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amirahazhar's review against another edition
- 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
Politics and military strategy play a major role in this story. R.F.Kuang also touched a lot on classism, colorism, colonialism, and the collateral damage of unnecessary wars that span through generations, which I appreciated.
I can't recommend this book enough. To say that I'm blown away would be an understatement, especially owing to the fact that this is R.F. Kuang's debut novel, and she started writing it at 19! So excited to read the rest of this trilogy.
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Blood, Suicide, Racism, Pregnancy, Addiction, Sexual violence, Self harm, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Body horror, War, Violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Child death, Rape, Vomit, Trafficking, Infertility, Grief, Gore, Genocide, and Drug use
yayokay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
like, when the author went on for 200 pages about the academy and rin's life there and then 30 pages later a new set of characters is introduced with little to no knowledge about them?? and also, in terms of East Asian history, i've heard mixed opinions.
like, the depiction of the speerlys (or taiwanese people) being considered evil and inhuman, and the author even reinforcing these stereotypes with the main character
and the rape of Nanjing being used as a gotcha! moment to further enhance the plot, and in the end when rin SUFFOCATES the people of mugen (japan) in the name of revenge for the genocide of Speer??
anyways, if this book wasn't based on the sino-japanese wars and was purely fictional, or was just chinese inspired, it could've been something great. i don't understand claiming the book as "more than fantasy" bc it references modern chinese history when you've changed the names of the nations, added a fanciful element that contradicts the history, and have watered down a few historical events.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Gore, Rape, War, Eating disorder, Racism, Trafficking, Body horror, Addiction, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Genocide, Child abuse, Blood, Violence, Slavery, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, and Bullying
Moderate: Trafficking and Suicide
amych's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, War, Violence, and Trafficking
Good read, incredibly violent and graphic so do heed the content warnings, but these are intended to show the brutality of war and dehumanising the enemy.mittymyers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Rape, Child abuse, Murder, War, Child death, Vomit, Torture, and Sexual violence
Minor: Infertility
desiderium_incarnate's review
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Slavery, Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Vomit, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Rape
mitrabird2010's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Pregnancy, Classism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Xenophobia, War, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Infertility, Genocide, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Child death, and Animal death
parenthesis_enjoyer's review
Graphic: Death, War, Violence, and Drug use
Moderate: Drug abuse, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Trafficking and Sexual violence
filo's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Genocide
Moderate: Rape and Animal death
Minor: Trafficking and Animal cruelty
raisinbrann's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Violence, Gaslighting, Drug use, Mental illness, Drug abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Murder, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Gore, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Misogyny, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Slavery, Trafficking, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy, Body horror, and Infertility
jeremy_bearimy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Torture, Rape, and Genocide
Moderate: Trafficking and Addiction