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A review by artmuseam
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
this book was definitely one of the darkest and heaviest themes i faced when reading a historical-fantasy novel. while it had a fast-paced action sequence that had me hooked throughout the story, i was more interested in the character of rin and loved the challenge set by the author to decide whether i supported rin or not. i eventually found that answer later on, but i think this book wasn’t as compelling as i expected it to be for me to want to read the rest of the series. i still appreciated the grim realities of war that rf kuang did not shy away from within this book, as it serves as a reminder to the tragedies people had to face during those times. overall i would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in east asian history and fantasy. 4/5 stars
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Kidnapping, Racism, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Medical trauma, and Torture