Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

23 reviews

hermoninny's review

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Medical trauma, War, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual assault, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Gore

rach_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Death, Child death, Addiction, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Grief, and Drug abuse

bookishreadersclub's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When they say this book is dark, they mean it. Do not be fooled by the beginning chapters of this book that feign hopeful stories of aspiring soldiers. The darkness of this book has subjected itself to one specific chapter, chapter 21. There are gruesome, cruel, horrifying depictions of war crimes. Nothing will prepare you for it. Read trigger warnings. Please.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Mental illness, Abortion, War, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Grief, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, Addiction, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Vomit, Violence, Self harm, Genocide, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Cursing

aislinn_h's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Rape, Animal death, Death, Genocide, War, Colonisation, Gore, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Addiction, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

andilikepeaches's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There were so many twists and turns throughout this book! I recognized scenes from WWII China immediately, and many of those moments were very difficult to read. I also got the sense as the story progressed that Rin was becoming something of an anti-hero, which turned out to be true. I found her choices at the end of the novel to be deeply disturbing and I really hope her growth takes an upward turn in book 2!

As an aside, I also hope Nezha is not dead (words I never thought I would say aloud).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Addiction, Drug use, Torture, Xenophobia, Death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Bullying, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Genocide, Murder, Racism, and War

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

Damn this book is brutal to read. Even with my fairly basic knowledge of Sino-Japanese relations it was horrifying and morbidly intriguing to see represented in this way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Police brutality, Self harm, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Slavery, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Death, Classism, Grief, Physical abuse, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, and Misogyny

atlascorringanfanpage's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Vomit, Genocide, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Xenophobia, Body horror, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Sexual violence, Child death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, War, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment

magspaggs's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.5

While I enjoyed this book, I think there is something incredibly flawed about Rin, which I know I the point. It’s just frustrating. There was also a few things that I felt weren’t conveyed as well as they could have been. Namely why Rin was so ready to be a soldier for a country that didn’t want her. She spends most of the book bemoaning anything that isn’t the war or goes against being a “good soldier” and I do not understand why. Where does her loyalty to her country or from? I hope that is explored a little bit more. 

Overall though this book made me literally cry, something that hasn’t happened in a while. Interested to see where the series goes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Violence, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Torture, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Sexual content, Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization

kat1105's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Excrement, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Vomit, War, Blood, Bullying, Slavery, Suicide, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism and Animal cruelty

Minor: Pregnancy

hailsatan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Deportation, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, War, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Infertility, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Hate crime, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment