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katrod's reviews
489 reviews
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5… I wanted to love this book so much… all of the ideas were there, but I just really didn’t like some of the ways Kuang told this story.
First, it read like all 3 books of a trilogy. It was just wayyyyy too much for one book, without getting some of the human relationship details I love. It was literally just war. I felt like our main character had 3 almost fleshed out relationships, but besides that, she kind of lived in a vacuum.
Second, the amount of real history that Kuang used as inspiration for the book was extremely graphic and detailed and felt wrong in the context of a fantasy book (that starts off with her innocently taking a test to get into school at the age of 16… it goes from 0-100 real quick). I didn’t know about the Massacre of Nanking and other details from the second Sino-Japanese war in the early 20th century. Kuang drew heavily from these events in her writing of The Poppy War. I can see why she wanted to write about it and bring awareness to such a heinous part of human history. I just really felt uncomfortable reading about it through the lens of a fantasy novel. And there was nothing about the book or descriptions that prepared me for that or for how absolutely horrifying and disturbing some of the things she describes are. Seriously… just google trigger warnings and this book. It’s like every trigger you could ever think of.
Third, I had no one to root for. I’m all for writing about flawed characters, but I felt like I truly had no one I could get behind. And Rin, our main character, kind of flip flopped a lot. Sometimes she behaved in a way that made her seem really sensitive and scared, and other times she was this unflinching, unyielding, fearless radical. It was confusing. I felt like I never really understood who she was at her core… and why she cared so much about a country that really didn’t give a rat’s ass about her.
I really reeeeally wanted to love this, but I almost put it down so many times, I really didn’t like it.
Love Kuang’s other stuff though (Yellowface and Babel). I won’t be reading the rest of this series but I still look forward to whatever she does next!
First, it read like all 3 books of a trilogy. It was just wayyyyy too much for one book, without getting some of the human relationship details I love. It was literally just war. I felt like our main character had 3 almost fleshed out relationships, but besides that, she kind of lived in a vacuum.
Second, the amount of real history that Kuang used as inspiration for the book was extremely graphic and detailed and felt wrong in the context of a fantasy book (that starts off with her innocently taking a test to get into school at the age of 16… it goes from 0-100 real quick). I didn’t know about the Massacre of Nanking and other details from the second Sino-Japanese war in the early 20th century. Kuang drew heavily from these events in her writing of The Poppy War. I can see why she wanted to write about it and bring awareness to such a heinous part of human history. I just really felt uncomfortable reading about it through the lens of a fantasy novel. And there was nothing about the book or descriptions that prepared me for that or for how absolutely horrifying and disturbing some of the things she describes are. Seriously… just google trigger warnings and this book. It’s like every trigger you could ever think of.
Third, I had no one to root for. I’m all for writing about flawed characters, but I felt like I truly had no one I could get behind. And Rin, our main character, kind of flip flopped a lot. Sometimes she behaved in a way that made her seem really sensitive and scared, and other times she was this unflinching, unyielding, fearless radical. It was confusing. I felt like I never really understood who she was at her core… and why she cared so much about a country that really didn’t give a rat’s ass about her.
I really reeeeally wanted to love this, but I almost put it down so many times, I really didn’t like it.
Love Kuang’s other stuff though (Yellowface and Babel). I won’t be reading the rest of this series but I still look forward to whatever she does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, War, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Classism, Gore, Addiction, Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Torture
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book for the most part. I just love the way Holly Ringland writes. I read The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding earlier this year, and fell deeply I love with the story and the way Ringland told it.
Similarly, this book captured me in a way not many do. I felt fully transported each time I opened its pages and there’s a sense of magic you can’t deny in this tale.
However, I felt there were a few too many storylines and ideas so it began to feel disjointed and not fully fleshed out. By the end, I felt like things were wrapped up rather abruptly and I think we needed more in the transitions between Alice’s phases of life.
But again, overall, I still really loved this book and getting to live among another one of Holly Ringland’s beautifully complex female characters.
Similarly, this book captured me in a way not many do. I felt fully transported each time I opened its pages and there’s a sense of magic you can’t deny in this tale.
However, I felt there were a few too many storylines and ideas so it began to feel disjointed and not fully fleshed out. By the end, I felt like things were wrapped up rather abruptly and I think we needed more in the transitions between Alice’s phases of life.
But again, overall, I still really loved this book and getting to live among another one of Holly Ringland’s beautifully complex female characters.
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-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? No
5.0
Such a great read told from the perspective of an 11 year old girl with cerebral palsy. I’ve never read anything like it and it was so moving. As an able bodied person, it’s really easy to forget all the ways society casts aside, judges, and babies disabled people who may be just as or even more able than others.
Melody is one of the smartest, if not the smartest kids in her grade, and yet, since she doesn’t have fine motor skills and can’t control her body, everyone around her assumes she can’t control her mind either.
I wish I had read this in middle school and I think it would be great to have in classrooms everywhere. So powerful, so inspiring, and a great reminder so never judge a book by its cover.
Melody is one of the smartest, if not the smartest kids in her grade, and yet, since she doesn’t have fine motor skills and can’t control her body, everyone around her assumes she can’t control her mind either.
I wish I had read this in middle school and I think it would be great to have in classrooms everywhere. So powerful, so inspiring, and a great reminder so never judge a book by its cover.
Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Just not for me. Too dark and too boring all at the same time. There were some well written passages and phrases, but overall such a struggle to get myself to finish.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Slow to start (especially with the huge hype around this book) but I really got into it about halfway through. You have to be willing to throw caution to the wind and let yourself be carried away by the love story, otherwise you’ll catch yourself going…. Really? 😒
But definitely a fun read, and would be enjoyed by someone who doesn’t typically read fantasy. It’s got more elements of a historical fiction with just a dash of magic.
But definitely a fun read, and would be enjoyed by someone who doesn’t typically read fantasy. It’s got more elements of a historical fiction with just a dash of magic.
The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Oof. This one hits right in the gut, especially when you read what Sickel’s inspiration for this story was. I was born as the AIDS crisis was calming down, but I do remember it being a huge topic of conversation. I will never truly know just how devastatingly horrifying it was to live among that fear and hatred, but this book brings the reader pretty close to that understanding. It is such an intimate portrayal of life, death, fear, belonging, and acceptance. It’s a story I’ll feel the impact of for my whole life.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Entertaining, but not my normal cup of tea. Probably would have worked better for me as a movie. I just found it hard to want to spend the time reading this… but if murder comedy is your thing, you’ll love it.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
There’s no doubt that this is an important read and a well written novel, but there were aspects that didn’t work for me. I think I went in with expectations too high and I just couldn’t get past the fact that Whitehead wrote the Underground Railroad as an actual secret network of trains underground. I just didn’t understand why he chose to represent it that way and it made me feel disconnected from the story.
The descriptions of Cora’s journey also felt very matter of fact and it put distance between the reader and her experiences. Of course I was enraged and horrified by what she was going through, but I would have liked to be brought into her mindset a little more rather than just have the facts laid out.
The descriptions of Cora’s journey also felt very matter of fact and it put distance between the reader and her experiences. Of course I was enraged and horrified by what she was going through, but I would have liked to be brought into her mindset a little more rather than just have the facts laid out.
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A somewhat anticlimactic finale to the All Souls trilogy. Still really enjoyed it, but I felt like this one went back a little to the flaws of the first book where we’re getting so much drawn out detail and now enough character development or plot. Again, still really had fun reading this story, but I was just kind of ready for it to be done by the end.
The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I liked the story itself, but I didn’t like the way it was written. I think it would’ve been better if the two main characters weren’t spending so much time reminiscing. This created a bit of a disconnect between the readers and the story.
It would’ve been better if the story opened with that first scene of them waking up in bed together as the prologue, and then chapter 1 starts us off with a flashback when they meet in college, and then the story is told from there until we get to present day.