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randa503 's review for:
The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang
dark
The Poppy War is a gripping fantasy book. I found it hard to put the book down and it, surprisingly, read very quickly. There were a lot of really strong aspects of this book. The character work was very well done. Everyone felt incredibly alive to me, especially Rin. I really enjoyed seeing her descent into near-madness throughout the story. I also felt that we had a very strong sense of place in this story. The academy was well written and I felt very well established in it.
My biggest issue with this book was actually the thing I liked the most about Kuang's other work, Yellowface. I felt that the pacing was very choppy and I had the sense that we were dropped into the aftermath of the action scenes rather than living them. This worked very well in Yellowface because that book was very much a stream of consciousness from the narrator. In The Poppy War, it took away from the story in many ways. At the beginning, in the academy and in Tikany, it worked because there wasn't much action to be skirting around. Past the midway point, I found myself feeling like I was zoning out, but that was just where the scenes were beginning. This took away from the story for me because I started to lose my footing in the world. I didn't quite feel like I had a grasp on what was going on at any given moment.
That being said, the way this story represents history and deals with the topic of genocide makes it very hard to look away. It was poignant and very cutting. Learning about what happened to Venda was heart crushing. Kuang does not shy away from the hard topics and watching Rin come to terms with the decision she had to make had me on the edge of my seat.
I really enjoyed reading The Poppy War, I just wished things had been slowed down and more thoroughly drawn out. I would've liked more direct action around the midpoint and a bit more time at the academy. I will absolutely be picking up the next installment of the series.
My biggest issue with this book was actually the thing I liked the most about Kuang's other work, Yellowface. I felt that the pacing was very choppy and I had the sense that we were dropped into the aftermath of the action scenes rather than living them. This worked very well in Yellowface because that book was very much a stream of consciousness from the narrator. In The Poppy War, it took away from the story in many ways. At the beginning, in the academy and in Tikany, it worked because there wasn't much action to be skirting around. Past the midway point, I found myself feeling like I was zoning out, but that was just where the scenes were beginning. This took away from the story for me because I started to lose my footing in the world. I didn't quite feel like I had a grasp on what was going on at any given moment.
That being said, the way this story represents history and deals with the topic of genocide makes it very hard to look away. It was poignant and very cutting. Learning about what happened to Venda was heart crushing. Kuang does not shy away from the hard topics and watching Rin come to terms with the decision she had to make had me on the edge of my seat.
I really enjoyed reading The Poppy War, I just wished things had been slowed down and more thoroughly drawn out. I would've liked more direct action around the midpoint and a bit more time at the academy. I will absolutely be picking up the next installment of the series.