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Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Wow. This book was a dark and wild ride. The first half is quite different to the second - in the first you follow Rin in a school-based setting, while the second half is war-based and a lot darker.
I enjoyed that the characters were complex and morally grey, you really weren’t sure who to root for at times. The book may have been fantasy, but it brought many issues that our world has faced and is facing to light - including genocide, racism, war and addiction. It held nothing back, there were definitely some graphic descriptions and heartbreaking moments. There were some good twists and gasp-worthy moments, along with some slower repetitive parts which stopped it from being a 5 star read.
I would recommend this book if you enjoy dark, political and war-based fantasy books.
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Though, and I cannot stress this enough, please go into Chapter 21 with caution. Huge content warning for that chapter specifically.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War
Kuang creates an immersive world full of conflict, war, politics, and destruction that you are thrust into from the very first sentence. Within her diverse and extraordinary world building, is complex and diverse characters navigating a cruel and dark world. She does not create a hero in the FMC - Rin - she creates a woman - in all her rights and horrible wrongs - flawed and imperfect, yet relatable and lovable still. History mixed with exaggeration and fiction with immensely creative fantasy and magic sets up The Poppy War to be on the best fantasy books you will ever read. Your heart will break, and your mind will be blown often, but one thing is for sure - this book will not leave you for a long time.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War
While I had a hard time agreeing with many of the choices made by Rin, they were necessary vessels to propel the story. I couldn't help but feel that they were often the wrong choice. This was frustrating at times, but not disatisfying as they were the conduit for the plot. I'm hopeful about the sequels and excited to see how Rin further develops.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Child death, Rape
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, Classism