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Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Murder, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Grief, Abortion
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, War
they’re not the strongest force in the world…i am
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Miscarriage, Vomit, Abortion
Graphic: Drug abuse, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, War, Classism
Moderate: Gore, Rape, Religious bigotry
There are no heroes in this story (well, maybe Kitay). Only villains. I’m not sure if there’s a lesser of all the evils here.
I do love how Rin is horrified when she sees her first Hesperian and immediately assumes they are monsters only to have someone more worldly than her say “girl no that is just what white people look like.” Might be the only funny part of what is otherwise a grim book.
Oh, Fang Runin. What could you have grown into if you had a stable, peaceful upbringing? There’s only one more book in this series, it’s actually impossible that this will end well for her or anyone in her immediate vicinity.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, War, Classism
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
Minor: Abortion
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I enjoyed this book more than the first. This is an action-packed sequel where Rin essentially faces the consequences of all her actions in book 1 for 600 pages. It is sad and harrowing - Kuang is never afraid to kill her darlings in increasingly gruesome and violent ways - but I forgot how funny some of the dialogue is, which is a sharp reminder that these characters are just kids who like to banter. The parallels with Chinese history continue and potentially become even more clear with the arrival of the Hesperian colonisers - if you know even the smallest bit about world history you will know that they are a truly sinister threat. The ending was absolutely brutal and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 3. I will say that I’ve grown pretty attached to Rin as a protagonist, but knowing how Kuang likes to treat her characters, I am very scared for the conclusion of this trilogy.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
this was not a world of men. it was a world of gods, a time of great powers. it was the era of divinity walking in man, of wind and water and fire. and in warfare, she who held the battle asymmetry was the inevitable victor
i'm- I have no words
i said I wanted this book to destroy me and it didn't quite. but I did scream and shout a lot so I guess that counts.
this is everything that could follow the poppy war and more. and the characters!!! and the plot!!!! I've spent this entire book telling characters the methods they were using were not the right ones to get to their goal. BUT THEY PLAYED ME. THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
and then when I thought that by the end I had an idea of where it was going THEY HIT ME AGAIN. I wasn't ready (that bit did destroy me a little)
insanely realistic and with the same topics as the first one and even more. I never knew one could tap into so many so well at the same time and portray how awful they are in such a way that you feel them in you
chefs kiss. also I hate anyone who ever held power in this
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, War, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence