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

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

On the whole, a good read. I felt pulled along with the protagonist, and appreciated that the author doesn't shy away from difficult or complex topics. Definitely some particularly sad and shocking moments, so be mindful of the content warnings from this and other reviews. Interesting intersection between historical fiction (ish) and fantasy action genres.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

I felt the end coming and still somehow felt surprised and dismayed when Rin essentially nuked the entirety of Mugen. I'm really interested to see what comes next, but also anxious about how dark things had become by the end. I almost don't want to consider how much worse it can get in the rest of the trilogy, especially considering how all? descriptions of violence (minus the magically inflicted kind) are based on actual war crimes. It's definitely sobering.