a "review" of the poppy war by r. f. kuang

Ойын-сауық

tiffany's blog post: readbytiffany.com/2020/11/15/...
i wanted to put closed captions but youtube hasn't uploaded the automatic ones yet... unsure what's going on there. the mess just gets messier. [update: CC uploaded!! as of 1/3/2021]
FIND ME ELSEWHERE:
email: thebookbasement[at]yahoo[dot]com
twitter: / thebookbasement
instagram: @bookishsophia
goodreads: / thebookbasement
blog: thebookbasement.blogspot.com/
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Пікірлер: 89

  • @caseyouellette4045
    @caseyouellette40453 жыл бұрын

    Congratulations on surviving your first semester of medical school!

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank u so much 😭😭

  • @StudioLindsay
    @StudioLindsay3 жыл бұрын

    I just read The Poppy War and am having trouble putting my thoughts into words. It’s so good!

  • @enajhnsn22
    @enajhnsn222 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your review, absolutely loved this book. So thoughtful of you to include the blog post in your description!

  • @elenathegreat
    @elenathegreat3 жыл бұрын

    ANoTHER SOPHIA VIDEO *drops everything *

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    elena i love and miss u greatly

  • @EpicReads
    @EpicReads3 жыл бұрын

    Lovin this! Can't wait for more reviews! ♥♥

  • @CanseideFalarSozinha
    @CanseideFalarSozinha3 жыл бұрын

    i loved this video!!! i was already looking for reading this book but you made it sound even more amazing! btw i ABSOLUTELY LOVED YOUR EARRINGS!!!!!

  • @shi4592
    @shi45922 жыл бұрын

    I just discovered your channel but you seem to be inactive at the moment 😔 the way you describe the book without using spoilers is phenomenal. I can’t wait to read this book. And I really hope you come back!

  • @bananawanable
    @bananawanable3 жыл бұрын

    omg Sophia! missed uuuu! don't worry you're not the last person to read it 😂 this "review" is actually what made me finally add the book to my tbr

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    🥺🥺🥺 ily. i’m relieved to not be the last person to have read this oof. i hope u love it when u get around to reading it!!!

  • @kurapikakurta3863
    @kurapikakurta3863 Жыл бұрын

    I just discovered your channel and from the videos I've seen so far, I'm really enjoying your nuanced and unapologetic reviews regardless of how popular the books might be. I'm gutted that your last video was over 2 years ago. I hope you're doing well.

  • @heavenlysan1467
    @heavenlysan14673 жыл бұрын

    i love you omg i just ordered tpw but it will arrive 2-3 months from now via sea cargo since im from philippines but im excited and i can save up for the other 2 books! congratulations on finishing your firsts emester in med school sophia! ❤

  • @BEATRIIIZOLAAA
    @BEATRIIIZOLAAA3 жыл бұрын

    Starting reading this yesterday bc of you and I'm 75% and Loving it so thank you for this video!!!

  • @ayesha36

    @ayesha36

    3 жыл бұрын

    That's some really fast reading!

  • @JenniferKhuu12
    @JenniferKhuu123 жыл бұрын

    ahhh sophia!! congrats on finishing ur first semester of med school!!! pssttt pls pls do an apartment tool or room tour!! ahhh i still haven't read poppy war but u definitely hyped it up and i gotta just start reading it! we missed u sophia!!

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    ur always so kind i just wanna 😭😭😭😭 i am not opposed to doing an apartment tour 👀 we shall see

  • @meggychiaaaa
    @meggychiaaaa3 жыл бұрын

    if sophia says something is good, its IMMEDIATELY on my to read list!!! welcome back i missed u !!!

  • @elle4487
    @elle44873 жыл бұрын

    glad u are back!!! i'm planning to read the poppy war in 2021 i'm excited

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    yessss pls let me know how u end up feeling about it. it’s crazy

  • @jenny-bu4le
    @jenny-bu4le3 жыл бұрын

    i’m glad you seem to be doing well! would be awesome see any types of vids from you!!

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    this is so sweet thank u 🥺

  • @ReadByTiffany
    @ReadByTiffany3 жыл бұрын

    SOPHIA I'VE MISSED YOU!!! Congrats on finishing your first semester ❤️I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU MADE A VIDEO FOR THIS, and I'm super glad that my blog post was helpful for you. 😍I can't wait for you to read the next few books in the trilogy (pls don't read during an exam week though i worry for you)

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    omg tiffany ur a queen for putting that blog post together bb!! i will try to skrrt the exam weeks next time but they come around so often smh

  • @jonathans7302
    @jonathans73023 жыл бұрын

    Omg, I'm a medical student and I always love reading books at the side, even if the reading (fiction/nonfiction) is completely unrelated to medicine. It's a way to get out of the mental space of studying so much medicine lol. Honestly I hope more med students and just healthcare workers and physicians and PAs and nurses would consider taking time to read some literature; it's more important than we may think. P.S. I lowkey want to be a writer, too, but I don't know if my parents will approve, hehe. Love your videos; please continue doing book reviews and maybe vlogs on how med school life has been.

  • @ayesha36

    @ayesha36

    3 жыл бұрын

    Live for yourself, not just for your parents. :) Good luck in your career, medical or otherwise.

  • @rubyzeidman1334
    @rubyzeidman13343 жыл бұрын

    I'm about to read this for a book group. Perfect timing!!

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    omg so fun!!! such a good selection to discuss w a group of people. i hope u enjoy it! update me w ur thoughts!

  • @TheArtisanGeek
    @TheArtisanGeek3 жыл бұрын

    Ooh it feels like forever since I've seen a video of yours pop up in my subscription box! Happy to see that you're doing well!! :D Also it totally is impressive that you read two books -- uni is hard as heck lol XD

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank u seji this is the affirmation i needed 😩

  • @doha17461
    @doha174613 жыл бұрын

    oh hellloooo i missed youuuuu

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    this is so sweet i’m so 🥺🥺🥺 love u, hope ur having happy holidays!!

  • @GenevaMikaela
    @GenevaMikaela3 жыл бұрын

    sophia! hope this semester went well for you

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    i hope ur having a lovely holiday season!! how’s normal people 👀👀 i hope ur loving it

  • @GenevaMikaela

    @GenevaMikaela

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@bookishsophia finished it at 3 am last night - so, so good!! excited to watch the series 👀 maybe nye plans :p

  • @kaisersnewgroove
    @kaisersnewgroove3 жыл бұрын

    I’ve read Rebecca’s Wikipedia even though I haven’t read the book yet BUT when you said the thing about existing in the same world as her I felt that Also it’s crazy you’re done with your first semester of MED SCHOOL! Congrats!! I’m a year below you and I remember finding your To All The Boys and PJO videos when I was a high school freshman, time is wild

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    omg that means ur in ur senior year?? GOOD LUCK. what a fun year (when a pandemic doesn’t come in and ruin it) thanks for sticking around for so long i’m so soft 🥺

  • @BookBFF
    @BookBFF3 жыл бұрын

    I've missed your videos! I flew through this book when it first came out which was surprising because Fantasy usually takes me a long time to get through. I just liked that it was rooted in history and truth like you mentioned.

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    oh i totally feel that. fantasy burns a lot slower for sure but this one was like gravity to me!

  • @kindred.spirit
    @kindred.spirit3 жыл бұрын

    sophia if you call this absolute *chefs kiss* of an eloquence "garbage", i'd have to redefine what garbage actually means. happy to see u back :)) congrats for making it thru the first semester of medschool! ur a pogchamp

  • @neetibaheriya4755
    @neetibaheriya47553 жыл бұрын

    I had ordered the Books and they're going to arrive today. So excited! Currently I'm reading the Powder Mage trilogy and it's a very enjoyable read.😊

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    omg that’s so exciting!! and i’m glad ur enjoying ur current read. we love to see it

  • @morgan6521
    @morgan65213 жыл бұрын

    This is a fantastic review that fully encapsulated everything I felt about the book!

  • @dinopower3698
    @dinopower36983 жыл бұрын

    Omg I missed you sooo much! Glad you are doing well. You are so beautiful!

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank u!!

  • @dinopower3698

    @dinopower3698

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@bookishsophia my pleasure I want to give you my cell phone but scared of the comments spamming me if I did that. Message me if you can. Don’t care who sees this no shame. I’m just hopeful. My name is Kyle by the way. You deserve to be worshipped. I wish we could talk privately I want to know everything about you and how med school is going etc.

  • @dinopower3698

    @dinopower3698

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@bookishsophia I love you like Edward loves Bella.

  • @mm17427
    @mm174273 жыл бұрын

    Omg I remember watching your IB diploma video and now you’re in med school😳 time flies

  • @dhruvipatel927
    @dhruvipatel9273 жыл бұрын

    Missed your reviews so much! I loved poppy war too! And it kind of left me in shock for a while because I read it when it first came out and this is a very privileged thing to say (I blame my naïve 18 year old brain haha) but I was just left thinking wow war is reeeaallllly bad. And obviously I knew it was bad, but the book just was not hesitant at all to give you the exact brutality of it that it left me horrified . Also the author is so smart and just a few years older than me so that makes me feel unaccomplished lol. I'm glad fantasy books are reflecting more diversity and this book series actually made me search up the history it was inspired. Hope your semester went well :)

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank u for being so sweet!! honestly, “war is bad” is a perfectly reasonable takeaway from this novel. it’s like watching a villain origin story unfold and it’s horrific

  • @dhruvipatel927
    @dhruvipatel9273 жыл бұрын

    also are you going to do a favourites of 2020 video?

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    i feel like i haven’t read enough to even make a list omg

  • @dearrivarie
    @dearrivarie3 жыл бұрын

    congratulations on surviving!! tpw has honestly consumed my life and I can't wait to hear what you think on the rest of the books! 💕

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank u bb!!! i’m excited to continue. i know i’ll get wrecked

  • @raymakwithoutamustache7069
    @raymakwithoutamustache70693 жыл бұрын

    welcome backkk we definitely missed u, sophia!! good luck on med school (ノ ̄ω ̄)ノ ps. im one of that small population in youtube who hasnt read poppy war. thanks for this review u've convinced me to add this to my tbr haha

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    haha thank u so much :’-) and omg i hope u get to it soon!!!

  • @raswartz
    @raswartz3 жыл бұрын

    Nah, this was the best review of Poppy War.

  • @audreys8995
    @audreys89953 жыл бұрын

    ahhh congrats on finishing the first semester of med school! the poppy war series broke me...but I hope you read the rest of the series! it’s worth it :))

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    ahaha i know the rest of the series will wreck me.... i am not prepared!!!

  • @audreys8995

    @audreys8995

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@bookishsophia good luck on both school and finishing the series :,) it’s an emotional rollercoaster

  • @shannonevans7259
    @shannonevans72593 жыл бұрын

    Ah!!! I just finished my medical program and UGH my brain is mush. Best of luck to you, you are a very capable young woman! :D (also not to be dramatic but I NEED your earrings, where are they from?!??)

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    omg CONGRATS ON FINISHING!!!! that’s so nuts!!!!! proud of you :’-) my earrings are from jing (jingus.com/collections/earrings-j-ing/products/silhouette-earring)

  • @saharnajeeb
    @saharnajeeb2 жыл бұрын

    Someone tell me the age rating

  • @Jellafy
    @Jellafy3 жыл бұрын

    wooo! sophia! you're doing med school? that's so cool! and i love your nails

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    omfg jenny i am so glad ur alive???? the heart attack i got when i saw this comment. miss u 🥺🥺🥺

  • @vangogh422
    @vangogh4223 жыл бұрын

    Where are the earrings from ?!🤩😍

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    i ordered them from j.ing!! jingus.com/collections/earrings-j-ing/products/silhouette-earring

  • @dylanrossi2302
    @dylanrossi23023 жыл бұрын

    Congrats! I tried to read the poppy war and then stopped early on, so I'll probably restart it but I do agree with the pacing. I left while she was still studying and it felt so boring to me lol.

  • @wolfofasgard2005
    @wolfofasgard20058 ай бұрын

    I have just picked up this trilogy like a month ago... on my last 100 pages of The Burning God. These books just sucked me in and I haven't been able to pick anything else up.

  • @krislynflores5020
    @krislynflores50203 жыл бұрын

    I loved the poppy war!! I agree 100% about the pacing critique, also!

  • @FHMS97
    @FHMS973 жыл бұрын

    i had like 1000 papers due in the last 2 weeks of my semester and wat did i do ? marathon the entire poppy war trilogy by listening to a total of about 70 hours of audiobooks 👌 IT REALLY DOES SUCK YOU IN

  • @FHMS97

    @FHMS97

    3 жыл бұрын

    omg i cant wait for u to read the 2nd and 3rd books!! (and congrats on finishing ur first semester!! so glad to have u back ☺) - also ur nails look fab 💅

  • @bookishsophia

    @bookishsophia

    3 жыл бұрын

    ugh not only one but TWO nice comments. i do not deserve u. hope those 1000 papers got done but honestly... marathoning this trilogy is a good enough excuse to put them off

  • @Jen_nifer99
    @Jen_nifer993 жыл бұрын

    I just watched a video on your channel from 5 years ago and your voice became much deeper 😱

  • @frankfrank7921
    @frankfrank7921 Жыл бұрын

    Med school? Hmm, parent's insistence?

  • @IzzyRain
    @IzzyRain2 жыл бұрын

    💖💖💖

  • @dinopower3698
    @dinopower36983 жыл бұрын

    Midnight Sun!

  • @musicmind7582
    @musicmind75822 жыл бұрын

    "and my brain is soo small", lmao I am dead

  • @firebinder18880
    @firebinder188802 жыл бұрын

    omfg i really loved the poppy war, it's rare for me to genuinely love the protagonist

  • @SparklingBlue89
    @SparklingBlue893 жыл бұрын

    I want to comment on the Poppy War. (spoilers) I wanted to like this one, but there are just too many flaws. Most conspicuous is the fact that it is simply a flat retelling of the sino-japanese war/ww2 (37-45) and should be only vaguely categorized as fantasy. Anyone with a basic insight in Chinese history and culture would have their immersion in the story broken by the introduction of real life people such as Mengzi, Confucious, Sunzi and so on in a fantasy story. Imagine Shakespeare and his work turning up in Lord of the Rings. It has copied events directly from the three kingdoms red cliff and presents it as something original. Also did I mention that Sun Wukong And Zhu Bajie shows up? The story is simply not very original and on top of that has a main character who becomes more and more unlikeable as the story progresses (hopefully intentional on the part of the author). However the most problematic thing about his book is that it portrays not-japan as really evil without giving a reason as to why not-japan is like that. By copying the events of the sino-japanese war, but not everything that leads up to it in history, it makes not-japan seem like Sauron (no reason to be evil), and that is dangerous because not-japan and not-China is not just random fantasy countries, but the story is a direct retelling of the war.

  • @Mike_Daddy
    @Mike_Daddy3 жыл бұрын

    For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would like TPW. I wanted to dump this book multiple times but kept forcing myself to finish which I painfully did. Petulant children whining and crying is not my idea of good literature. There isn't a single character that is likeable. They are either weak or stupid. The "surprise" moments were always blatantly obvious so I clung to the hope that something good would come but any "hope" for enjoyment was quickly and resoundingly dashed by a load of bad crap. I'd recommend death before enduring this garbage.

  • @hannahh5509

    @hannahh5509

    3 жыл бұрын

    TPW is a trilogy, so the first book leaves room for the characters to grow and mature. Later, you’ll see development amidst the selfish acts that war evokes. They’re all very young and naive, having to stomach and go through war after not even graduating Sinegard, so I can understand the “whining and crying.” I personally enjoyed the flawed characters, but to each their own. Also, if you wanted a fun fantasy novel then TPW trilogy is definitely not the place for you.

  • @Mike_Daddy

    @Mike_Daddy

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@hannahh5509 Oh I completely understand their age and situation. I just don't care to listen to it. I've realized my issue is with female authors in general. Their story lines and characters don't usually appeal to me. I need a strong protagonist, who doesn't get abused constantly, and thus whine and cry about it. Too much suffering isn't an enjoyable read imo. Female authors focus too much on emotional and physical struggles (usually failures) which I can't relate to.

  • @hannahh5509

    @hannahh5509

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Mike_Daddy The first problem that I see with this reply is you grouping all female authors into the same narrative. I understand that some authors choose to focus on struggles that their protagonists face, but you must understand that due to the patriarchy, women inherently go through so much more than what a man ever would. Also, it’s extremely harmful to group all female authors into this generalization that they focus “too much” on emotions and “failures.” What I’m getting is that you want a heartless protagonist who never fails and goes through struggles. I think you’d be better off reading a dystopian novel focused on the villain.

  • @Mike_Daddy

    @Mike_Daddy

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@hannahh5509 Very well. I likewise hate male authors who write weak and whiny or stupid characters too. Anecdotally, I have yet to find a female author who can write from a mentally strong perspective. Yet if I do, then I'll change that statement since I'll have evidence to the contrary. I'm unable to relate to weak or stupid characters. Explain how a woman has any idea what life as a male is like? By that logic, I have equal say about female life too. I doubt you'd agree with that though. So it seems rather hypocritical for you to tell a man what he's gone through as a male, being a female. I like female and male protagonists who don't whine about everything. Struggle is a reality but I'm not interested in a weak mind. They should have flaws and get kicked around. But they don't behave like petulant children and constantly complain. They should simply do something about it. I'm not interested in overly negative stories like TPW. I prefer added romance but that can't be the main theme of the story, i.e... Twilight.

  • @ElDeano09
    @ElDeano093 жыл бұрын

    OMFG... headphone users R.I.P.

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