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R.F. Kuang does not hold back. This book is very intense. (Depictions of war violence).
The character arcs are diverse and you really grow to care for them throughout the story.
Not ready for Book 2.
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism
The protagonist, Rin, has a classic underdog arc of being an orphan with no prospects to attending a prestigious military academy. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies and understands her innate knack for shamanism, or ability to channel the power of gods few think to even exist.
When war breaks out between her country, Nikan, and the island nation, Mugen, Rin has to not only hone her shaman abilities but grapple with the moral choices of harnessing a destructive, otherworldly power or else watching everyone she loves suffer.
The story also serves as a fictionalized parallel of the real-world Sino-Japanese War during World War II. Kuang has stated atrocities committed in that conflict — including massacres of whole cities and scientific experimentation on people — were direct inspirations for similar wartime horrors she writes into this book.
I’m not sure where the story will go from here, but I’m eager to read the next two books.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
That said, the writing and the plot were great. The political scheming was dense at times - as an epic fantasy should be - but I found it complicated at times.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, War
Moderate: Torture, Blood
Minor: Confinement
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War
Moderate: Body horror, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail