Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

165 reviews

wildflower030's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Genocide, Torture, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Classism

felynmarie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Never have I ever read a book like this before. The train of emotions that I've felt while I'm reading this was out of this world. It was amazing!

Just go on and read this book 'cause you'll not regret it 😉
Please check the TWs before reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Vomit, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Rape, Torture, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, War, and Slavery

stitchof's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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: Abortion, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, War, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, and Suicide

bagel_z's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Bullying, Addiction, Death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Vomit

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Animal death

cturn's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Drug use, Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexism, and Rape

Minor: Infertility

kazbrekkerfanpage's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• 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: Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Vomit, Genocide, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Xenophobia, Body horror, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Sexual violence, Child death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, War, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment

garden_goyle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.75

I can’t lie, I wasn’t sold on this novel until the very end. While I liked how heavily influenced it was by real-world Chinese history, I felt that such a perspective forced the characters to becomes archetypes, little more than pawns that had to fight in all the necessary battles to keep the history in-line with Chinese history. In addition, Rin could certainly be argued as a Mary Sue-type character for most of the first and second parts of the novel, succeeding and surviving against insurmountable odds. It was quite apparent that this was Kuang’s first novel, particularly due to the characterization of the first part.

The first part, as a whole, was quite enjoyable, if a little generic in terms of a YA-style magic school. It didn’t seem like anything particularly special, but I did enjoy becoming immersed in the world of Sinegard Academy because I’m a sucker for magical schools. The world building could veer into info dumping at times, but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of it that much.

The second part wasn’t as strong for me, at least initially. The time skips confused the story a bit, but I did appreciate how thoroughly Kuang discussed the breakdown of soldiers in the face of war, as these characters who Rin had built-up images of were broken down by the war. It seemed like a sudden shift, but given all the references to war brewing in part one, it seemed inevitable.

Part three and that fucking ending though!

Blew the rest of the book out of the water completely. Really explained the why of Rin as a main character and her motivations, which aren’t truly her own. It makes her a tragic anti-hero, unable (presumably) to escape the same fate that beheld Altan and the rest of the Speerlies. The Phoenix and it’s shamans are inevitably tied to their fate, trying to avenge a country that, in all honesty, neither remember as much more than a vague concept. Yet, they remain loyally tied to it, because this generational trauma and self-destruction is all that’s been documented of their culture. Thus, they, as the two sole survivors, must bear the rage of an entire race that’s been boiling for centuries, and only that rage. They have nothing to fight for except for Altan’s vague recollections of a lush green island and the traditions they only vaguely experienced in shared hallucinations. Yet they still fight for it to feel some sort of connection to their ancestry. It’s a tragic way to live, but both seem fated for it.

The gradual reveal of bits and pieces of the Speerlies’ legacy was a deeply compelling portrait of the effect generational trauma has on minorities, particularly those separated from their culture, and I’m very intrigued to see how this will play out throughout the rest of the trilogy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, Xenophobia, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Colonisation, and Drug abuse

lozzo_bozo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

In shambles

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, War, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Racism, Rape, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Addiction, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death, and Violence

irodori_megu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Body horror, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Slavery, War, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Infertility, Vomit, and Pedophilia

leighann13's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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: Classism, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Rape, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, War, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Gore, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Slavery, Sexism, Murder, Blood, Addiction, Genocide, Ableism, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Medical trauma