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

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Hoo boy, this book.

Hated the first half. I don't like academy/school fiction. This book had most of the tropes (plain girl good at everything, abusive curriculum, shitty teachers, two gorgeous boys (a rich Malfoy and a dark stranger)—thank goodness there was no romance, goofy best guy friend, etc). It was a slog and I nearly DNFd it, if not for the supposed promise of the better second half...

Which. My goodness, the whiplash. 

The second half is not for the faint of heart, from the (TW)

Rape of Nanjing sequence to the descriptions of actual rape to full-on genocide

. 

It's an okay book, but Rin is so damn unlikeable. The surrounding cast are decent at their best, but Rin is so detestable that she drags them all down with her. The ending feels like she's gonna

start a revolution

or something, but I don't see anybody rallying behind her for any reason other than maybe fear.

I'll get to the sequel eventually. Maybe.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Addiction, Genocide, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Gore, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Xenophobia