Hello everyone,
Today’s review is on The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang.
Date Read: November 1st, 2022
About the Book
An epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.
My Thoughts
If you have ever heard that this book has a lot of trigger warnings, they are not wrong. These things didn’t bother me, I mean they did, but not in a triggering way. The last 150 pages are definitely brutal! However, I can appreciate that R.F. Kaung wasn’t afraid to go into the atrocities of war. Was it hard to stomach? Yes, but I think that is the point – we as readers are supposed to be uncomfortable and sickened by happens to innocent people in the midst of war. While I can never understand viewing other people as not human and inflict so much torture on them, it is also a reminder that this is still happening today in parts of the world.
I’ll admit this started out kind of slow, and it wasn’t really until Part 2 where things started to pick up. But I still enjoyed seeing Rin go through her training at Sinegard. Also does anyone picture Jiang as looking a little like Uncle Iroh from Avatar the Last Airbender?
I won’t go into too much detail, but the last 30 pages take a creepy turn, and I am curious to see how it affects the rest of the trilogy.
Overall, The Poppy War is a brutal fantasy that can be scarring to some, but I think it is necessary. It definitely does not water down the atrocities of war, and that is not a bad thing. I am looking forward to getting to the rest of the trilogy. 4/5 Stars
Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.
Meanderings of a BookWorm 