Reviews with content warning for Self harm - The Poppy War

Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

809 reviews

bri_14's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Whew this book was a RIDE. I thought it was gonna be much lighter than it actually was. But it might’ve been for the best bc it’s a more accurate portrayal—using people as weapons/vessels, the propaganda, loss of life and not in the literal. These kids had no childhood, causalities never got to age. Very depressing. It kinda feels like reading Naruto Shippuden once they hit the war eps. But it’s like being in the mind of Sasuke instead of following Naruto. Rin would both idolize and despise that man😂

I was NOT able to predict any of the deaths.

Irjah, of course but ALTAN???

I really thought he would’ve lasted til the end. But I think it was better off if

Venka

died bc hearing her experience is kinda traumatizing. Realistic tho but just gruesome, I think my mind would’ve snapped.

I’m thinking Rin will help reform the country, similar to the stories of the previous emperors or the play she watched with Kitay. I think ppl will fear her too much to harm her—maybe her master will put a finger to her forehead again and still her mind. And I refuse to believe

Nezha

is dead!!! There’s no way that would’ve happened off book, if he does die Rin will have to witness it bc she cares too much about him

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origami_cactus's review against another edition

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medium-paced

1.5

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think there is some good writing in here and I think the first part is strong. However, I think it doesn't follow through on the character development. It uses some horrific events but it doesn't feel like the main character was affected by those events as much as she was affected by a different character's reaction to those events. I felt the ending, while better in my opinion than the 6 or so chapters that came before it, wasn't earned from the set up. I think perhaps it's due to an over reliance on a relationship between two characters that didn't feel strong enough to justify the lengths that Rin went though for them. I'm a bit disappointed because there are great ideas in here, but the execution leaves me wanting.

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jojotimber's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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quechaya's review against another edition

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This is not adult fiction. It is full of YA tropes and the characters are all shallow or caricatures. First the protagonist is a poor orphan turned "chosen one" at a very special academy with a mysterious mentor, and then she joins a group of teenage x-men. Then the story becomes very thinly veiled "fanfiction" of the Nanjing Massacre and Unit 731. To exploit those atrocities for the plot of a fantasy novel (for personal profit!) is absolutely disgusting in my opinion. Writing a fantasy novel means you should come up with your own fucking war crimes. It's disrespectful AND it's lazy writing.

Anyway. If you want to experience secondhand trauma from reading about how horrible humans are, you can save yourself a lot of time by skipping this book and just reading the wikipedia pages for the Nanjing Massacre and Unit 731.

This pales in comparison to the book's other problems, but protagonist went on and on about two male characters being "perfect." And the guy she was obsessed with physically abused her multiple times. Cool!

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mmyup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I’ll never skip a read from R.F Kuang, not only is her worldbuilding insane, but the characters have so much depth to them. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that establishes characters and their motivations to the extent Kuang does. She covers war SO well, if you read this trust you will be hurting by the end of it, but it’s so worth it.

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am193's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Overall this is a really enjoyable book. The world building is great, I found the characters likeable, and the plot is engaging. My only criticism is it maybe could have been split into two books. The first half setting in Sinegard feels like a complete book. What comes after feels slapped on the end and a little rushed. However, the story is engaging enough that I’m definitely going to continue the series.

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