This was a dark, dark book. And I like dark books; in fact, I quite love them, especially if they have characters who constantly toe the morally gray This was a dark, dark book. And I like dark books; in fact, I quite love them, especially if they have characters who constantly toe the morally gray lines in life. The Poppy War was no exception. From start to end, this book is hard-hitting, challenging, and full of the gory and gruesome. But it is never in sensationalized. It is just… the simple truth of war and bad people and good people who do bad things when they aren’t going to be tried for them. It is what happens when you strip away humanity. Our main character, Rin, is beaten and pushed and honed in as a weapon because of her school and the teachers. They were preparing for another poppy war, even when everyone said it was done. That it was over. But war is never over, and throughout this story, the author takes you on a journey. And for such a long and thick book, it did not go that slowly for me. I was pretty hooked, and I was a fan of the character relationships. The friendship between Rin and Kitay, and the mentorship between her and Jiang in particular. And of Rin herself, a wildly ambitious and cunning girl who just wanted to carve out a space for herself in this brutal world. Also praise to the author for making me want to vomit. I don’t think I’ve *ever* felt that way reading a book (and if you’ve read this too, I’m sure you know the exact chapter/scene). It is definitely not a light, breezy read. But it was SO DAMNED GOOD, and I’m eagerly anticipating the sequel!...more
*eARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley*
This was my second Courtney Summers’ book, and I’m just so floored at how well she can conve*eARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley*
This was my second Courtney Summers’ book, and I’m just so floored at how well she can convey what it’s like being a woman in this world, without dragging her characters through unnecessary shit to make them ~strong~ people. BUT. Sadie is not easy to read. In fact, it’s quite difficult at times to not break down in tears over what happens, and what is going to happen. Also, that ending does not leave you room for closure, so you’re left with this sense that a story is unfinished, like a lot of stories about young women who end up forgotten. I can’t take another dead girl. That last line just broke me, and I’m still thinking about this book. It’s not one that’s going to leave my mind very easily, or if at all. And I really would say more about it except I think you just need to go in knowing that you’re going to get sucker-punched in the feels and that this author is not afraid to delve into the darkness of humanity....more
I just. I'm so confused. Can someone please explain what actually happened to me? Because omg, I don't get the ending. (view spoiler)[Was it magic? WaI just. I'm so confused. Can someone please explain what actually happened to me? Because omg, I don't get the ending. (view spoiler)[Was it magic? Was it death? WHAT WAS IT. (hide spoiler)] Do I even remember this book at all? No, because it left no impression on me. And that made me so sad considering how excited for this book I was. But I don't think I even liked this, because I spent most of the time wondering what the point of it was. Maybe I'm not smart enough for this type of story. Whatever the case, I thought it just didn't come together all that well, and I kept having to pick up the pieces only to wonder how they even fit and what Catherine House really is. Look, I just have a lot of questions, and we didn't get a lot of answers, and I think this was too open-ended for me. It had some pretty writing though.
I thought that anger was very beautiful on a girl.
This book was... HMM. I feel very in-the-middle with it. On the one hand, it's a fast, likable read about a monster hunting family who basically livesThis book was... HMM. I feel very in-the-middle with it. On the one hand, it's a fast, likable read about a monster hunting family who basically lives on the ocean. On the other, I felt that the sibling dynamics were just a bit too WEIRD at times. (I would never walk around in front of my brothers naked. I know they lived on that boat all alone together and there's very little privacy but omg). And the ending was suuuuper anticlimactic. They were going after this impressive sea monster, hoping to find their parents, and then it's over just. like. that. All in all, though, I'm glad I gave it a chance!
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