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

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

oh my god please read the TWs before you begin. i really liked this book in the beginning but it gets extremely dark so i'm having a hard time rating it. the plot and motivations of the MC change several times throughout the book and it took a very different direction than i thought it would. parts of the book moved SO fast and while Kuang was able to cover a lot in the story, i actually think it took away from her being able to develop relationships between characters and the MC's emotions. Kuang would try to use foreshadowing in some places but it was just too obvious for me. there were also some spots where she just didn't have time to develop the Why, so instead of showing us, she'd tell us. it was all right in front of you; there was very little to read in between the lines. that said, i enjoyed the eastern philosophies and religions it was clearly inspired by.
i liked her commentary about war and revenge. and i liked watching the MC turn into the antagonist. where will the story go from here? it's hard not to root for Rin, but we know she's in the wrong. altan's death also hit all the right notes.
it was a very unique story and i'm hoping the next two books are better than this one.
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