A review by occuprop
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The book is about The Nanjing Massacre and other atrocities of WW2. Take the content warnings seriously and don't go into this expecting a sanitized fantasy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Vomit, War, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Colonisation, Dementia, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, Body horror, Excrement, Child death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders