Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Опиумная война

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Опиумная война by R.F. Kuang

2259 reviews

luthien7's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

snowlemur25's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wanted to like this book so badly because the premise is so interesting, but there are some serious flaws with it for me personally. My main issue with the series is that the setting/world building feels lazy. The overall setting is "fantasy" WW2 with a focus on Japan vs China. As in the author took a couple of events, changed the names of the parties involved, and put them into the book. They reference SunTzu's the Art of War a lot, but his name is Sunzi in the fantasy world. There are quite a few references to Chinese mythology but a lot of these names are not changed at all. It just made the world feel very fake and not really lived in. It gives me the same feeling when watching isekai in anime where the main character is reincarnated into another world and in this way you avoid having to do any real character development. I think it would've been more impactful to have this historical fiction with a layer of magic added to make it different because as it is it feels very shallow. Moving on to what I liked about this series: I thought the magic concept was interesting and has a lot of potential. I also enjoyed the main character's growth throughout the series. She consistently chooses the worst decision possible, but you can see her reasoning behind it, however flawed.

Content Warnings

lauralia's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark 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

To anyone considering to read this book, heed the content warnings. This book contains detailed descriptions of gruesome violence.

That being said, what an incredible book. It is much much darker than I anticipated, but so well-written, and I love that all the characters, especially the main character Rin, are flawed and mostly morally grey. I love that they make mistakes, that this isn’t a book where the chosen one always makes the right decision. I am quite afraid that the rest of the trilogy will continue being very grim, and I’m not sure this is the kind of series that ends with a happy ending, but this first book has been so compelling and well-written that I’ll go inhale the two others happily anyway.

Content Warnings

jem_ko's review against another edition

3.25

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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

My god, it’s hard to say much without spoiling one of the many plot twists. This book is masterfully written and that is part of why I remain so angry at the character arc of the main character - a morally understandable but deeply flawed set of main characters both plague and enhance this story; it’s up to you whether you lean into or away from their narratives. Either way, they are well written.

Content Warnings

kim_e_d's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-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

Plot : Rin , a teenaged orphan, enters a military academy to try to escape her circumstances only to fight her way to excellence.

Impressions : Words cannot begin to decribe how good this novel is - and to think this was a debut novel! The mix of mythology, historical facts and social realism makes for an extraordinary tale, full of vivid characters and impossible choices. A must read.

Content Warnings

mrxdg's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad tense

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

At first, The Poppy War reads like a familiar coming-of-age fantasy—Rin, a determined orphan, earns her place at an elite military academy through sheer grit. The early chapters focus on training, strategy, and political maneuvering, making for a slow but engaging build-up. However, the novel takes a sharp and brutal turn in its third act, shifting from academic struggles to the horrors of war in a way that feels almost jarring. The sheer level of violence and darkness that emerges is unsettling, and the tonal shift is so drastic that it almost feels like a different book.

That being said, Rin’s character development is masterfully executed. She evolves from an underdog student to a hardened warrior, and her transformation is as compelling as it is tragic. Kuang does an excellent job portraying the cost of power and the impact of war on the human psyche. While the pacing shift may be off-putting to some, the novel delivers an unforgettable experience. It’s not an easy read, but it’s certainly a powerful one.

Content Warnings

inaraaimee's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Wow.

Content Warnings

erinmichele_reads's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional tense

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A rough start to a trilogy that lingers a bit much in tropes I'm not fond of, but I can see the dominoes being laid for something incredible despite it being rough around the edges. The commentary over dehumanization and the justification if war crimes is certainly hitting.

Content Warnings

catherinebullions's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

brightlyy's review against another edition

5.0

This was so good. It was fast paced and kept you hooked all the way through. The characters are so well done and I also loved the world building and the parallels to modern Chinese history throughout. This book is really heavy though, especially nearer the end so I would recommend checking out the trigger warnings before starting.

Content Warnings

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