moment and then never to be revisited or tied into the rest of the story. I would also say that this book felt like it really should have been divided into 2, possibly 3, books. It felt like such distinct stories being told that it was almost unsettling. By the time I finished, I had forgotten about so much of the beginning that it felt like it had been an entirely different book. 

 

I understand that this is the first book in a trilogy but I don’t feel like I was given enough information in this first book to draw me into the next. And, so much of this book was so disgusting and horrific that I don’t have any desire to return to the story anytime soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chronicoverthinker's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

dazzlingreader_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

A muito tempo eu procurava uma leitura que me deixasse tão engajada e que me fizesse sentir tantos sentimentos confusos, sobre trama, protagonista, decisões de todas as personagens, esse livro já pode ser considerado um clássico.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

hayreading's review against another edition

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

4.75

Holy shit, I cannot believe this was Kuang's first book. The emotional impact was insane, and I loved (and hated) watching the main character. Only very minor critiques - some vagueness surrounding the timespan in the academy section, a one-off comment about Nezha not being human that never goes anywhere, etc. It tells a compelling story and I'll absolutely read the next books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

cedence's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

5.0

I suspected this would be a five star read on chapter one, and it did. The Poppy War revealed itself to be phenomenal at every instance. This book is a EPIC (high) fantasy in every honor of that word. Over an hour after I completed this book, I still don't know what to do with myself. I'm exhausted and I'm thrilled. 

However, I want to take a paragraph to say that this is an adult(?) high fantasy inspired by 20th century Chinese history. The main character is 14years old when the book begins, but the story lasts for several years and turns closer to an adult grim dark fantasy halfway. Genocide(s), racism and justice are themes on the forefront of this book. Chapter 21 will put it full-blown on the page in great detail. It's grusome. I suggest skipping that chapter if descriptions of unthinkable violence and cruelty against people of all ages (and animals) is not on your budget for the day. Please, use the TWs. There are a lot going on in this book. 

The main character is not easily likeable as her sense of injustice fuels her need for power. And the price of power may be distrastous. 

A must-read for anyone who enjoys high fantasy, military fantasy, Chinese-inspired fantasy, and just spellbinding storytelling. I recommend going in as blind as you can so every twist takes you by surprise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Genocide, Infertility, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

occuprop's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

• 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

The book is about The Nanjing Massacre and other atrocities of WW2. Take the content warnings seriously and don't go into this expecting a sanitized fantasy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

faelle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Infertility

noahhh_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Animal death

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

4.5

This wasn’t an easy read but it was very well crafted. Following lots of trigger warnings, I would definitely recommend it. 

There were a couple parts that lagged for me

mostly after she leaves the academy and is integrating into the Cike. Idk why that section in particular felt grueling but it did

but the pacing was steady and the story never really felt stuck. 

I think the book does a great job of walking us through complex and hard ideas and world building.

Considering the decisions Rin ends up making, I was impressed by how we were led to this place in a way where we could clearly track how we go there.

I paused a lot to consider morality, power and most of all exploitation and oppression. 

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.) 

Other scattered thoughts about the book: I did find it interesting how much I disliked Altan. It’s not like we don’t get an explanation of his characters and how much abuse he suffered and why he is the way he is. The kid lost his entire country and people. He was used over and over again. He carries depths and depths of pain. It’s not even his decisions that irked me, really. In a book full of cruelty and morally questionable and sometimes downright reprehensible choices, his choices weren’t the thing that challenged my sympathy. Maybe it’s that I felt protective of Rin where he was concerned? Venus’s testimony made me physically queasy. And the reality of it made me stop and walk away for a second. I think there something about the way Rin abstracts her genocide while she’s feeling the island burning and the way the reader is forced to abstract these scenes and concepts in order to keep going with the book and the way people abstract the atrocities going on in the world to continue functioning in their daily lives. What does that mean? What does say?…It’s not a fully formed thought for me yet but it’s something to mull over.

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Content Warnings

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

imds'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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War