Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

1078 reviews

adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A muito tempo eu procurava uma leitura que me deixasse tão engajada e que me fizesse sentir tantos sentimentos confusos, sobre trama, protagonista, decisões de todas as personagens, esse livro já pode ser considerado um clássico.

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tiak143's profile picture

tiak143's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 79%

It got too gory for me—I was very much enjoying the story! I just couldn’t handle the detailed gore.

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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phelpsg2021's profile picture

phelpsg2021's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 71%

Violence, depictions of rape and genocide 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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: Complicated

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Holy shit, I cannot believe this was Kuang's first book. The emotional impact was insane, and I loved (and hated) watching the main character. Only very minor critiques - some vagueness surrounding the timespan in the academy section, a one-off comment about Nezha not being human that never goes anywhere, etc. It tells a compelling story and I'll absolutely read the next books. 

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional 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

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adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

I suspected this would be a five star read on chapter one, and it did. The Poppy War revealed itself to be phenomenal at every instance. This book is a EPIC (high) fantasy in every honor of that word. Over an hour after I completed this book, I still don't know what to do with myself. I'm exhausted and I'm thrilled. 

However, I want to take a paragraph to say that this is an adult(?) high fantasy inspired by 20th century Chinese history. The main character is 14years old when the book begins, but the story lasts for several years and turns closer to an adult grim dark fantasy halfway. Genocide(s), racism and justice are themes on the forefront of this book. Chapter 21 will put it full-blown on the page in great detail. It's grusome. I suggest skipping that chapter if descriptions of unthinkable violence and cruelty against people of all ages (and animals) is not on your budget for the day. Please, use the TWs. There are a lot going on in this book. 

The main character is not easily likeable as her sense of injustice fuels her need for power. And the price of power may be distrastous. 

A must-read for anyone who enjoys high fantasy, military fantasy, Chinese-inspired fantasy, and just spellbinding storytelling. I recommend going in as blind as you can so every twist takes you by surprise. 

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