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amalas_bookstop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Violence, War, Body horror, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Self harm, Bullying, Cannibalism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Vomit, Classism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture
syddey_syd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
That was a RIDE.
I had a feeling the book would end as it did. This is a fitting—if brutal, sad, and heart wrenching—ending to the Poppy War trilogy. Never before have I read such a complex and anti-hero character. So many times I wished things (by things I mean EVERY part of the series) could have turned out differently, but it wouldn’t have been true to the character.
My biggest critique of this book is the inconsistency in Rin’s character. She’s supposedly incredibly smart and capable—that’s set up in the first few chapters of the first book. But as the story goes on, she seems to have no smarts at all and no ability to strategize (when she was at the top of her strategy class at Sinegard). Perhaps that shift initially comes from her opium addiction, but after she was clean the backsliding continued. I found it hard to believe that someone who was so smart could oftentimes act so stupid, even if she was driven by rage.
For the absolute chaotic mess that this character was, Kuang did a great job at portraying her. I never want to enter that mind again.
Graphic: Violence, Cannibalism, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
mandywoah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While the subject matter of this series is hard to handle and difficult to digest, the writing itself isn’t. I had been hooked on these books since page one of The Poppy War.
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Addiction, War, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Genocide, Gore, Child death, and Colonisation
samfrancis's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, War, and Death
gracemcbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Cannibalism, Torture, Violence, War, Rape, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Self harm, and Death
timtalkinbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think it's mostly pacing and the fact that Rin is a cruel and genuinely insufferable person. So being in her angry head can get a bit old.
BUT
1. I think the fact Kuang is as old as me and she was writing something like this in her early 20s is incredible. I can't wait to see how her prose and storytelling abilities evolve as she gets older.
2. She spent basically three books hinting at shaman battles and when we get to that it doesn't disappoint.
3. The way this concluded was the only way I could see it conclude. It doesn't feel like she backed herself into a corner though. It feels like she had this planned from the start and I love that.
4. Can't wait to start the next Stormlight book because hooboy this was some DARK fantasy, but I love that it takes its inspiration from Chinese history and religion. It's a really cool angle to take a fantasy book and a much needed breath of fresh air. (I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that.)
5. Voice actor Emily Woo Zeller (Panam in Cyberpunk 2077) narrated the hell outta the audio books. I usually hate when the narrator does voices that are their opposite gender, think Jim Dale doing Hermione's voice in the Harry Potter audiobooks, but she's great with both.
Overall a great trilogy.
Grim, brutal and violent enough that I can't think of a time where I will want to pick these up again.
Graphic: Cursing, Child death, Murder, War, Violence, Racism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
Feels like they hint that one of the gods has basically raped the character when he gave them their powers, it's definitely meant to disturb and not treayfed lightly.daisy2050's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Blood, Body horror, Torture, War, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
ginalucia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, Genocide, Death, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Suicide, and Hate crime
Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Vomit, Classism, Xenophobia, Animal death, Toxic friendship, and Forced institutionalization
hoshishyoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Suicide, Cannibalism, Vomit, War, Violence, and Suicide attempt
ellaxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Violence, and War
Moderate: Cannibalism