Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

372 reviews

val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

I knew I would take my time to read this book but the fact that I was in a reading slump made it worse. Thankfully I was out of it when I finished this so I was able to enjoy it.

This book was SOOO good, it was 4 ⭐ for me.

Despite the story, I find the narrator’s voice soothing and I love how she makes a different voice for each character.

I did not expect the story to go so quickly. I’m used to books where stories usually happen in such a short amount of time but this was maybe 3-4 years? I think if the author would’ve decided to make 1 book for each year of her in the school I would’ve read them too and they would’ve been great.

The first half is Rin basically preparing for school and then getting in and being a very good student to keep her place there. I liked it so much because I was proud of her and it felt like learning history with all the information about the other Poppy Wars.

Maybe she didn’t know completely what she was doing, but I admire her for literally eliminating menstruation and all that shit to be unstoppable. I’ll be needing the formula lol

Once the war started I was so in shock that I could not even cry from the horrors (check trigger warnings!), I wonder what the author has prepared for the next books.

I want to know more about the 13th division, I want to get to know them all because I think she might be spending so much more time with them and well I need to connect to someone to cry when they die lol besides their powers seems interesting.

The only two I kinda care about if something happens to them are Kitay (bc that’s maybe her only true friend) and Ramsa (he’s literally just a kid!)

I’m so ready to see how Rin will burn the enemy to the ground 🔥

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Murder, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Animal death and Infertility

Please be sure to check ALL the trigger warnings by all readers because a lot of things happen and I imagine the next books will be even darker.

- Menstruation / Infertility: She got her first period in the school, and what’s shocking is how she drank something to stop it forever, basically killing that organ.

- Death / Murder / Genocide: because of the war

- War: it’s literally on the title lol, it mostly happens in the second half of the book

- Injury / blood / gore: when they find all those people in the end...

- Animal death: She killed a dog to defend herself

- Rape: Someone she knows was raped and she describes how so many other women too. It's pure horror.

- Addiction / Drug use: They take a drug to be able to connect with the Gods?

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

anxiousshorebird's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• 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

3.25

This book was difficult. I found myself rolling my eyes and struggling to continue through the first half. At one point I resigned myself to reading purely out of curiosity, rather than enjoyment. Normally I would DNF a book loke that, but I've seen trusted reviewers praise this book and I was curious about the mysteries slowly being uncovered. Then about half way through I couldn't stop reading. 

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, War, Body horror, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Violence, Drug abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Excrement, Animal death, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

tne_network's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book got me back into reading. I could not put it down. The author has a way of writing that sucks you into the mind of this young woman and you understand why she chooses the choices that she does. Through circumstance after circumstance that she has been thrown into, this coming of age story is less about the character's maturity developing, but finding the power inside and facing the demons within and outside herself. I have been fully consumed by the main character's emotions and it has been hard to pick up other books after finishing it, so I have decided to finish the trilogy before starting another book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: War, Gore, Violence, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use

Minor: Murder, Racism, Infertility, Vomit, Child abuse, Self harm, and Confinement

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

chrisb913's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

If you want a slice of emotional damage with your trauma pie, this is the book for you. Please check trigger warnings. Kuang does a phenomenal job mixing real world issues and history into such a unique and incredibly built out world. The characters were incredibly well written. Even the characters I hated at the beginning, I felt bad for by the end of the book. Also i absolutely loved the magic system. Typically I enjoy the magic to be a bit more concrete, but the way Kuang wrote an increidble rich and captivating magic system, all while keeping it vague and mysterious due to it being almost forgotten was 🤌🤌. This was a masterfully written book and I cannot wait to read more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Rape, and Drug use

Minor: Animal death and Infertility

good_names_dont_exist's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Addiction, War, and Genocide

Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Slavery, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit and Infertility

princessrory's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Animal death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Torture, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Drug use, Genocide, and Grief

Moderate: Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Racism, Child abuse, Classism, and Medical content

Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Excrement, and Infertility

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

carriehaley89's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Violence, and War

Moderate: Infertility