Scan barcode
areadersrevel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Slavery, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
nettavatanen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
mncbby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jjjreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Cursing and Abortion
osmosees's review
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Deportation
awalsh1212001's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
xstargirlx's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Classism
kingspite618's review against another edition
- 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
I have to admit I thought this book wouldn't work for me at first. The beginning was clearly a continuation of the first one (in the sense of pace and overall vibe), but then the middle part came and things started going downhill. I have mainly three reasons why I think the middle part of the book didn't work (and why I almost dnf-ed it). Firstly, it seems like nothing much is going on?? Which is crazy considering they're fighting a war. The pace is fine, much better than the first book even, it felt more natural (no year-long skips like in the first book, thank GOD). But there's a sense that Kuang forced some action scees to happen because otherwise nothing much was going on. Maybe she didn't know what direction she wanted the plot to go, or maybe it wa deliberate, to introduce a sense of dullness throughout the middle part of the book to compensate for the absolute Insanity that was the latter half. In any case, no matter what Kuang intended with it, I have to admit there were times where I was immensely bored. And INFURIATED. And that's because of the other two reasons why this book almost flopped (for me): Rin's characterization and the execution of many of the characters' dynamics, telling over showing. The thing that bothers me most about Rin's characterization is that it was SO polarized. Her dynamic with Kitay and Nezha is written so excruciatingly good it's insane, it feels like a natural continuation of the first book, it's fleshed-out, it has depth to it (especially in the last 100 pages. dear GOD). you actually CARE about them and their friendship (even if there aren't that many scenes where the three of them are together - why is Kuang allergic to making characters interact😭). BUT. B U T. RIN'S CHARACTERIZATION WHEN IT CAME TO ALTAN????? I swear I was reading it and I was LIVID. It was so well-written in TPW, but suddenly in TDR it seems SO off. Altan's appearance in TDR solely seems to serve to reinforce the fact that Rin feels guilty for his death and for what she did to Mugen. That's it. Every single time he appears he does the same exact thing: hurt Rin physically or emotionally and tell her to kill herself because he should've lived instead of her. It's the only thing he does in her visions, over and over again, and while at first it's clearly a tragic situation, it comes off as pedantic when you read it for the consecutive 6th time. If Altan's death is sooo relevant for Rin's characterization, maybe Kuang should've found different ways to get that across, rather than just repeating the same scene again and again. I've chosen to understood Altan's appearance simply as a vehicle to convey Rin's guilt. He can't be held to the same standards of characterization than the rest of them because he isn't a character on his own right anymore: he is the embodiment of Rin's guilt, nothing else. That's why his dynamic with Rin feels so different and off compared to TPW, because that isn't the real Altan Trengsin. IF that was the way Kuang had meant to portray it since the first moment, then yes, the dynamic is incredibly well-written in TDR as well. But. Even if it was well-written, I think it wasn't nearly fleshed-out enough for it to be THIS relevant. Don't get me wrong, I love Altan and his dynamic with Rin. But the thruth remains that they barely know each other. And in TDR, it came off as if she mourned someone she didn't even know that well, rather than interacting more with the people she DOES know (Kitay and Nezha). This to say, I don't understand why Altan's dynamic with Rin seems to the most relevant for her characterization (at least during the middle part of the book)... yet their relationship is the least fleshed-out one of hers (so much less fleshed-out than Nezha's or Kitay's, or even Chaghan's, for fucks sake). Something about them has always seemed not very plausible. And I'm glad this was acknowledged in the book itself, that Rin didn't really know Altan that well and was mostly just obsessed with him. I liked that it was acknowledged and I liked that she seems to move on from him so much more quickly than I expected in the last half of the book, once she accepts both the immense guilt Altan embodies and the fact that what she mourns is what she thought Altan could turn her into, the idea of him, not Altan himself. I liked that a LOT, it felt like actual closure for Rin and Altan's dynamic. (Unlike the last scene with them in Rin's visions, which is my biggest complaint when it comes to showing-not-telling. Idk if it was me but I did feel like their last interaction was directed at the reader, to make sure they undeerstood what Rin felt for Altan, than a real last conversation between. I think the dialogue in that scene could've been better overall, considering their dynamic was supposedly sooo important).
Oh, and as a last complaint, I don't like that Kuang obliterated the Cike😭. They had one of the best dynamics and so much potential, and while I understand that plot-wise some of them had to go, I feel like the first book will always have that special spark to it because they were in it. (When the found family is nowhere to be found you know that something's wrong :/ ).
Okay I think that's as far as my complaints go. Now to say why I DID love the book, which is three words: the last half. (Although the first part was also great). WHAT was Kuang thinking when she wrote the last like 100 pages.... Chaghan's and Qara's origin.... the Trifecta being directly linked to the Ketreyids and Namaids and the whole subplot of them.... KITAY AND RIN BEING SPIRITUALLY LINKED.... RinChaghan's last interaction (they are one of the best dynamics in the series. i love them very dearly)..... RIN FINDING KESEGI AGAIN I SCREAMED DURING THAT PART (i'm weak for tragic siblings dynamics. personally)...... Kuang was LOCKED TF IN. WHAT THE HELL!!!!
One of the things I loved most about TDR was the evolution of Rin's and Kitay's dynamic, though. They've always been my favorite dynamic since TPW, but the way it naturally evolves in TDR is just *cheff's kiss*. From them barely talking to each other at the start of TDR to them being spiritually fucking linked to each other and being the only person they can fully trust at the end.... the fact that at the end they're so united that they literally feel each other's pain and feelings... INSANE writing tbh i'm still astonished. Kuang writes all of Rin's platonic dynamics with so much care it's crazy. I don't think I've ever read a YA fantasy book where the friendship between a girl and a boy is THIS well written... it's not that they're just friends, it's that their friendship is the MC's most important relationship. Kuang could've trope-ify RinKitay if she wanted to in so many different ways: he could be that childhood best friend that was secretly in love with the MC all along, or there could have been some sort of fuckass love triangle between Rin, Kitay and Nezha, or she could've written Nezha as jealous that the girl he loves is closer to his childhood best friend than him. But Kuang didn't write them like that!!! Because of all those tropes fucking SUCK and the way Rin's and Kitay's and Nezha's friendship is written is SO much better than that!!!! I am forever grateful that Kuang seems to HATE tropes with all her heart. I owe her my whole life.
Speaking of which, and with this I come to the thing I loved most about this book: Rinnezha????? RINEZHA???? THE EVOLUTION OF THEIR DYNAMIC???? THE FACT THAT THEY'RE CHARACTER FOILS AND PARALLEL EACH OTHER *AND* TEARZA AND THE DRAGON EMPEROR SO WE ALREADY KNOW THEY WON'T GET A HAPPY ENDING??? THE FACT THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY LOVE EACH OTHER THEY'RE ALSO FRIENDS *AND* HAVE A DEEP SEATED RESENTMENT TOWARS EACH OTHER??? THE FACT THAT THEY ENVY EACH OTHER AS WELL??? oh Shakespeare wishes he'd written Rinezha. Virgilian tragedies' characters got NOTHING on them. I felt my soul leave my body when they were all drunk and happy for the first time in YEARS and then... THAT happened. The absolute insanity of it all. They don't make character foils who are also doomed by the narrative and rivals to friends to lovers to enemies and polar opposites like this anymore.
And Nezha. Oh Yin Nezha you are so loved. I humbly admit that I didn't care much for him in TPW but alas.... his boyfailure aura, stubborn worldview and off-the-charts Judas complex have bewitched my heart and soul. His relationship with shamanism in contrast with Rin's ohHHHH they don't make character foils like this anymore. And the fact that it was all orchestrated by his father... We love ourselves a tragic family dynamic that's right. And ANDDDD. The final scene of him standing there just watching his closest friendship fall appart... The fact that not even Venka stays so he really has no one left except his fuckass parents... The fact that the guilt will eat him alive and he's going to accept every act of hatred he's got coming from Rin's and Kitay's side because he owes them to allow them to resent him to death. Because it's a fitting punishment for him. Because it's the least he can do for them now and he knows it ohh i'm on my last straw i need to be sedated inmediately. Having Nezha as a favorite character feels like being shot in the chest 87 times. btw.
In regards to. Other. things; one thing I LOVED about this book was Kuang skill when writing action scenes. She is completely insane. The scene with Daji on the shore AND THE LAST 50 PAGES THAT WERE FILLED WITH SO MUCH TENSION AND DREAD EVEN *I*, THE READER, FELT NAUSEOUS.... SHE'S INSANE. I feel like, as much as the plot flopped in the middle part of the book, the latter half was SO carefully conceived that it felt delicous to read. It felt like those part of your story that you've been waiting to write for years and are finally able to. Everything from the victory of the Republic until Rin's escape fell right into place and you could tell that Kuang had been waiting to write this lmao.
Another thing I adore about this book it's the way Kuang is dedicated to make the most crude and realistic depiction of imperialism (or oppression in general) as possible. I like that you can tell it's heavily inspired in real life history, and I think that's part of why it holds together so well. I like that it makes the statement that behind every form of imperialism or colonization is white supremacy. The way the Hesperians present themselves as liberators when they're the ultimate oppressor/will use the might they have over other nations to prevent them from "evolving". The way native people who belong to the ruling class (like Vaisra and House Yin) allow it because it will never affect them directly and will bring them (economic/military) profit. The way the ruling class will make any excuses for their own kin (House Yin finding ways to "cure" Nezha from his shamanism) but punish everyone else who falls under the same spectrum (killing off any shaman in the country except their son). Idk it's too many things to count but I think any other depiction of imperialism/commentary on classism I read on any other YA fantasy novel after this will come off as immensely cheap. That's how fucking good this is.
And last but not least, my absolute favorite
part of this book: Chaghaltan being canon. What do you mean Altan Trengsin is a fucking boykisser. What do you mean he and Chaghan canonically got silly with each other. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE CANON. ALTAN TRENGSIN BOYKISSER CANON I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS MY LIFE🙌🙌☀️☀️☀️ My boy really can't pick a struggle.
AND Also the Trifecta!!! I didn't say anything about them but I love them so SO much and I love the way they parallel RinKitayNezha. AND I ALSO LOVE YOUNG JIANG. The way he used to be exactly like Rin and Altan ohh I need to be sedated again.
All in all; though I have some complaints about this book that I do find relevant, overall it was an immensely enjoyable experience (meaning I wanted to kms like 2598 times), and probably counts as the one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. In fact, the whole Poppy War series is one of the best fantasy series I've ever read (and in all honesty, I think I will ever read). Can't wait to read The Burning God to make the experience even more miserable!! ❤️❤️❤️
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Abortion, and Gaslighting
themoostconfused's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
seasoledad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I could write so many essays about this book. There’s so much to comment on.
One thing I will comment on here: I adore the platonic love between Rin and Kitay T^T
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders