The Poppy War

Absolutely loved it! R.F. Kuang’s world juxtaposed with actual history shows us plenty of “easter eggs” and I did my best to discover them! Of course, the events that happened in Nikan, Mugen, and Speer are in no way a reflection of what happened in reality; the novel, however, was very creatively written.It tells us the story of Rin, an orphaned girl who wanted to break free from the chains of her predicament by entering the most prestigious military academy in Nikan. Little did she know, her world was about to be turned upside down.This is also my first time reading about this kind of magic system where one calls upon a pantheon of deities to receive their powers!My favorite character would have to be Jiang because well, he’s Jiang! Kitay also holds a special place!I won’t mention any more spoilers because I would love readers to enjoy The Poppy War themselves. Immerse yourselves in this war-torn world and bask in the wonders and horrors of R.F Kuang’s world!A definite recommendation to those looking for something more exciting to read!

A masterpiece! Beautifully, intriguingly written. Gorgeous world building, and such great commentary on war, violence, and the progression of dehumanization. The pacing lagged a little in the second act, but that was ultimately forgivable because this book turned me inside out. Rin is a remarkable and complicated main character, and as much as I want to say I support women’s wrongs………… I’m gonna need to read the next two books before I stand ten toes down for my girl.

I wish I had read this sooner, why did I wait?! It’s got all the components of a great fantasy. It’s twisted, dark, brutal — a punch straight in the gut.A lot of fantasy swear by the age old formula with a noble chosen one who is morally superior to all. There’s a villain, and it’s mean, and maybe there’s an even bigger baddie controlling the villain. And maybe some of those things will still come to pass in the future books. I don’t know, I haven’t gotten that far.What I like about the Poppy War is that it is dark, gritty and certainly not straightforward. It’s like swimming through murky waters. You can’t see the direction ahead and all our (anti?)heroes can do is to pick a direction and swim. It makes for a complex story with complex characters setting out on a very questionable path. It’s interesting!The magic system and culture is also interesting, because it is based in East Asian lore rather than in Western folk stories. Overall a great read. Don’t wait like I did, read it!

I read alot of fantasy and this series was highly recomended by online reviewers so I gave it a shot, seemed different and interesting. Vaguely inspired by the sino-japanese war in RL but with the emerging firearms tech of the 1700s. Honestly my favorite part of the book was the first 1/3rd or so while Rin (main character) was still in the military academy, this was the last time where it felt like there was a real struggle, stakes and consequences to her actions. once the war breaks out it becomes a long slog of her being a insufferable, flippant teenager in a group of what is supposed to be hardened, scary bad asses, all of who receive little to know story time, and Rin suffers no tangible retribution for her backtalk and disrespect despite being literally useless for most of the book. like a lost highschool girl dropped into a war zone with a platoon of green berets. There are alot of tropes buried in here that are given a coat of fresh paint due to the setting but nothing feels overly original. The story on several occasions touches on some interesting things like monsters from the spirit realm, what happens to a country crushed by drug addiction and out dated traditions and differnt representations of magic, but it only JUST touches on them as though it setting up more exploration of those things later on in the trilogy, sad part is, this book never does enough in the time it has with you to hook you for the next book in the story. its flat, and very mid overall. its not a bad book, I just wont be reading on further than book 1.TLDR: Soft-Magic fantasy, based in fantasy china where gifted orphan is excepted to Kungfu Hogwarts and is taught magic by pot head Dumbledore because her secret power makes her dangerous, continues to become a member of an "elite" super assassin crew run by her academy crush kungfu Cedrick Diggory, during the war to end all wars where she remains a disrespectful, useless spectator until she trauma bonds with her commander and unlocks unlimited power with practically no struggle or consequence.