Reviews

this book was simply devastating, in the best and worst way possible. if i compare it to the poppy war, i don’t think i would be able to believe such a dramatic change in the turn of events. the advancement of the plot went so smoothly, from the first introduction of the characters, till the very last page of this book. i loved the wild ride we had to go through, forever grateful to r.f. kuang for writing this.

rin spent her whole life trying to change herself, or trying to fit in, trying to be independent and trying to belong somewhere or to someone. she never found peace anywhere, not until the very end. and even then, what will happen to her in the afterlife? we’re left with a lot of questions, but i think i appreciate the openness of the ending in a way, because it makes us readers feel that more will come.

nezha — now that is one hell of a puzzle. i hated him for the entirety of this book, the way he was always so smug and powerful, but i was glad she tried to fight her in the last chapter. i supported him for trying to take her down, and so when all power came to him, i no longer hated him and wished him the best. he will have to go through so much, like rin had to suffer after altan’s death. it all comes to a vicious cycle, that finally seems to end with this book. nezha will be a great leader, after everything he’s been through, he’ll make sure nikara will never go through something as traumatic as the poppy wars every again.

this has become one of my favourite series of all time. the ending killed me, and i relished that. i don’t think i'll ever recover though.

alexan13's review

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5.0

Really starting the year with a bang -- this is truly an explosive ending to an explosive trilogy. The ending was extremely well done feeling both inevitable and a clear product of character choices that consciously could have gone other wars -- perfect.

a_o's review

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dark emotional reflective 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

sbrandon46s's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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

tmonti45's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow the ending was not what I expected at all and I cannot believe this series ended the way it did. The world building and description(s) were beautiful

sophiehoran25's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

lysmar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

hottamolly's review

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.5

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