Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

207 reviews

efpaterson's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Death, Gore, Blood, War, Violence, Torture, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Drug use

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Gore, Animal death, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Slavery, Genocide, Cursing, Classism, War, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, Addiction, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Animal cruelty

snion's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-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

5.0

It would hurt less if RF Kuang punched me in the gut, and I haven’t even finished the trilogy yet. The Poppy War is truly incredible. Was amazed with how well-written each character was and the flawed, yet lovable Runin. The fantasy aspect with the gods was so unique and dark, which combined with the incredible story writing had me hooked. The realistic aspects of war (although very graphic) draws parallel to true historical events. The pain, the heartbreak, the grittiness is unreal. Altan made my heart break. And Rin, oh Rin.  

***************spoilers*************

The gods will not be called willingly into battle. The gods will always demand something in return.

“Hi,” Altan Trengsin said. “What was that about losers and rejects?”

“You can’t kill me,” Altan hissed. “You love me.”

“I don’t love you, Rin said. “And I can kill anything”

Then Ramsa fell to his knees and began to cackle with laughter. “Khurdalain,” he gasped. “We were all so obsessed with holding Khurdalain.”

“I know you can.” Venka’s voice climbed in a pitch. “I heard what they said about you. You have to burn them. Whatever it takes. Swear it on your life. Swear it. Swear it for me.”

“It’ll be harder for you,” Altan said. “You’ll have to live with the consequences. But you’re brave… you’re the bravest person I ever met.”

“Those weren’t lives. They were numbers. They were a necessary subtraction.”

She was the last Speerly, commander of Cike, and a shaman who called the gods to do her bidding. 

I have become something terrible, she thought. I have become something wonderful. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, War, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Torture, and Suicide

theresa_timber's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Torture, Violence, Child death, War, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Vomit, Slavery, Suicide, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Drug use

moonlitmolecules's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

Amazing. Take note of all the trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Genocide, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Rape

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Kidnapping, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Death, Gore, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, War, Child abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Ableism, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury

chasinggrace's review against another edition

dark 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: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Drug use, War, Drug abuse, Vomit, Addiction, Sexual violence, Slavery, Genocide, Physical abuse, Gore, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Violence, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Death, Suicide, Torture, Excrement, Infertility, and Murder

sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

PLEASE check the trigger/content warnings for this book before reading. CW for war, violence, death, genocide, classism, rape, child death, and animal death.

I'm still unsure what I want to rate this as it made me so uncomfortable and was so dark but I guess that was the point. War isn't supposed to be comfortable, the things people and nations do in war can be horrific and there is often no black and white good guy versus bad guy. I wanted to root for Rin and her friends but by the end I wondered if I really should. 

Some scenes or descriptions were so intense that sometimes I wondered if they needed to be, but these things do happen in real life so why should we tone them down in fiction for the comfort of the reader? RF Kuang posed so many deep and thoughtful questions about the nature of conflict, war and genocide in this book and I thought that was good but I don't know if I can really say I enjoyed this book because there wasn't much fun about the content, but I found it interesting and well-written (though I could tell how much her writing has improved between this and her recent work).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal death, Genocide, Death, and War

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Classism, Racism, and Colonisation

Minor: Slavery

johnathanwet's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This is almost definitely the grimmest and most brutal book I’ve ever read. Coming close to Berserk in its latter half. 

One thing I notice is missing from most of the epic fantasy I read is a real honesty about war. Books can be so focused on the honour of a righteous war that they skip over the small people, skip over the badness that soldiers inflict. Or soften it at least. The Poppy War does not do this, in this we don’t even see battle very often, it’s all about the cruelty inflicted upon each other in between these battles. The litany of war crimes, the chemical warfare especially cemented this as a better take on war than most. 

I have been reading the stormlight archives at the same time and I think these two series are the epitome of that difference. Kaladin experiences extraordinary brutality working on the frontlines of his army, and it was important to realise the disgusting tactic that is using ‘bridge men’ to be sent out to die. But Sanderson never captures how brutal it should be, as effectively as Kuang captures the razing of Golyn niis.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual assault, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Slavery, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

missdrmuffin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Addiction, Body horror, Death, War, Emotional abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Genocide

Moderate: Suicide, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship