Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Poppy War

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

1347 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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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.

Content Warnings

rosesread2's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

mysamcatfan's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

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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 🔥

Content Warnings