Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Опиумная война by R.F. Kuang

2262 reviews

stellagrace's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional 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

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This book is a five star for me not because it’s the most beautiful writing i’ve ever read (although it is amazingly written) but because I cannot stop thinking about it. The real historical events that inspired this tale make this story all the more heavy-hitting. I can see that reading this book would open eyes to the very real horror that so many experienced through war and specifically, that the Chinese experienced in the past century (yes, less than 100 years ago). The current state of our world- full of violence, war, classism, etc- makes the rage and violence enacted in this book on behalf of our characters real in a way that fantasy isn’t. someone else left a review that this book almost didn’t feel like fantasy because it’s full of events that truly happened in our would that have just been inflated/made into fantasy by adding folklore- and i agree. 

there are of course aspects of this book i could critique but what’s the point? The Poppy War has stuck in my brain and altered how I view the world, history, and myself- if that’s not worthy of five stars, then I don’t know what is 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

safachow99's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

moonlitreader11's review against another edition

4.5

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Loved the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Rape, Fire/Fire injury

thosemeddlingkids's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional 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

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Reread 2025 - Ooof, this book is still as rough as I remembered. 

Grim dark fantasy following IRL historical events is not for the faint of heart. Check out CWs, the third part of this still is haunting from the first time reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

jensenvilla's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War

addr_07's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, War

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, Colonisation

jsteffen16's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical trauma

allo_leo's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, War

Minor: Abortion

teresa_dj's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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an incredible read. the beginning was so captivating!! Reading about the war, however, was hard. Kuang did such a good job at depicting the actual horrors of war.

Golyn Niis was brutal, and she definitely based some of the warcrimes on japan. knowing it’s all based on real events is horrifying. but makes you realize just how brutal war is

the beginning was definitely stronger than the end, i feel like the plot started to lose itself a bit by the end but was still such an incredible read.

Also, potential spoiler, but this quote made me fully pause and question my own morals.

i didn’t realize that i was fully anticipating and wanting genocide.
..
“They were monsters!" Rin shrieked. "They were not human!” “Have you ever considered" he said slowly "that that was exactly what they thought of us?”

like DAMN. oh ok. chills lowcap bro.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

vfabella's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, War

Minor: Addiction