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carolinewithane's Reviews (647)
2021—reread it before continuing the series and i feel i enjoyed the story much more, as i knew what to expect. bumping one star up!
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3.5 stars
I haven’t felt so torn about a book in a long time.
“The Poppy War” is about a peasant girl who, against all odds, is accepted in the most prestigious military academy in the country—just as it is in the verge of breaking into war. It’s astoundingly impressive, especially if you consider the author was 21 when she wrote it. It’s three books worthy of plot knitted together seamlessly. Most characters are incredibly well-crafted. It’s a story about war that doesn’t pull any punches. This is about as bloody as it gets.
But... I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed reading most of it. The writing is a bit too simplistic for my tastes. I can usually endure it when I connect with the characters, but no matter how three-dimensional they were, I didn’t truly like any of them, with the sole exception being Jiang. Once he stopped having a prominent role, my tolerance for the immaturity of the protagonist started wavering—as well as for the profoundly questionable stuff characters I’m sure we were supposed to root for did. It doesn’t help that, once shit hit the fan, the lighthearted parts evaporated, and there was only violence, and violence, and more violence.
It tires, after a while. I also felt it lingered a bit too long, a bit too gratuitously, in some of the most terrible parts. I had to take breaks to read HP fanfic to easy my mind. (No, really.)
Part One, at the military school, was my favourite. A bit too fast-paced, but still very enjoyable. Part Two was tough but still interesting enough, at least until the last couple of chapters, which I didn’t like at all. Part Three conflicts me.
Still, many parts of it were absolutely incredible. Many messages the book conveys and questions it poses are absolutely important. I’m honestly looking forward to the sequel, and truly recommend the book to anyone who likes their fantasy bloody, warring, and morally grey. Just know that basically every violent, triggering thing you can imagine happening will happen.
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3.5 stars
I haven’t felt so torn about a book in a long time.
“The Poppy War” is about a peasant girl who, against all odds, is accepted in the most prestigious military academy in the country—just as it is in the verge of breaking into war. It’s astoundingly impressive, especially if you consider the author was 21 when she wrote it. It’s three books worthy of plot knitted together seamlessly. Most characters are incredibly well-crafted. It’s a story about war that doesn’t pull any punches. This is about as bloody as it gets.
But... I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed reading most of it. The writing is a bit too simplistic for my tastes. I can usually endure it when I connect with the characters, but no matter how three-dimensional they were, I didn’t truly like any of them, with the sole exception being Jiang. Once he stopped having a prominent role, my tolerance for the immaturity of the protagonist started wavering—as well as for the profoundly questionable stuff characters I’m sure we were supposed to root for did. It doesn’t help that, once shit hit the fan, the lighthearted parts evaporated, and there was only violence, and violence, and more violence.
It tires, after a while. I also felt it lingered a bit too long, a bit too gratuitously, in some of the most terrible parts. I had to take breaks to read HP fanfic to easy my mind. (No, really.)
Part One, at the military school, was my favourite. A bit too fast-paced, but still very enjoyable. Part Two was tough but still interesting enough, at least until the last couple of chapters, which I didn’t like at all. Part Three conflicts me.
Still, many parts of it were absolutely incredible. Many messages the book conveys and questions it poses are absolutely important. I’m honestly looking forward to the sequel, and truly recommend the book to anyone who likes their fantasy bloody, warring, and morally grey. Just know that basically every violent, triggering thing you can imagine happening will happen.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a quiet, introspective story about the relationships between humans and other humans and humans and nature. i never warmed up to the characters, but the setting and the philosophy more than make up for it.
"sem gentileza" é um relato delicado e simples de uma realidade sofrida. acompanhamos a vida de três mulheres: Zola, Mvelo e Nonceba. mulheres fortes que não tiveram outra escolha dada pela vida que não fosse ser forte.
a história, porém, é prejudicada pela narrativa, com uma escrita muito direta, um enredo que, muitas vezes, toma caminhos bem novelescos, e um ritmo acelerado demais, que atrapalha o impacto de alguns acontecimentos.
ainda assim, gostei muito da minha primeira experiência lendo uma autora sul-africana.
a história, porém, é prejudicada pela narrativa, com uma escrita muito direta, um enredo que, muitas vezes, toma caminhos bem novelescos, e um ritmo acelerado demais, que atrapalha o impacto de alguns acontecimentos.
ainda assim, gostei muito da minha primeira experiência lendo uma autora sul-africana.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
old school feminist fantasy. what's not to love?
well, here, it's the slow and tell-don't-show beginning, which almost made me give up on the book.
i'm glad i stuck around, though, because this is a deep, dark YA fantasy about sorority and finding your own path, with a unique twist on the maiden-mother-crone trope. if you, like me, was put off by the beginning, keep going—it's worth it.
well, here, it's the slow and tell-don't-show beginning, which almost made me give up on the book.
i'm glad i stuck around, though, because this is a deep, dark YA fantasy about sorority and finding your own path, with a unique twist on the maiden-mother-crone trope. if you, like me, was put off by the beginning, keep going—it's worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape
a lovely and and unique depiction of gender identity set on a backdrop inspired by east-asian culture. the magic system, though based on elemental magic, has a singular twist in that it enhances technology.
unfortunately, the novella format hindered the story, as the many time skips meant the story fell short on terms of character development.
still, this novella is a celebration of sibling love, transgender identities and queer folks, all set on a non-tradicional setting, that should delight any SFF reader.
unfortunately, the novella format hindered the story, as the many time skips meant the story fell short on terms of character development.
still, this novella is a celebration of sibling love, transgender identities and queer folks, all set on a non-tradicional setting, that should delight any SFF reader.
this is a tough book to rate.
for one, i appreciate the message, and it might be a good book for someone getting started in feminism theory. it is very shallow though. the chapters, each approaching a different topic, are too short to engage in deep, nuanced analyses. the book is meant to be introductory, but at the same time it a) assumes the reader agrees with many feminist ideas and b) doesn’t really explain most of the feminist jargon used, which seems counterproductive. trans women are not mentioned at all (which unfortunately seems to be the norm in most feminist non-fiction). hooks presents many of her opinions as fact and doesn’t offer sources or recommendations for further reading. all in all, i’m disappointed.
for one, i appreciate the message, and it might be a good book for someone getting started in feminism theory. it is very shallow though. the chapters, each approaching a different topic, are too short to engage in deep, nuanced analyses. the book is meant to be introductory, but at the same time it a) assumes the reader agrees with many feminist ideas and b) doesn’t really explain most of the feminist jargon used, which seems counterproductive. trans women are not mentioned at all (which unfortunately seems to be the norm in most feminist non-fiction). hooks presents many of her opinions as fact and doesn’t offer sources or recommendations for further reading. all in all, i’m disappointed.