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A review by dearbookshelves
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
5.0
"I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both."
To the disbelief of everyone, war orphan Rin passed the test to be accepted into an elite military academy. Once she starts school, she struggles to find her place and both academically and socially. All of this is happening while politically, something is brewing.
The second I knew The Poppy War existed, I knew it would be perfect for me. I love historical fantasy that really draws from real events. I also really enjoy political intrigue in fantasy plus a morally gray main character - RF Kuang promised (and delivers) all of this. And then I let the books sit on my Kindle for years because something about that intimidated me.
Now I'm kicking myself for not picking it up immediately. I felt compelled to tab and annotate my physical copy in a way I haven't felt in a long time and that's always a mark of a great book for me. I immediately knew I needed to track the world building to get a sense for the political and social structure of the world Kuang drops us into. It is not difficult to follow by any means but I am hoping as I continue through the series I can refer back and see how things change or evolve over time.
I also found myself tracking Rin and her character development. She comes from a life where you want to be sympathetic towards her but as she learns and gets involved with different people who influence her thinking, it becomes a bit more gray. I found myself becoming increasingly scared for and of her as the story continues.
I also really enjoy the writing. There are quotes throughout that made me stop and think but there's also a bit of dry humor throughout that made the darker parts a BIT more bearable. But speaking of the darker parts, the last quarter or so really does not shy away from the brutality of war and what happens when we stop seeing each other has human. My stomach dropped several times and I just had to sit and think about what I'd just read more than once.
I have a feeling this will be a trilogy I'll love and recommend just like a recommend The Broken Earth and I am excited and nervous and scared to see what The Burning God brings after this epic, intense first book.
To the disbelief of everyone, war orphan Rin passed the test to be accepted into an elite military academy. Once she starts school, she struggles to find her place and both academically and socially. All of this is happening while politically, something is brewing.
The second I knew The Poppy War existed, I knew it would be perfect for me. I love historical fantasy that really draws from real events. I also really enjoy political intrigue in fantasy plus a morally gray main character - RF Kuang promised (and delivers) all of this. And then I let the books sit on my Kindle for years because something about that intimidated me.
Now I'm kicking myself for not picking it up immediately. I felt compelled to tab and annotate my physical copy in a way I haven't felt in a long time and that's always a mark of a great book for me. I immediately knew I needed to track the world building to get a sense for the political and social structure of the world Kuang drops us into. It is not difficult to follow by any means but I am hoping as I continue through the series I can refer back and see how things change or evolve over time.
I also found myself tracking Rin and her character development. She comes from a life where you want to be sympathetic towards her but as she learns and gets involved with different people who influence her thinking, it becomes a bit more gray. I found myself becoming increasingly scared for and of her as the story continues.
I also really enjoy the writing. There are quotes throughout that made me stop and think but there's also a bit of dry humor throughout that made the darker parts a BIT more bearable. But speaking of the darker parts, the last quarter or so really does not shy away from the brutality of war and what happens when we stop seeing each other has human. My stomach dropped several times and I just had to sit and think about what I'd just read more than once.
I have a feeling this will be a trilogy I'll love and recommend just like a recommend The Broken Earth and I am excited and nervous and scared to see what The Burning God brings after this epic, intense first book.