Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Poppy War

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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esdiecinueve's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

This was unexpected. I would give many more stars, it was so good.

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melstinylibrary's review

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adventurous 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

5.0

This was a book I was looking forward to to read everyday! This book has good world building and well written characters. It deals with hard topics too and, in my opinion, in a very good way. Can’t wait to read the second book.

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chris_reads's review against another edition

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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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sipteareadbooks's review

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4.75

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cup_cake's review against another edition

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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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porktheorc's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really like this author's writing style and voice, but the book felt like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Coming-of-age magic school YA? Mentor/mentee bonding story? Devastatingly gruesome war book? The themes and tone changed drastically from act to act in the novel. I was left wondering if this was a villain origin story.

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