Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Im Zeichen der Mohnblume - Die Kaiserin by R.F. Kuang

26 reviews

wylanslcve's review against another edition

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

oh this was truly phenomenal. with the poppy war already being so strong in so many aspects, I was admittedly a tad bit apprehensive going into the dragon republic as is usually the case whenever I start a sequel - however, it only took a single page for all traces of apprehension I felt prior to starting this to dissipate pretty much instantaneously.

in many ways, the dragon republic is a significant improvement from the poppy war, taking what was already one of the greatest fantasy books I've ever read and somehow going beyond that. any pacing issues I'd had with the first book were practically nonexistent in this instalment, and somehow the characterisation managed to stay as hard-hitting and intricate as it was in the first book. rin is such a fantastic protagonist in, and kuang handles her development from the first book (for better or for worse is up to you to decide), as well as her complicated relationship with altan, with such meticulous care, and not a day has gone by without me thinking about the progression of kitay's arc throughout this book. I've always had a soft spot for him, but the way kuang handled his progression from the boy we see in the poppy war to the hardened, furious version of him in the dragon republic is so incredibly devastating but oh so incredible.

even though this took me literal months to get through, the dragon republic is a fantastic and gut-wrenching sequel that will certainly stick with me for a while. I don't think I'm ready for what might unfold in the burning god (I'm preparing myself for the worst, but I have a feeling that isn't going to help much given kuang's track record).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Vomit, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation

periodblood's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Alas I have finished this book. I believe this book was paced muches better than the poppy war, lost however certain shock value as the plot was always moving on a similar scale. The characters were abled to be further fleshed out (

albeit most are dead now

) And I believe

through the bonding of Rin and Kitay

we as readers were further able to understand the dynamics of their friendships. Generally Rin's emotions throughout the book were handled in more variety and more vulnerableness was shown from her. Plot wise I was bored sometimes as it felt rather repetitive in the middle. I also believe the foreshadowing was handled very outright (not necessarily bad, just took away any shock), because of this the plot points revealed by the end just weren't surprising. The writing was handled beautifully, as expected. 

The handling of European colonisation was shown very well in my opinion. So was the religious propaganda of sorts from the Hesperians. The addition of Augus was also very well put.

I am also very satisfied with the discussions of rape in this book once again. Venka's character now also having an identity as an ally and friend is so good. Daji's also strongly being influenced by rape by a Westerner also helped give a very direct understable reason of her hate.

I all in all enjoyed this book a lot but it doesn't quite top in ratings for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

naples's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ginalucia's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Jumping back into the story with The Dragon Republic was a breeze. And what a story it is! Kuang delivers a gritty, realistic narrative that pulls no punches. 

The character development is tough, and while many of the characters are unlikeable, there's something strangely compelling about them.

From the get-go, I was fully invested. Kuang does a masterful job of making the main character unlikeable yet undeniably real, especially considering the harsh realities of war and the difficult decisions it forces people to make.

The Dragon Republic is not for the faint of heart. It's a brutal, uncomfortable read that keeps you on edge constantly. But that's also what makes it so good.

While the story maintains a relentless pace, it does drag a bit during some repetitive moments. However, this doesn't detract too much from the overall experience.

While it may not be perfect, The Dragon Republic is an excellent next step in this trilogy and I’m looking forward to the last. 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Rape, Blood, Grief, and Colonisation

nataaaliya's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

If it were possible, I'd get every word of this trilogy inked into my skin.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

potion96's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Colonisation

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

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 (

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 (

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

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

Minor: Cannibalism

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

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.

cort_03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical trauma

caelinsullivan's review against another edition

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism