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

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

Originally I rated this 3 stars because I ended up kind of frustrated with it by the end. Then after thinking on it some more, I decided to bump my rating up to 4, since overall, I did enjoy the story and world building quite a lot. 

My main complaint is Rin. Not really her as a character, but how the author decides to handle her. I just don't find characters who are The Best at Everything all that interesting. I also found the sexism aspect of the world building to only be applied when convenient.

Overall, it's a very daring and well thought out story. The graphic violence at one point made me feel physically sick, but at no point did it feel "glorified" as some other reviews are saying. The violence felt very much like, "Hey, this is what war is like. It's extremely fucked up."

I will be continuing the series.
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