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

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

this book was phenomenal. it single-handedly pulled me out of my reading slump, and i could not put it down!!!!!! anyone who's interested in reading or curious of this book should really take the leap because the emotional distress is worth it. caution, this book is not for the faint hearted–there are a slew of triggers throughout. I hold Rin, Altan, Nezha, Ramsa, Kitay, and literally every character under the Nikaran sun (favourable ones, of course) so close to my heart. it simultaneously rips and beats for them. 

i really hope Nezha isn't dead. like i can't do this. especially after Altan??????????????? i'm really holding out on hope right now, that's literally all i have left. though i do have an incredibly strong gut feeling that he isn't, though he'll probably be extremely mentally distressed and fucked up because i'm assuming (if he's alive, which i'm 85% certain of) he's been held as a prisoner of war, and the universe fucking knows what the federation would have done to him. as i'm typing this, i just came up with a (paranoid) theory. what if Nezha isn't actually dead/captured and he's allied w the Empress and already knows of her plans and shit, so if Mugen "kidnapped" him, he wouldn't actually be a prisoner, but be unharmed. also, i'm super curious about what Enki said about Nezha being a shaman. i personally think that Enki is right, and Nezha never recovered from it, but did his spiritual/god/shamanistic mojo to walk again. and that's also why i think that Nezha isn't actually dead, because that seems like a hell of a foreshadow, and why would Kuang plant that if she wasn't intending on bringing him back???? idk just food for thought

and i don't trust Chaghan, i hope he doesn't have ill intentions. and Su Daji can suck my fucking dick, i've never trusted her. i hope Kitay doesn't turn his back on her forever; their friendship genuinely gives me so much happiness bc i feel like he's the first person that Rin has trusted/viewed as a true friend. I love Ramsa he's so adorable. and JIANG ZIYA IF YOU DONT COME BACK ISTG I WILL RAIN HELLFIRE ON YOU. and by the end, i understand why (because she felt like she was backed into a corner and there was literally nothing she could do to save Nikara from Mugen) but Rin was getting on my nerves. but i suppose that's what it means to grow into your own person, and not simple follow the formula of Sinegard's training (or just in general). and i feel like that's part of what Jiang taught Rin, even if it wasn't active teaching, but a passive learning that Rin adopted by observing him. and idk she went in the opposite direction of everything he taught her, but i feel like it's something that he simultaneously taught her too. 

sorry for the rant, i've never really reviewed/commented on something online, and none of my friends read *skull emoji* so i just had a field day of all the thoughts and theories running through my head :)
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