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cybersajlism

237 points

0% overlap
Summer 2025 Readalong
Brandon Sanderson Universes
Level 2
Reading...The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3)
My Taste
A Little Life
Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West
The Sword of Kaigen
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3)
    Thoughts from 31% (page 195)
    spoilers

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  • cybersajlism finished reading and wrote a review...

    4d
  • The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)
    cybersajlism
    Jul 31, 2025
    4.0
    Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 5.0Plot: 4.0
    😭
    😵‍💫
    😖

    The sequel to The Poppy War had all of the emotional intensity, darkness, and brutality that I expected. This book felt much more like an in-depth development the main protagonist, other important characters, and the complex magic system. I really enjoyed getting to dive in deeper into all of these aspects of the universe that this series takes place in. As Kuang narrated the confusion and chaos that constantly plagues the main protagonist, there were times that I also felt lost and confused. I think this was intentional to some extent, but it still took away slightly from my enjoyment of the book. Towards the middle section, the story felt a bit aimless and I wondered what would come of all of it. I think Kuang succeeded in bringing it all together in the end, but I still didn't enjoy those sections of the book as much. Still, this was an excellent follow-up and I am bracing myself for the finale to this trilogy.

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    1w
    The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

    The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

    R.F. Kuang

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  • The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
    Thoughts from 81% (page 429)
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    2w
  • The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
    Thoughts from 48% (page 255)
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  • The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
    Thoughts from 51% (page 269)
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    2w
  • I Who Have Never Known Men
    meandering thoughts

    such dreamy desolation. forty women imprisoned under a stark grey sky that may or may not be their own, squabbling over the best techniques of boiling potatoes, stealing sustenance from mass graves and bits of joy from their barren days. forty women leaving behind one empty cage, two empty villages and the Child who wasn't really a child. when she — the fortieth prisoner brimming with hope and determination, the only one of the women who dared to stake claim over the relentless wasteland — finally reached a state of acceptance about the hopelessness of her own condition and lay herself down to rest, i felt a shard of her grief, the grief of the innumerable seemingly pointless prisoners, pierce my own heart. are humans human only when we have another human to share our humanity with? is time time only when we have a tool by which to measure it? is a woman a woman only through the presence of men? divorced of context, it seems all our social constructs must crumble. what are we, then, without our history?

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    2w
  • I Who Have Never Known Men
    Thoughts from 17% (page 30)

    this is an interesting idea, following along her thoughts. But it also feels like this isn't going anywhere specific, we're not going to learn anything more about their situation or a big thing is going to happen. I like books that make me think, but at the same time I don't like feeling back in literature class, dissecting every single word just to get something out of the book

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  • cybersajlism started reading...

    2w
    The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

    The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

    R.F. Kuang

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    cybersajlism commented on a post

    2w
  • The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
    Already read it

    I read this last year but I wanted to say that it is so so so good! It remains one of my favourite fantasy books, and it only gets better in the next books! Hope you enjoy it! (also check TW, they're heavy)

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  • cybersajlism finished reading and wrote a review...

    3w
  • Hamnet
    cybersajlism
    Jul 13, 2025
    5.0
    Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 5.0Characters: 5.0Plot: 5.0

    Inspired by the life of Anne/Agnes Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, and the loss of their 11 year old son, Hamnet, this book is a beautifully crafted heart-wrenching story of love and loss. Maggie O'Farrell's prose is some of my favorite that I have come across. This book absolutely blew me away. The characters and their relationships are complex and intriguing, the setting is beautifully described, and the emotional depth is gripping. Maggie created an immersive atmosphere that I didn't want to end!

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