Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by obliviousdream
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
3.0
3.5/5 ⭐️
You know the trade. You know the terms.
"Anything," Rin whispered. "Anything at all."
Everything.
I do have to say, I loved the setting, mythology and the overall story, but after Part 1, the pacing sometimes felt odd and I wasn't as engrossed in the book as in its first third, hence my rating.
The meticulous world building is definitely something more fantasy authors should make a note of, just saying.
Parts 2 and 3 definitely did not go where I thought the story was headed and the complete spiral of Rin into power no one should possess was definitely laid out well in the book. The mythology behind the Trifecta and the truth behind the Empress' actions is something I'm also hoping I'll learn in the next books.
Which leads me to...
The characters:
Rin is an antihero through and through but I am still undecided whether I love her more than I found her internal struggle annoying.
Her character arc is believable, that is for sure. A war orphan, abused all her life, wants nothing more than to possess enough power to break the cycle. But what she does not want to realise is that by not heeding the warnings, the abused becomes the abuser.
Atlan was an intriguing character, seemingly unable to be broken, but in fact shattered beyond repair. Rin turned him into an ideal in her head, someone to aspire to, but her infatuation with him sometimes fell flat. I definitely wouldn't call it love, even misguided one. Her supposed love for him is definitely something I couldn't believe in The Poppy War.
Nezha, you bastard. He's probably my favourite character, even though we barely see him in the whole book. Snobby, bratty, scared at first, but then has the decency to grow up and realise his mistakes. The change in him is wholly believable and I do wonder whether this is an enemies-to-lovers situation, spanning the books, or if R. F. Kuang has something else planned, subverting my expectations.
All in all, it is a great first book, and a solid setting for the next two.
You know the trade. You know the terms.
"Anything," Rin whispered. "Anything at all."
Everything.
I do have to say, I loved the setting, mythology and the overall story, but after Part 1, the pacing sometimes felt odd and I wasn't as engrossed in the book as in its first third, hence my rating.
The meticulous world building is definitely something more fantasy authors should make a note of, just saying.
Parts 2 and 3 definitely did not go where I thought the story was headed and the complete spiral of Rin into power no one should possess was definitely laid out well in the book. The mythology behind the Trifecta and the truth behind the Empress' actions is something I'm also hoping I'll learn in the next books.
Which leads me to...
The characters:
Rin is an antihero through and through but I am still undecided whether I love her more than I found her internal struggle annoying.
Her character arc is believable, that is for sure. A war orphan, abused all her life, wants nothing more than to possess enough power to break the cycle. But what she does not want to realise is that by not heeding the warnings, the abused becomes the abuser.
Atlan was an intriguing character, seemingly unable to be broken, but in fact shattered beyond repair. Rin turned him into an ideal in her head, someone to aspire to, but her infatuation with him sometimes fell flat. I definitely wouldn't call it love, even misguided one. Her supposed love for him is definitely something I couldn't believe in The Poppy War.
Nezha, you bastard. He's probably my favourite character, even though we barely see him in the whole book. Snobby, bratty, scared at first, but then has the decency to grow up and realise his mistakes. The change in him is wholly believable and I do wonder whether this is an enemies-to-lovers situation, spanning the books, or if R. F. Kuang has something else planned, subverting my expectations.
All in all, it is a great first book, and a solid setting for the next two.