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

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

4.5

This is an amazingly well written book with a ton of world building and very complex characters and themes. At some points it felt like it dragged a bit but I think that's because we see a very long development and I don't think I was prepared to get so sucked in. That's why I gave it a 4.5 star. But I would LOVE to come back at a later time and really closely reread and annotate this book because I think it is the type that would be fun to comb over like that. Definitely recommend if you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy, this book is a great combination of the two genres. I will also add this book has some tough to read moments. It does deal with war, drug use/addiction (opium), murder/death, and has some really dark parts -- definitely check out the TWs. 
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