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

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

Wow. It's been a while since a fantasy book had really grabbed my interest, but this held me till almost the very end. I appreciate how the author has put Rin in a very difficult place: you kind of hate her regardless of the choice she makes. If she uses her powers, she's power hungry and evil, if she doesn't, she's selfish and a coward. If she shows emotion she's too human, if she doesn't, she's a monster. I'm really interested to see how her character develops in the next book, and am eager to see the consequences of her actions. While it was hard to read at times (tw for gore, rape, gratuitous violence), it's the reality of the world. They are at war, and the author does NOT shy away from the atrocities of it. While not crazy character driven, the world building is IMMENSE AND BEAUTIFUL. Kuang studied and specialized in Asian history, in particular the rape of Nanjing and her expertise shows. It's a difficult topic to write about and I'm grateful that an author with such expertise is doing it justice. All in all, a horrific and awesome book, set in a world that I really got into. Excited for the next installment!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Its very much grimdark, the characters are in a literal war. The violence is not gratuitous, or there for shock value, it is there to explain and show the atrocities of war. Its also rooted in historical context, I believe the author drew from the r*pe of Nanjing if I remember interviews correctly.