Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

443 reviews

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: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Misogyny, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Classism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Abortion

mysamcatfan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, War, Death, Murder, Rape, Drug use, Genocide, Addiction, Classism, Blood, and Gore

hevlav's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Drug use, Torture, Rape, Blood, War, Gore, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Classism, Body horror, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

cup_cake's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

To say I enjoyed this book is a weird thing to say, considering its content. 
First, it starts out quite tame. A girl who usually would have no chance to, got into the most prestigious school in her country and studies there, making friends and enemies. And then it all escalates. In the last fourth I had to close the book and wind down with a cup of tea and just sit with my thoughts, because it was just so cruel and I did not expect to be so affected by what happened.
If one is familiar with Japanese/Chinese history, there are some parallels to some of the most horrible parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, War, Animal death, Drug abuse, Blood, Death, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Pedophilia

laura_jay_'s review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Blood, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Abandonment, and Classism

makaylasb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Rape, Blood, Sexual assault, Bullying, Classism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Racism, and Sexual violence

rynstellation's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.25

don’t know how to feel after making the connection that most of the tragic events that took place were based off of real events rewritten in a fantastical world to entertain an audience, but r.f. kuang’s writing style is very captivating. the characters were all over the place for me though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, War, Genocide, Violence, and Classism

miranda_redmond'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Genocide

Moderate: Classism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Self harm, Colonisation, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence

thehannahclaire's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Please read about the Nanjing Massacre/ the Rape of Nanjing before reading this book. I’m so glad this book introduced me to a portion of history I was not taught, even though it is gruesome. Nevertheless, this book has one chapter that included the most horrific scenes I’ve ever read or heard of. It’s not just about checking trigger warnings because this book isn’t just triggering— it’s traumatic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gore, Child death, Grief, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, War, Hate crime, Rape, Violence, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Body horror, and Addiction

Moderate: Self harm, Cursing, Vomit, and Classism

renorsomethin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny 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: Addiction, Violence, Drug abuse, Murder, Torture, Genocide, Sexual assault, Blood, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Gore, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Self harm, Colonisation, Infertility, Cursing, Vomit, Classism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Child death, Classism, Xenophobia, Animal death, and Death of parent