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

adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have a lot of feelings about this one. The first half was perfection, but the ending was a bit disappointing. I think it's because the story became more and more untethered as it went on, and it kind of ran away with itself at the end. I still thought it was a great book, just a bit rocky like you'd expect from any debut.
Also, READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS. I can't stress this enough. I thought I was prepared because I'd heard about how traumatizing chapter 21 is, but I was still horrified. I'm glad R. F. Kuang went there because the Nanjing massacre is a terrible part of history that deserves more awareness, but that didn't make it any less difficult to read. I had to step away from the book and recover before continuing. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who feels they might have difficulties with the content.
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