Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

749 reviews

amzief's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Violence, and War

Moderate: Rape and Racism

chris_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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: Rape, Violence, Animal death, Gore, Colonisation, War, Racism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, and Torture

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Grief, Drug abuse, Sexism, Child death, Self harm, and Sexual violence

Minor: Bullying, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Vomit

andreapepsii's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Racism

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

elizabeth_helmer's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Torture, Gore, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Addiction

mangooba's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

5.0

LOOK UP A TRIGGER WARNING LIST PRIOR TO READING. if you think youre fine and dont need one, do it anyways. this book goes heavily into graphic descriptions of genocide, SA, war, death, child death, and abuse. take care of yourself.

that being said, i found that this book was very well written and the character development was both realistic and well done. the mc has drastically changed, while shes obviously the same person in several ways, she is also not the same person in many other ways. that might not make sense without reading the book. if you dont have the reading comprehension to understand that decisions made are supposed to be poor decisions, and that characters will not be all good or all bad and its an incredibly complex situation just dont read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Slavery, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Racism, Rape, and War

Minor: Death of parent

the racism tag is fantasy racism inspired by real world values and views held by racist individuals, and racist regimes/systems.

piprigsby's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.25

between a 4.0 and 4.5 so 4.25 but it was a very interesting read and as for character development, i think it was more of character DEvelopment as in rin got more destructive throughout the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Slavery

mj_dor7's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.5

overall a good read!! definitely a lot different than yellow face. It’s my first time reading a book from an author with such a wide range

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Colonisation, Rape, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Genocide, War, and Sexual assault

pinkystar_bobsky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Never before has a book moved me like this. Never has a book left me distraught and at a loss for words. Never has a book moved me to tears. The Poppy War reached into my chest and ripped it straight out, cut it to pieces, feigned putting it back together only to crush it yet again. It took me four days to complete this and yet I do not regret the length. I needed to let this book simmer in sections, to digest it in chunks at a time, or else it would completely overwhelm me. 

R.F. Kuang's writing is gripping from beginning to end. Her words brought every scene to life right before my eyes.

I was there, in Golyn Niis, walking beside Rin, taking in the devastation inflicted by the Federation. I saw the bodies, I smelled them. I felt all the grief, the anguish, the rage.

If there was a happy moment in this book, I do not remember it. 

To read that a lot of the events that took place in Golyn Niis were grounded in reality put a pit in my stomach. Even as I was reading that scene, I got a sinking feeling that it was too real. Real people did this to other people.

But even then, it is still incomprehensible; the level of inhumanity, that people might be capable of such heartless deeds, of such cruelty. That's why my feelings on this book are so conflicting; I start giggling and screaming at how good this book is, at how incredible the author is, but I am always reminded of the reality of it all. It almost feels wrong to say that I enjoyed this book...but I did.

It felt good to cry, when Chaghan revealed the details of the obscenities that young Altan was forced to see, to endure.

It feels good to read such great art, to have a writer be able to pull out such human emotions from me. 

Due to depression and adhd, for months I have had a difficult time reading books. I could not read more than 8 pages at a time before getting distracted, or simply losing the will to read on, even if it was a book I really looked forward to reading. I am so, so happy that I am in a better place now, I'm on medication, I'm exercising, taking better care of myself, literally touching grass. I'm so incredibly grateful that I was in the right state of mind to fully enjoy this story. And I'm glad I took my time with it and didn't rush to binge it on one day, no matter how gripping it was. I'm so incredibly lucky to have read this. 

I am also entirely unprepared to read the next three books. I cannot imagine what more pain R.F. Kuang is about to inflict on me. I don't know if I'm ready but I'm starting The Dragon Republic straight away. Holy fucking shit man, I'm kinda terrified to continue this lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Violence, War, Blood, Genocide, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Grief, and Racism