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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
marx_marvelous'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Drug abuse, Addiction, Colonisation, Genocide, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, War, Drug use, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny, Mental illness, and Sexism
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
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
ayooooosuga's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Death, Torture, Blood, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Cannibalism
xveronica_fx'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Genocide, Murder, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Violence, Mental illness, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
a_wandering_thinker'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
4.25
Das Worldbuilding und die Parallelen zur echten Welt waren gleichzeitig das beste an den Büchern als auch eine Schwachstelle. Zum einen habe ich so viel über Krieg und Staatenbildung gelernt wie bei keinem Buch zuvor. Darüber, wozu Menschen fähig sind, was Revolutionen kosten, über Religion, Kolonialismus und Abgründe der Menschlichkeit. Auf der anderen Seite musste ich mich bei jedem Element der Story fragen, welches reale Ereignis es wohl inspiriert hat, dass sich die Handlung manchmal wie eine sehr ausgeschmückte Allegorie für Real-Life-Events anfühlte, anstatt zu etwas Eigenem zu werden (was immer noch viel über unsere echte Geschichte und Kulturen aussagen kann, aber ohne davon zu dominiert zu werden).
Ein anderer Kritikpunkt, vor allem von diesem Band, ist, wie Dialog-lastig es war. Ich hätte mir ein wenig mehr ruhige Momente gewünscht, die die Handlung nicht mit Macht vorangetrieben hätten, etwas mehr bildliche Beschreibung von Szenen. Trotzdem war die Story extrem immersive und packend.
Insgesamt ist die Trilogie eine 4.5 ⭐️ für mich. Absolut beeindruckend, realistisch, packend, und ich liebe es, wie mit vielen Tropes gebrochen wird. Ich freue mich schon, als nächstes Babel zu lesen.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Colonisation, Gore, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Eating disorder, Trafficking, Sexism, Death of parent, and Excrement
bookishedi'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, and War
Moderate: Abortion, Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Cannibalism