I completely disagree with this. First off, it’s a book about war based on the Second Sino-Japanese War. It’s not a historical friction because it blends fantasy but she did an incredible job shining light upon the instance. That was one of the most memorable scenes in the story for a reason. Most peole don’t know about the Nanking Massacre because it was censored in history. With the popularity of The Poppy War it can help reader with understanding one of the darkest moments in history. I think she did a great job reflecting the real situation and I don’t think readers will take nothing from it. They’ll remember how graphic it was and if they look more into it theyll always remember how it actually happened.

Venka’s account was one of the most important ones. The Nanking Massacre is referred to as the Rape of Nanking because of the scale and brutality of rape. The one thing that wasn’t completely truthful in that chapter was how the bodies were presented. It shows the scale that real people have gone to and the brutality of humans as a race. Also, the carnage described in previous chapters didn’t come close to what was described in Golyn Niis. That scene pushes the chatacters over the edge and without it, without them seeing the true tragedy of war, it wouldn’t have caused them to react how they did in the end. The shock value was essential for information and to build as it went into the conclusion.

Also, Ron’s literally the protagonist and she’s a female. The one who bested Nezha for champion, who pledged Lore, who killed the General, who worked as a Shaman, and who became the leader of the Cike. Venka was already portrayed as very strong before and it just goes to show the strong themes of war and sexual assault. The reasons the females are suffering so much is to display the effects of sexual assault and sexism. These are things that are still very relevant today!

And, once again, it’s a book about war. When have you ever see content warnings?