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A review by lmckensie
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
4.5/5 stars. An incredibly strong debut from an author I'm excited to read more from.
Some strong content warnings for this one: there are mentions/depictions of rape, genocide, mutilation, and verbal and physical abuse, among other things. The latter third in particular gets quite dark, as it draws heavily on the Second Sino-Japanese War.
In the first section, The Poppy War bears some structural similarities to The Name of the Wind (and by extension, Earthsea): the orphaned protagonist attends an elite school by testing well on an exam, is put at a disadvantage by her impoverished background, immediately draws the ire of one of the masters and the most privileged student in her year, and gets mentored by the eccentric, impossible-to-determine-his-age master.
Mind you, none of this bothers me in the slightest, because a) those are many of the things I loved about NotW, b) it’s only the first third of the book, and c) the initial setup leads to so much more nuance by the time the book ends. To the extent that the Ambrose-analog (if we’re extending the NotW comparison), Nezha, was one of my favorite characters midway through the narrative. His terrible actions weren’t dismissed, but he was permitted to grow as a character in a way that seemed organic. (Side note: I refuse to believe he’s dead. We didn't see a body. It's strongly hinted that he's a shaman. And there’s implied backstory with his brother. Also, I just really, really want him to not be dead.)
The book makes a sharp tonal shift a third of the way through, and the plot moves at a good clip from there. Kuang does an excellent job of balancing Rin's personal crises and challenges with the action of the war.
However, the final quarter of the novel did lag a bit for me. After the devastation of Golyn Niis, the plot got a bit disjointed and the momentum staggered. In particular, I felt like the release of Feylen was a heavy-handed set up to position him as an antagonist for the next book. I also don't think I was invested in Altan as a character in the way the plot meant for me to be--I understood his motivation for revenge and sympathized with him, but his treatment of his subordinates, and Rin in particular, made it very hard for me to root for him--so his sacrifice fell a little flat.
The ending, though, drew me right back in. I'm fascinated to see where the series goes from here, since Rin chose to destroy the Federation completely. There's no turning back from that.
Some other miscellaneous thoughts:
- I appreciate that Rin’s relationship with the Phoenix—and by extension, her mentors—is never simple. She initially opposes Jiang’s reluctance to let her fight, but by the time she trains with Altan, it’s clear that Jiang's teachings have had an impact, and that she’s still struggling to reconcile her desire to honor her master and her desire to protect her homeland. I feel like many authors might be tempted to let her fully indulge in teenage defiance and impulsivity (which she does to a degree), but Kuang does a masterful job of letting Rin’s internal conflicts play out in a complex way.
- Rin's friends and allies were fascinating characters, but--as is often the case with fantasy--I found myself wishing she had more interaction with other women in the book. Almost all of her close friends or mentors are men. The members of the Cike are mostly men. And even her connection with Tearza was only explored in the margins, and near the very end of the book. Here's hoping for more women in the sequel!
Overall, one of the best books I've read so far this year. Looking forward to the next in the series already.
Some strong content warnings for this one: there are mentions/depictions of rape, genocide, mutilation, and verbal and physical abuse, among other things. The latter third in particular gets quite dark, as it draws heavily on the Second Sino-Japanese War.
In the first section, The Poppy War bears some structural similarities to The Name of the Wind (and by extension, Earthsea): the orphaned protagonist attends an elite school by testing well on an exam, is put at a disadvantage by her impoverished background, immediately draws the ire of one of the masters and the most privileged student in her year, and gets mentored by the eccentric, impossible-to-determine-his-age master.
Mind you, none of this bothers me in the slightest, because a) those are many of the things I loved about NotW, b) it’s only the first third of the book, and c) the initial setup leads to so much more nuance by the time the book ends. To the extent that the Ambrose-analog (if we’re extending the NotW comparison), Nezha, was one of my favorite characters midway through the narrative. His terrible actions weren’t dismissed, but he was permitted to grow as a character in a way that seemed organic. (Side note: I refuse to believe he’s dead. We didn't see a body. It's strongly hinted that he's a shaman. And there’s implied backstory with his brother. Also, I just really, really want him to not be dead.)
The book makes a sharp tonal shift a third of the way through, and the plot moves at a good clip from there. Kuang does an excellent job of balancing Rin's personal crises and challenges with the action of the war.
However, the final quarter of the novel did lag a bit for me. After the devastation of Golyn Niis, the plot got a bit disjointed and the momentum staggered. In particular, I felt like the release of Feylen was a heavy-handed set up to position him as an antagonist for the next book. I also don't think I was invested in Altan as a character in the way the plot meant for me to be--I understood his motivation for revenge and sympathized with him, but his treatment of his subordinates, and Rin in particular, made it very hard for me to root for him--so his sacrifice fell a little flat.
The ending, though, drew me right back in. I'm fascinated to see where the series goes from here, since Rin chose to destroy the Federation completely. There's no turning back from that.
Some other miscellaneous thoughts:
- I appreciate that Rin’s relationship with the Phoenix—and by extension, her mentors—is never simple. She initially opposes Jiang’s reluctance to let her fight, but by the time she trains with Altan, it’s clear that Jiang's teachings have had an impact, and that she’s still struggling to reconcile her desire to honor her master and her desire to protect her homeland. I feel like many authors might be tempted to let her fully indulge in teenage defiance and impulsivity (which she does to a degree), but Kuang does a masterful job of letting Rin’s internal conflicts play out in a complex way.
- Rin's friends and allies were fascinating characters, but--as is often the case with fantasy--I found myself wishing she had more interaction with other women in the book. Almost all of her close friends or mentors are men. The members of the Cike are mostly men. And even her connection with Tearza was only explored in the margins, and near the very end of the book. Here's hoping for more women in the sequel!
Overall, one of the best books I've read so far this year. Looking forward to the next in the series already.