Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

23 reviews

winterwoodbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

The ending was perfect for this amazing series and I loved everything about it.
The character work is immaculate.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Genocide, Murder, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Trafficking, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Self harm, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Vomit, and War

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-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

4.5

The Poppy War Trilogy caps off in amazing fashion. I hear what others have griped about with this last instalment. However, I loved reading through the further corruption of Rin as the war comes to a climax, where she gets huge victories and crushing literal and moral defeats. Rin gradually losing herself and so many senses of trust and belonging anywhere while persevering through this gruelling conflict is mesmerizing. Also, the way it wraps up definitely must have torn a chasm in readers of the books. Does she make that choice for herself or is it another instance of a female character choosing something to ultimately progress male characters that may not deserve it.

The Dragon Republic was a minor misstep but overall I would give the series a 4-4.5. I actually believe I’ll revisit this book series in the future. R.F. Kuang has a space in my heart as an author to watch. Good thing I already got Babel and Yellowface already for whenever I choose to read them. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Slavery, Confinement, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Death of parent, Hate crime, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, War, Ableism, Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Classism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Violence

Yes, there are all the triggers. In particular, there’s mob violence because the country is going through famine, illnesses, devastated towns and cities ruined by war and further problems that come about because of governmental instability. It’s all very graphic. This is late stage war. There’s even poisoning of water sources among other things. Basically every issue you can think of with war toward the end of it is here. Brace yourself or read something else.

faraway_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This saga is so cruel... 10/10 it destroyed me 😃

"Let them think of us as dirt, Rin thought. She was dirt. Her army was dirt. But dirt was common, ubiquitous, patient, and necessary. The soil gave life to the country. And the earth always reclaimed what it was owed."

"And she still loved him. She’d never stop. But that didn’t matter.You’ve abandoned me, she thought as he wept with relief into her shoulder. You thought you could fool me, but I know your soul. And if you’re not with me, you’ll burn, too."

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Addiction, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

nkookie's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Cannibalism, and Blood

hailsatan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Alcohol, Medical content, Cannibalism, Cursing, Sexism, Ableism, Addiction, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Violence, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, War, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, Sexual content, and Torture

alexisgarcia's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Miss Kuang i would like to have a chat. why would you do this to me

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Genocide, Rape, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Excrement, Gore, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Suicide, War, Murder, Sexual violence, and Torture

megan_moclair's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Torture, Self harm, Murder, Medical content, Genocide, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Rape, Physical abuse, Drug use, Cannibalism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Death, Body horror, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Child death, Alcohol, and Addiction

please please PLEASE check trigger warning before reading this series!!

ka_ke's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

Ugh my heart can’t take anymore damage. RF Kuang really knows how to reel you in and then kick you in the teeth, but you’ll enjoy every moment. I love that Kitay becomes a strong, fully formed character and that we get closure across the board (even if some of it doesn’t go the way we wanted it to) While the ending is admirable and beautiful, I wish it hadn’t ended that way, but I suppose thats the moral of war and therefore the Poppy War Trilogy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Excrement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death of parent, Genocide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Rape, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Self harm

Minor: Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Alcohol, Confinement, and Pregnancy

quinnyquinnquinn's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Genocide, Murder, Violence, Child death, and War

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Colonisation, Medical content, Suicide, Torture, and Medical trauma

Minor: Trafficking, Alcohol, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Rape, Abortion, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Animal death, and Cannibalism

killjoycatlady's review

dark sad tense medium-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

This book is the culmination of  a heartwrenching tale of a country ravaged by war told through the eyes of a desperate young girl. It’s morally grey and there’s no true right or wrong. The author creates a rich and complex world and while the countries are analogs of real world cultures, it’s not cliched or stereotypical or even a 1:1 comparison. It is depicts nuanced perspectives of xenophobia, racism, and imperialism. The plot is full of political maneuvering and military strategy, and it’s extremely grounded, gritty, and realistic even when dealing with topics like ancient gods and magic. There are no real winners here. I’d recommend this book to anyone who can deal with its brutal violence.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Cannibalism, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual violence, Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Rape

Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts