winterwoodbooks'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
5.0
The character work is immaculate.
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
- 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 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.
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.tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It was all there, laid out between them. All their shared fury, vindictiveness, bloodlust, and guilt. Her cruelty. His complicitly. Her desperation. His regret.
One of the most brutal fantasy trilogies I have ever read. I am rendered speechless, trying to absorb everything that happened, and feeling ultimately devoid of emotions and at the same time, overwhelmed because it has been such a haunting, horrifying and memorable journey. I knew that ending was coming for a long time, yet no amount of mental preparation saved my heart from sinking in those final pages at the complicated bond all these characters shared. So many bold decisions and unphantomable turns later, I have (been) finished (by) this trilogy, yet I regret none. The incredible historical and social commentary, the parallelism to real history mixed with such a complex and compelling fictional world-building and unforgettable characters, the writing style, the harshness and pain that flooded these pages as more and more lives were lost in so many different ways...
I wish I could forget about it just so I could experience it all over again.
Rin has become one of my favourite irredeemable main characters of all times and I know I will miss her dearly from now on.
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Blood, Colonisation, Murder, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Body horror, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, War, Xenophobia, Grief, Rape, Child death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Drug abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, Medical content, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Suicide
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
But man, were there times when I wanted to beat this book against a wall. Hoo BOY was it a mess to get to the ugly-beautiful ending that it gave us.
This series could have been five books - less rushed, more time for the tapestry to artfully unravel. This final book somehow crammed too much in, and obliterated storylines without ending them in any remotely satisfying way.
Almost all of the things I want to rail about are spoilers so -
Spoiler
The trifecta, so powerful and impossible defeat, all get killed by page 400 (this is a 600 page book) and in a mundane buried-under-a-mountain way that felt anti-climactic and bewildering. I felt like Kuang just got bored or overwhelmed with that storyline, and needed to douse it quickly - much like she did when she killed all the Cike in Book 2.Then there are about 50 pages when Rin is training a handful of shamans to be powerful and able to control themselves - a process that took an entire book and two years of a vague time jump in Book 1 to come to fruition.
I do also want to petulantly note that at the end, during a heavy, poignant moment that was written so well, Nezha looks down at Rin's lifeless body and thinks only "you bitch, you fucking bitch" and it ruins the scene entirely - crass, immature, and edge-lord unnecessary.
Venka was also done really dirty in this book -- after everything, for Kuang to have Rin turn on her, and then never confirm for the reader if she was a traitor or not (she wasn't, Rin was just a wildly paranoid train wreck at that point, you will not convince me otherwise) - its a disservice to a character who was already used and abused as a monolithic punching bag for male violence while Rin was able to remain "pure" from both sexual assault and sexual activity.
Things I fucking loved: that Rin's parentage, though strongly alluded to, is never confirmed or revisited as significant; it's frustrating, but also drives home that it's not the point - this book isn't about inheritance and destiny, it's about ruthlessly obliterating the legacy you've been handed regardless of what tradition would have you do. Also, the different kinds of love that threaded throughout the trilogy subtly without explicitly naming or confirmation were great - platonic, manipulative, romantic, familial, etc. Despite what I said above about Venka existing so Rin can remain "unsullied", I liked that Rin got to "come of age" without sex/sexual initiation being a part of it - it pushes back against the tired narrative that loss of virginity is a key step towards becoming an adult. This is a victory for all of us out there who were late bloomers, and who were bombarded with teen media that constantly informed us that having sex was the right of passage to the horizon of adulthood. Neither does Rin ever second guess or lament her decision to sterilize herself in her early teens - I'm so glad Kuang never subjected us to long musings on 'whether she'd done the right thing'.
A vast majority of this book was sluggish retread of what we've already been through - Rin shooting off at the mouth, acting grown up, and then being promptly spanked and sat right down in her place by literally anyone near her who takes half a second to think. While I am enamored Rin as a wildly flawed, prickly, and off-putting female lead, by the end of this book I was fascinated that she'd managed to have a coming of age story that routinely confirmed she was a dumber bitch than when we started (and I promise I am saying that affectionately).
The lore we delved into further in this book was GREAT, and I'd sink my teeth into more content detailing it. Though I do think the last 100 pages just devolved into Kuang's thesis on socio-political systems and the results of civil war, it raises good questions, refuses to give easy answers, and then culminates in a grotesque but realistic ending that nobody wants, but everyone has to accept is the reality. Don't read grimdark fiction if you don't want this.
I agree with all the critiques of this series and absolutely fucking love it anyway. This book, in particular, was like watching a hundred iterations of "Revenge of the Sith" unfold over and over again in a multiverse, none of them with a happy ending.
Spoiler
I mean, right down to the letter, because at one point I was like, listen, this is going to end like Anakin Skywalker's return to the light did - she has to die.I'm glad I read this after Babel, and my thoughts on that are complicated...overall, I think Babel is a vastly more mature book in which Kuang tackles huge issues with the same (overly dense) academic surgical precision and articulates the gruesome realities better. The Poppy War series, though, has more hearty, more faith, and more flayed-open imperfection.
Adding it to my bookshelf among Red Rising, The Hunger Games, and The Stormlight Archives as a hallowed tome.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Addiction, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
hailsatan'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
4.25
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
ka_ke'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
5.0
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
csmall73'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Suicide, Self harm, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Child death, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racism, War, Cannibalism, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Slavery
justlilah'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
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, War, Xenophobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexism, Self harm, Racial slurs, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Animal death, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Physical abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Genocide, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Hate crime, Colonisation, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
donatio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Hate crime, Vomit, War, Death, Violence, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Racial slurs, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Self harm
natnat_7'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: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, War, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Slavery, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abortion and Miscarriage