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ayleamightread 's review for:

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
5.0
challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
I’m so so so so glad I reread this book. I could (and have) talked about this book for hours because it is genuinely one of the best takes on GrimDark I have read so far. It goes without saying that this book is NOT for those who are just venturing into fantasy. This book contains just about every trigger warning you could think of. It is based on the Second Sino-Japanese war and has events paralleling the Rape of Nanking The intensity of the book ramps up relatively slowly at first but the last half of the book contains basically every war crime you can think of. I think it is done perfectly. We get the true essence of GrimDark in Poppy War, morally ambiguous characters, violence, attempts at hope in a hopeless situation and more. Poppy war has essentially no wholly good characters. We see so much internal and external conflict. At one point Rin has 3 extreme shifts in philosophy as she reflects on her violent actions that all occur in 5 pages. This book makes you question what is the line of “acceptable” tactics of war. Is equal retaliation acceptable, to what point? How far can you justify violence in the name of protection or in the name of retribution? To what extents will someone go to achieve peace? How do you live with yourself after seeing unfathomable horrors? How do you live with yourself after carrying out unspeakable violence? If violence is the only means to achieve peace, will peace ever be truly attainable? If your enemy sees your kind as monstrous, less than human, is it fair to do the same in return? Is winning a war and saving the lives of your people worth risking the safety of the entire world? What hell are you willing to release in attempts to end the war? And so SO SO SO much more. 
Poppy war also challenges the fantasy approach to destiny and fate. Characters might think themselves destined for the path they’re on, only to realize that every choice they’ve made has brought them to where they are. How does this realization affect their trajectory and future choices? Recommending this book is a tricky thing because many readers have not encountered such dark content. Some people might never be able to stomach this book, and that’s okay. I truly think Poppy War has so many lessons to teach us. And that was just the first book…..
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