Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

697 reviews

lindsaybethlyons's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Gore, Death, Child death, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Genocide, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Drug use, and Addiction

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

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

aribookishly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, War, Ableism, Misogyny, Vomit, Addiction, Body horror, Colonisation, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Torture, Drug use, Genocide, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying

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

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

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

ashlyncherie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was not my first time reading this book. I listened to the audiobook 18 months ago and couldn’t really get into it and never finish the series. I decided to give it a second chance  actually reading it and I’m glad I did. This book is so well written, but I expect nothing less of Kuang. Some of the chapters truly nauseated me, and it sickens me to know that atrocities like what is written in this book occurred in real life. This book makes you think and reflect life, history, war, and more. It was truly an excellent and yet difficult to stomach read. I will be continuing on with the series this time! But I do need an emotional break first. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Child death, Sexual assault, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Rape, Torture, War, Addiction, Murder, and Colonisation

bobaandcaffeine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Drug use, War, Drug abuse, Genocide, and Gore

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