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A review by sgbrux
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
5.0
"Every year we get someone like you, some country bumpkin who thinks that just because they were good at taking some test, they deserve my time and attention. Understand this, southerner. The exam proves nothing. Discipline and competence—those are the only things that matter at this school. That boy may be an ass, but he has the makings of a commander in him. You, on the other hand, are just peasant trash."
OOF. What a heartbreaking start to our journey through The Poppy War trilogy. This quote is just one of the many scenes that caught me off guard and made me tear up—one iteration of the constant ridicule and humiliation our heroine suffers throughout the entirety of this book. Spoilery discussion ahead.
The protagonist is war orphan Fang Runin (Rin), an absolutely ruthless teenage girl hell-bent on escaping a fate of marriage and opium-pushing in Tikany, Nikara's southernmost province of Rooster. Two years of painstaking resolve earns her a coveted spot at Sinegard, the most prestigious military academy in the empire. From there, the stakes are raised as she contends with an entire student body that has been groomed and trained in the areas of strategy, martial arts, and history since they could first walk and talk. Rin is painfully aware that to fail out of Sinegard means a return to her fate in Tikany, and she refuses to let this happen—no matter the cost. This is a recurring theme in the book and, I suspect, the series.
We see Rin make decision after decision with very little regard for any emotional toll these decisions might reap upon her state of mind. Effectively disintegrating her womb to permanently stop menstruating, choosing not to ever write home to her younger "brother" after leaving for the academy, making enemies with Sinegard's most gifted martial artist (after Altan), Rin stops at nothing to get what she wants—power, reverence, glory—and she accomplishes this by being one of the most proactive protagonists I've ever read. You certainly never catch her just sitting on her laurels.
Admittedly, I gravitate to stories that feature an academy setting and rivalries and magical eccentricities, and The Poppy War didn't disappoint in that regard. This is one of the darkest, most brutal books I've ever read. It had me reeling at times, and it definitely took me by surprise at others. I didn't expect the level of violence and war brutality this story entailed. It came as quite the shock. Trigger warnings include language, drug use, addiction, rape, torture, genocide (including the slaughter of infants)... It's a lot, but I think it serves as a powerful reminder of the ugliness of war and its aftermath.
This is not YA fantasy.
I had some minor nitpicks here and there. It took me a bit to get into the writing because it felt a bit choppy/stiff at the beginning—not a lot of structural variety in the sentences—but this did get better as the story went along and Kuang found her rhythm.
There was one plot point in Part II that I could not buy, and it took me out of the story. It's the trojanlike saltpeter incident in Khurdalain. We have a room full of seasoned warlords and commanders, graduates of the renowned Sinegard where its students go through rigorous training in the areas of logic and strategy, and they all failed to anticipate the trap. There was an earlier scene involving a 'well-traveled road where you notice a tree's branches bent by the weight of fruit' puzzle. They could recognize something was wrong with the fruit and that it was best to walk on by, yet they accept 2 bags of salt and sugar from the Federation of all people? A people whose monstrous tactics know no bounds, who they've studied at length? I couldn't buy it.
But that one thing aside, I am still blown away by the characters and themes that Kuang has created in this first book. They were visceral, emotional, and I could not tear my eyes away. Rin is a girl I connected to immediately despite my strong disagreements with many of her choices, but I find myself rooting for a redemption arc. Guess I'll find out soon enough.
On to The Dragon Republic!
Also wanted to add: I know this is historical-based fantasy, but there were several times I saw parallels in the story and characters in TPW with Final Fantasy VII. Namely, Altan = Sephiroth (pre full-blown Jenova); Shiro = Hojo; the Cike = Avalanche; and lots to compare with Rin and Aerith and Cloud; the Speerlies being akin to the Cetra; and of course, the summons. Pretty cool IMO.
OOF. What a heartbreaking start to our journey through The Poppy War trilogy. This quote is just one of the many scenes that caught me off guard and made me tear up—one iteration of the constant ridicule and humiliation our heroine suffers throughout the entirety of this book. Spoilery discussion ahead.
The protagonist is war orphan Fang Runin (Rin), an absolutely ruthless teenage girl hell-bent on escaping a fate of marriage and opium-pushing in Tikany, Nikara's southernmost province of Rooster. Two years of painstaking resolve earns her a coveted spot at Sinegard, the most prestigious military academy in the empire. From there, the stakes are raised as she contends with an entire student body that has been groomed and trained in the areas of strategy, martial arts, and history since they could first walk and talk. Rin is painfully aware that to fail out of Sinegard means a return to her fate in Tikany, and she refuses to let this happen—no matter the cost. This is a recurring theme in the book and, I suspect, the series.
We see Rin make decision after decision with very little regard for any emotional toll these decisions might reap upon her state of mind. Effectively disintegrating her womb to permanently stop menstruating, choosing not to ever write home to her younger "brother" after leaving for the academy, making enemies with Sinegard's most gifted martial artist (after Altan), Rin stops at nothing to get what she wants—power, reverence, glory—and she accomplishes this by being one of the most proactive protagonists I've ever read. You certainly never catch her just sitting on her laurels.
Admittedly, I gravitate to stories that feature an academy setting and rivalries and magical eccentricities, and The Poppy War didn't disappoint in that regard. This is one of the darkest, most brutal books I've ever read. It had me reeling at times, and it definitely took me by surprise at others. I didn't expect the level of violence and war brutality this story entailed. It came as quite the shock. Trigger warnings include language, drug use, addiction, rape, torture, genocide (including the slaughter of infants)... It's a lot, but I think it serves as a powerful reminder of the ugliness of war and its aftermath.
This is not YA fantasy.
I had some minor nitpicks here and there. It took me a bit to get into the writing because it felt a bit choppy/stiff at the beginning—not a lot of structural variety in the sentences—but this did get better as the story went along and Kuang found her rhythm.
There was one plot point in Part II that I could not buy, and it took me out of the story. It's the trojanlike saltpeter incident in Khurdalain. We have a room full of seasoned warlords and commanders, graduates of the renowned Sinegard where its students go through rigorous training in the areas of logic and strategy, and they all failed to anticipate the trap. There was an earlier scene involving a 'well-traveled road where you notice a tree's branches bent by the weight of fruit' puzzle. They could recognize something was wrong with the fruit and that it was best to walk on by, yet they accept 2 bags of salt and sugar from the Federation of all people? A people whose monstrous tactics know no bounds, who they've studied at length? I couldn't buy it.
But that one thing aside, I am still blown away by the characters and themes that Kuang has created in this first book. They were visceral, emotional, and I could not tear my eyes away. Rin is a girl I connected to immediately despite my strong disagreements with many of her choices, but I find myself rooting for a redemption arc. Guess I'll find out soon enough.
On to The Dragon Republic!
Also wanted to add: I know this is historical-based fantasy, but there were several times I saw parallels in the story and characters in TPW with Final Fantasy VII. Namely, Altan = Sephiroth (pre full-blown Jenova); Shiro = Hojo; the Cike = Avalanche; and lots to compare with Rin and Aerith and Cloud; the Speerlies being akin to the Cetra; and of course, the summons. Pretty cool IMO.