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A review by bobbieshiann
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
“Children ceased to be children when you put a sword in their hands. When you taught them to fight a war, then you armed them and put them on the front lines, they were not children anymore. They were soldiers.”
Rin’s journey unfolds from being tortured to becoming the tormentor. Once an orphan of war, she’s adopted by a corrupt family and forced to live a life of poverty and routine. Her future looks grim: she’s either destined to be married off to an older man to bear his children or study relentlessly for two years to take the Keju and enter the academy. Against all odds, the dark-skinned girl from Tikany rises above her circumstances, determined to change her fate. From a life of abuse, malnutrition, and overwork, she’s thrust into an environment where she has to fight for survival through training, studying, and the promise of new beginnings.“In Tikany, an unmarried girl like Rin was worth less than a gray rooster. She could spend her life as a foot servant in some rich household—if she found the right people to bribe. Otherwise, her options were some combination of prostitution and begging.”
This novel blends elements of war, fantasy, education, and chaos, weaving a tale marked by death and violence. Its themes are heavy, and trigger warnings abound (physical and mental abuse, sexual assault, self-harm, torture, mutilation, and genocide). In the first half, Rin comes across as a determined, but uncertain protagonist who faces racism, bullying, and isolation. Despite it all, she perseveres—sometimes going to extreme lengths, including self-harm, to ensure her success in the academy. “She found that she was fueled by praise from her masters. Praise meant that she had finally, finally received validation that she was not nothing. She could be brilliant, could be worth someone’s attention. She adored praise—craved it, needed it, and realized she found relief only when she finally had it.”
But Rin is a mere pawn in a world far larger and more corrupt than she could ever imagine. As the plot unfolds, the story introduces gods, emperors, empresses, and a range of characters from diverse countries and ethnicities—many of whom are denied a fair existence. Characters are meticulously crafted, and readers quickly form strong opinions about them. Personally, I didn’t care for Rin, Altan, Su Daji, or Jun Loran, but I found characters like Changhan, Kitay, Jiang, Ramsa, Qara, and eventually Nenzha more compelling. In the chaos of war, however, people make rash decisions, alliances shift, and deception runs deep.
“When man begins to think that he is responsible for writing the script of the world, he forgets the forces that dream up our reality.”
The story is set in a world of conflict where gods, have left a devastating legacy, but are they truly to blame? One of the most tragic stories is of a race wiped out by war, with a few survivors subjected to cruel experimentation. The so-called alliance to the Speerlies resulted in the Nikara (Red Emperor) using poppy flowers (opium) to control them, turning them into puppets for their bidding. The gods’ power, wielded by shamans who could enter the spirit world, ultimately leads to tragedy. Those who commune with the gods lose their bodies, their minds, or their lives—trapped in caves, their power stripped away.
“To commune with the gods was to walk the dream world, the world of spirit. It was to relinquish that which she was and become one with the fundamental state of things. The space in limbo where matter and actions were not yet determined, the fluctuating darkness where the physical world had not yet been dreamed into existence.”
The Poppy War is a brutal and unflinching novel, blending the fantastical with painful truths. While its narrative pulls us into a world of magic and gods, it also reflects the grim realities of war—where individuals are swept up in agendas they may or may not believe in. Choices are made, sides are taken, and the death toll rises. War’s aim is not victory, but obliteration, indifferent to the innocence it destroys. Through its lens, the novel critiques religion, politics, greed, and the forceful imposition of ideologies, all at the expense of countless lives.
Rin’s journey unfolds from being tortured to becoming the tormentor. Once an orphan of war, she’s adopted by a corrupt family and forced to live a life of poverty and routine. Her future looks grim: she’s either destined to be married off to an older man to bear his children or study relentlessly for two years to take the Keju and enter the academy. Against all odds, the dark-skinned girl from Tikany rises above her circumstances, determined to change her fate. From a life of abuse, malnutrition, and overwork, she’s thrust into an environment where she has to fight for survival through training, studying, and the promise of new beginnings.“In Tikany, an unmarried girl like Rin was worth less than a gray rooster. She could spend her life as a foot servant in some rich household—if she found the right people to bribe. Otherwise, her options were some combination of prostitution and begging.”
This novel blends elements of war, fantasy, education, and chaos, weaving a tale marked by death and violence. Its themes are heavy, and trigger warnings abound (physical and mental abuse, sexual assault, self-harm, torture, mutilation, and genocide). In the first half, Rin comes across as a determined, but uncertain protagonist who faces racism, bullying, and isolation. Despite it all, she perseveres—sometimes going to extreme lengths, including self-harm, to ensure her success in the academy. “She found that she was fueled by praise from her masters. Praise meant that she had finally, finally received validation that she was not nothing. She could be brilliant, could be worth someone’s attention. She adored praise—craved it, needed it, and realized she found relief only when she finally had it.”
But Rin is a mere pawn in a world far larger and more corrupt than she could ever imagine. As the plot unfolds, the story introduces gods, emperors, empresses, and a range of characters from diverse countries and ethnicities—many of whom are denied a fair existence. Characters are meticulously crafted, and readers quickly form strong opinions about them. Personally, I didn’t care for Rin, Altan, Su Daji, or Jun Loran, but I found characters like Changhan, Kitay, Jiang, Ramsa, Qara, and eventually Nenzha more compelling. In the chaos of war, however, people make rash decisions, alliances shift, and deception runs deep.
“When man begins to think that he is responsible for writing the script of the world, he forgets the forces that dream up our reality.”
The story is set in a world of conflict where gods, have left a devastating legacy, but are they truly to blame? One of the most tragic stories is of a race wiped out by war, with a few survivors subjected to cruel experimentation. The so-called alliance to the Speerlies resulted in the Nikara (Red Emperor) using poppy flowers (opium) to control them, turning them into puppets for their bidding. The gods’ power, wielded by shamans who could enter the spirit world, ultimately leads to tragedy. Those who commune with the gods lose their bodies, their minds, or their lives—trapped in caves, their power stripped away.
“To commune with the gods was to walk the dream world, the world of spirit. It was to relinquish that which she was and become one with the fundamental state of things. The space in limbo where matter and actions were not yet determined, the fluctuating darkness where the physical world had not yet been dreamed into existence.”
The Poppy War is a brutal and unflinching novel, blending the fantastical with painful truths. While its narrative pulls us into a world of magic and gods, it also reflects the grim realities of war—where individuals are swept up in agendas they may or may not believe in. Choices are made, sides are taken, and the death toll rises. War’s aim is not victory, but obliteration, indifferent to the innocence it destroys. Through its lens, the novel critiques religion, politics, greed, and the forceful imposition of ideologies, all at the expense of countless lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism