The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Genres: Historical Fiction, Grim dark fantasy, military fantasy, Gods power
Pages: 545
Cover: Paperback
Age rating: 18+
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle
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The test officials, who couldn't believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; Rin's guardians, who thought they'd finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence, were all shocked when Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies. It was even more shocking that she was accepted into Nikan's most prestigious military academy, Sinegard.
However, surprises aren't always pleasant.
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Because it's difficult to be a dark-skinned southern peasant girl in Sinegard. Targeted by her peers because of her gender, race, and poverty from the beginning, Rin finds she has a deadly, otherworldly ability—a talent for the almost mythological practice of shamanism. With the aid of psychoactive drugs and an apparently eccentric teacher, Rin explores the depths of her talent and discovers that gods long believed to be dead are actually very much alive. Gaining mastery over these abilities could mean more than simply making it through school.
Because the Federation of Mugen still lurks over a narrow sea while the Nikara Empire is at peace. Following the First Poppy War, the militarily powerful Federation controlled Nikan for decades, and in the Second Poppy War, they narrowly lost the continent. 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 . . .
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Spoils Alert
General Opinion:.
Halfway through the book and wonder why everyone said this book is devastating, cause Rin's journey at Sinegrad was so fun... Little did I know that I was going to need therapy for the next 3 weeks.
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​Characters and Plot
Fang Runin is now my favorite FMC, and it's going to be a while until anyone can top her. At first, Rin is a stubborn, resilient girl, the underdog of society because of her dark skin and being a war orphan. But through hard work, she managed to ace the Keju and bag herself a spot at Singegrad. And what was the first thing she did when she got there? Rin punched Nezha in the face for insulting her teacher, which was enough for me to worship her. What I love the most about Rin is that she never gave up. If the rich, privileged kids make fun of her, trying to make her feel small, Rin would push through and climb to the top. Rin would inflict pain on herself to get the best grades, and that earned a huge respect from me.
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If Rin weren't born during wartime, she could have been a Lore teacher, or a martial arts teacher, with her Phoenix power tame. But no, Rin had to be used as a weapon, because she could win this war, and every time Rin called down the fire, she lost a bit of herself. Rin can be violent when she wants to be, but she also has a big heart, would do anything to protect the ones she loves. Yet the most painful thing is that her loved one was either stripped from her, or they abused her, like Altan did. Rin looked up to him. Rin loved him, and Altan abused her, forcing her to call down a fire she had no control over. But I can't even hate Altan, his life is so tragic, there has never been hope for him.
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What made me love Rin so much is that she is realistic, so human, a true morally grey character. At the end of the book, Rin destroyed a whole country because the soldiers from that country had hurt her so badly, they had destroyed her country, causing all her loved ones to die. Rin witnessed the horror at Golden Niils, the horror of their experiment on Speerly, and how they treated the Nikarans like bugs. With all the traumas and a vengeful god at the back of her had, Rin's fate was sealed, and even though some readers might not like what she did, her actions at the end of understandable. It wasn't right, but I can get why she would do what she did, to burn everything away.
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The Poppy War is a representation of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the graphic details of what happened at Golden Niils are a water version of what happened. The experiment is being conducted on the people; there is a real, called Unit 731. This just made the story hit harder, as I can not fathom how human beings could treat each other that way, could inflict such savage pain without any valid reason.
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The pacing of this book was perfect, and each character arc hit so hard, there is no clear good or evil in this book, just humans causing pain towards each other. I felt connected to all the side characters in here, particularly the Cike and Nezha. Nezha becoming nice in the second half was truly surprising, though.
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​​​​​​​​​​​Conclusion
This book was perfect in every way, it was written beautifully, so perfectly, so real that I just felt so connected to it. However, I would not recommend it if you can not stomach graphic violence, as the author had described them in detail, also if you are looking for escape in a book, DO NOT READ THE POPPY WAR. It is a reflection of society at its lowest, you would just torture yourself. I am nervous about how the story will turn out in the other two books, probably need a team of therapists to heal me. ​
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