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A review by samreadsbooks
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Way late to reading this book, but finally picked it up. Highly recommend if you like war, political tension, power from Gods and a morally grey FMC. There were times I did not like our main character Rin and there were times where I was defending her choices when other characters doubted her. The book was so well written that I was captivated in the first 20 pages. I couldn't put it down.
The war is gruesome, the details are intense, but I was invested. RF Kuang did an amazing job of world building and creating high stakes. I would recommend doing a brief Wikipedia read on the Second Sino-Japanese War or the Nanjing Massacre since this book was greatly influenced by the Chinese/Japanese conflicts. For me, it helped in understanding the dynamics between the countries in the story.
I would consider this a NA book. At the start the character is a teen, but by the end she is around 18. The war descriptions are graphic, there is cussing and the overall theme is dark. I took 1 star away because this is a dense book. I love world building and high fantasy, but am not a fan of political dynamics and this FMC did annoy me at times. She made it hard to route for her, but in the end I want to see where this series goes and have heard the next books are even better.
The war is gruesome, the details are intense, but I was invested. RF Kuang did an amazing job of world building and creating high stakes. I would recommend doing a brief Wikipedia read on the Second Sino-Japanese War or the Nanjing Massacre since this book was greatly influenced by the Chinese/Japanese conflicts. For me, it helped in understanding the dynamics between the countries in the story.
I would consider this a NA book. At the start the character is a teen, but by the end she is around 18. The war descriptions are graphic, there is cussing and the overall theme is dark. I took 1 star away because this is a dense book. I love world building and high fantasy, but am not a fan of political dynamics and this FMC did annoy me at times. She made it hard to route for her, but in the end I want to see where this series goes and have heard the next books are even better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture