Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Die Kaiserin by R.F. Kuang

221 reviews

finn_1312's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Torture, Alcohol, War, Sexism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Blood, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Cannibalism

winterwoodbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, War, Ableism, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, Pedophilia, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Classism, Excrement, Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Torture, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, and Slavery

broccoli_j's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Grief, Death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Child abuse, Addiction, Gore, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Rape, Torture, Sexual content, Murder, Death of parent, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

bacook0403's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexism, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gore, Addiction, War, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Colonisation, Child death, and Drug use

teleporting_pickle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

Holy shit took me long enough but it was worth every extra minute!!  Again the writing and pace of the book is perfect every page was a page turner very delicious.

Spoiler

I knew the damn Hesperians were bad the minute they came sailing in on their ship with their fucking guns all high a mighty. One could hope for once white colonizing bastards refrain from taking another country for the “better good”. But that shows how realistic it all was, how Rin and all of Nikra were fighting the wrong enemy. Snakes can hide anywhere and it was Daji. Honestly when she offered the alliance in the beginning with Rin I thought I’d be a good idea and it WAS!!!

Spoiler

Nezha is a two faced bitch. Off to the next book 🫶🏻 just found out I can use emojis 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, War, Addiction, Rape, and Colonisation

flamesocks's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Classism, Vomit, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Colonisation, Rape, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, War, Death, Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Xenophobia

kaylaswhitmore's review against another edition

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

4.0

Coming straight out of the first book and into this one was very interesting. After the first book’s rather awe-inducing end (

Spoiler

Rin’s use of the Phoenix to completely level an entire curry

) I already anticipated that Kuang would have to find a way to “nerf” Rin in the second book. After all, if it was all just easy wins, nothing would feel very climactic, would it? So, with that in mind, it’s safe to say that the first half of this book was exceedingly frustrating. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but rather, that Kuang found the bruise that conjoined both Rin and the reader and she pushed down, hard. It thoroughly sucked for awhile there, especially considering my standing-critique of Kuang’s writing style that she tends to sum up Rin’s various relationships with a handful of informative scenes but too little transition in-between (imho). This occasionally made those relationships and characters feel a little flat in comparison to the rich intimacy we have within Rin’s character and arc. However, I think that particular flaw took a hard turn for the better around 2/3 through the book (

Spoiler

Rin and Kitay’s bond

). After that point, the emotions, stakes, and overall well-roundedness of every character beside Rin felt much more vivid than before, and Kuang even delved a little deeper in adding casual exchanges here and there that really enriched the dynamics. By the end, I truly felt immersed in this world and found myself longing for exactly what Rin herself is headed towards: purpose. I’m going right into the third and final book now, and hope this journey finds a satisfying end!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Genocide, Gore, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Grief, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol, Cursing, Ableism, Animal death, Gaslighting, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Cannibalism

As with the first book, please check trigger/content warnings before reading.

Spoiler

There is an incident involving a woman being r*ped in the second half of the book that is moderately graphic and could definitely be triggering for some.

shindearya's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A lot happened in this book. Gave me a totally new perspective of the presumed villain of the story. This may have been a little too political for me but still easy to follow. Absolutely loved the friendships built and strengthened (and then again weakened) in this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gore, War, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Self harm, Suicide, and Rape

maria_15's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Genocide, Addiction, Blood, Rape, Religious bigotry, Vomit, War, Murder, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Colonisation, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, and Emotional abuse

darkclouds's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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

5.0

Now, how does one go about in suing Rebecca Kuang for emotional and mental damages?

Being my 100th book of the year, I'm feeling quite the swarming tidal of harrowing sensations. I've read an exceedingly well written book, two in fact within the space of a month and reached a milestone I thought I'd never hit again, all at once.

The Poppy War had brought me to my knees and extracted the tightly bound tears that I caged so well with it's vengeful, and riveting appeal and war conflicted trauma. It took me a year to find my footing and any semblance of recovery to continue this series.

There's a sense of loss, perhaps grief, a kind of hollow feeling of emptiness but fulfilment as well - once you complete reading one of these. Anyone seen/read Attack on Titan? If you can withstand *that* abomination of a series then you absolutely have enough gall to pick up Poppy War and face it's events headstrong. There's almost a deep guilty pleasure in facing one tragic loss after another, of chasing a cast of characters with complex arcs and a ghost inkling of found family trope. You cannot stop pushing forward and experience the absolute brutality that these characters face one chapter after another. The way Kuang has readers ensnared within an endless loop of gaining some hope, she just as quickly tears it away. Even though you can expect this when going into the series, it's never quite so black and white. There'll be elements of surprise.

Whilst Poppy War had shaken me to my very core with it being so incredibly unforgiving, Dragon Republic truly throws you into a position of complete helplessness. It's truly frustrating and compulsive and I absolutely devoured every page. Every word. Rin is every part the fearsome, yet fragile protagonist with compelling characteristics that can really irk a reader. But her unlikeable traits doesn't stop us from wanting to root for her and I think that's true power in writing.

Rebecca Kuang continues to devastate and bind us readers with her incredible prose and impactful storytelling. I fear for my sanity when I eventually read Burning Gods. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Colonisation, and Rape