Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

25 reviews

decklededgess's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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

trigger warnings: death, rape, mass murder, torture, addiction, war, brainwashing and indoctrination, ethnic cleansing, abusive parents, arson, drowning, bullying, physical injury and details, gore

As someone who has gotten into no less than three verbal altercations over the uselessness and disastrous nature of the military and war, this book was a really interesting reading experience. I was able to perceive the nuance the author put into the book that critiqued the nature of war, the military, and indoctrination into nationalism that I know I wouldn't have understood without that added perspective. R. F. Kuang doesn't pull punches when it comes to how war harms innocents on both sides of a conflict and how people are responsible for their actions and complicity within the state of war even if those actions were carried out in the name of "king and country," especially so in fact. 

The whole cast of characters are incredibly fascinating and despite finding a lot of them annoying with their pro war rhetoric, I was able to appreciate their arcs and their losses throughout the book. Ryn's story is so incredibly compelling. It's an amalgamation of chosen one YET being one of millions to get indoctrinated and fight for a purpose that wasn't freely chosen. I don't want to mention any other characters because anything I say might give away what happens to them and I don't want that.

I was really entertained by how much the book packed into one, the school/dark academia setting, the high fantasy travel aspects, the international political intrigue within the world, and the magical world building. Everything was so seamlessly blended together yet it definitely felt like the book was like twelve stories packed in one. Not complaining but OOOF. I can't imagine what the rest of the books are going to follow up with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, Trafficking, Genocide, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Torture, Violence, War, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Gore

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Excrement

meetmeinthebookstore's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Rape, Self harm, Addiction, Gore, Murder, Death, Child death, Blood, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, and War

Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Sexism, Bullying, and Racism

Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Infertility, Vomit, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

meganlilyflower's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed part one of this book and how the whole thing set up the series (which I definitely plan to continue reading) as promised by everyone I talked to, chapter 21 was a LOT. trigger warnings up the wazoo.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Infertility, Genocide, Drug use, and Drug abuse

rbookish's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

i see why people like it, but i’m not into high fantasy and war 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

amoreena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love, love, love stories that make me feel nothing but conflicting emotions from start to finish. Also stories that aren't afraid to make their protagonist absolutely teeming with human flaws and impulses. This story is so full of gray moral areas where even when a character makes a bad decision, you're not entirely sure that them going in the other direction would have been any better.  It's impossible to put any group 100% in the wrong and to say what could have been done instead.  

I was especially intrigued by Tierza's (spl? I was listening to the audiobook) dilemma -- to let her own people be wiped out, or to let the entire world be wiped out. She was put in a shitty place where her people lost regardless, but the first option -- the arguably right option unless you specifically want to bring the whole world careening down with you -- also came with the side effect of everyone thinking her a coward. Something about that really struck me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Adult/minor relationship