Reviews

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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materialistgirrl's review against another edition

3.0

3.5/5 - unrelated to the book itself but reading some ppl’s reviews is mind boggling to me and i saw the same thing with babel. this book is heavily inspired by REAL events. it reflects atrocities that actually happened & atrocities that are happening RIGHT NOW. it is a reflection on war and occupation that are very real for many many people it’s not a silly goofy story for you to impose your desires for romance and fantasy tropes on to pls

maya1watson's review against another edition

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3.0

This was so disappointing. I have really enjoyed R.F Kuang’s novels and love a good fantasy trilogy, but this was not for me. I wish I had maybe read more reviews going into this because I was not prepared. This book is one of the most violent, gruesome, and disturbing things I’ve read, but you would not know that from the beginning. The book takes a hard turn a quarter of the way in. I actually quite enjoying the beginning and the school environment. Rin was unlikeable and flawed, but still an underdog you could root for. Later I just despised her and the choices she made. It just got so dark that the violence became gratuitous and there was no one more to root for, no hope, and no reason to keep reading. I almost DNF’d it, but managed to finish it. Will not be reading the sequels though.

mastema_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

2.75

maryam_alomairi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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? No

4.75

rakkaussipsi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense

3.5

Content Warnings

dharris's review against another edition

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5.0

There aren't many books that excite me as much as this book did. I loved this book for many different reasons. The way the author intertwined historical fiction with fantasy was very well done. Their play on psychedelic drugs, gods, and war, really resonated with life philosophies of mine. The book made me feel like my life made more sense or at least my beliefs. I can't wait to read the next one!