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ashykneesreads 's review for:
The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang
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
wooooaaaaahhhhh. that was a wild ride. the characters are absolutely amazing, rin especially. i liked how different it is to any other fantasy i’ve read whilst also maintaining the elements of the genre which make it my favourite. i cannot overemphasise enough how dark this book is. i watched like 6 seasons of american horror story and this shocked me. the way in which kuang builds up to it is incredible. you’re immediately thrust into this extremely harsh world that gradually just gets worse and worse as rin’s choices get more and more questionable. i like the adult fantasy element of the morally grey main character as you understand their decisions due to what they’ve been through having gone through everything with them but at the same time want to scream at them and talk some sense into them. i cannot recommend this enough but please read the trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail