Reviews

R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War, a fantasy novel inspired by the darkest chapters of China’s twentieth century, tells the story of small-town war orphan Fang Runin (aka Rin). With no money, autonomy, or power of her own, she sees only one escape–the Keju: a staggeringly difficult standardized test that permits a brilliant few Nikarans to attend national boarding schools. The Poppy War is half fantasy boarding school novel, half war story, in any case I don't feel like calling it grimdark, unlike many others.
Rin herself is an exceedingly gripping protagonist, described with a raw intensity and brutal determination that are very compelling to read. On the other hand the characters in generalcan't genuinely surprise me for better or worse. Mostly they are stereotyped characters, which recall the protagonists already seen in an infinity of anime and manga and fantasy.
I found The Poppy War’s worldbuilding to be top-notch. Inspired by a mixture of 20th-century and Song Dynasty China, the setting in the academy of Sinegard and the larger empire of Nikan was well-developed.
On the topic of the book’s darker elements. The events of the novel itself are based partially on the Second Sino-Japanese War and include fictionalized versions of recognizable atrocities like the Rape of Nanjing. Unlike what many think, who were shocked by the brutality of many of the episodes narrated in the second and third part of the book I found these elements aren’t present for the sole purpose of upsetting the reader–they say something about the bleaker parts of human nature.
That said, The Poppy War is still an enjoyable, compelling read with great action, emotional impact, and an awesome magic system. The story combines the many of the best bits of magical schooling, wuxia, and gritty war stories into an exceptional novel. I would give this book a well-earned 5/5 stars.

carlyh7's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

winniehans's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

expecto_padronum's review against another edition

Go to review page

The beginning was good but I lost interest after she finished school. I persisted for a while but didn’t care about any of the characters enough to finish it. I should’ve known I wouldn’t like it bc I don’t like war stories but I loved Yellowface by the same author and this one had such good reviews + I saw it in a little free library so I figured I’d give it a shot.

jo_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense

4.5

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, however, I feel like the first half of the book was entirely different from the second. The writing was great and kept me interested, but the second half of the book got so incredibly dark, it made it harder to want to continue. The fact that the horrible aspects of this book are based off historical events makes it even more difficult.

damnedmuddle's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

halfloaf's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The historical context noted in the end of the book really adds a poignant layer.

Content Warnings

More...