A review by katrinasbible
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

5.0

I can hardly imagine how rebecca kuang managed to sit with herself after writing this, I (cowardly) can hardly bring myself to read the last chapter of the first book.. this is a trilogy I am terrified and can’t predict what the remaining two books will bring. I mean this as a compliment I swear——-kuang accompanies savagery with grace and challenges philosophy and morality in the landscape of unimaginably brutal war inspired by the sino-Japanese war and the atrocities of the japanese occupation. the poppy war is a grand epic with a long and unforgiving journey that can only get worse in the next books I fear. I read 400 pages afternoon to evening, I even forgot to eat dinner. the last 100 pages were especially harrowing and it took a lot of rumination and staring at the wall before I could pick the remaining chapters up.

and in the midst of the current political climate with the ongoing genocide in gaza this is especially telling and all the more powerful.