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The Poppy War

(The Poppy War #1)

R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)

4.02 · Rating details · 57,211 ratings · 10,124 reviews

A "Best of May" Science Fiction and Fantasy pick by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible, The Verge, SyFy Wire, and Kirkus

“I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year [...] I have absolutely no doubt that [Kuang’s] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin.” -- Booknest

A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting A "Best of May" Science Fiction and Fantasy pick by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible, The Verge, SyFy Wire, and Kirkus

“I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year [...] I have absolutely no doubt that [Kuang’s] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin.” -- Booknest

A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late. ...more

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Paperback, 544 pages

Published April 23rd 2019 by Harper Voyager (first published May 1st 2018)

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· 57,211 ratings · 10,124 reviews

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Apr 08, 2018 Petrik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Blood Song, grimdark/military fantasy fans

Shelves: favorites, arcs-and-review-copies

ARC provided by the publisher—Harper Voyager—in exchange for an honest review.

I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year. No no, scratch that understatement. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you a review for The Poppy War, a book that will go down as one of the best grimdark/military fantasy debuts of all time.

Once in a while, there comes a book that you just know will be a fantastic book just from the premise or the cover; this was one of those books for me ...more

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Jul 09, 2018 chai ♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, favorites, own-voices, young-adult, 2018-releases, poc-rep, fiction

A really good book has a beginning, a middle, and then it absolutely ends you.

The Poppy War is a really good book.

I wish my pupils were at least heart-shaped so I could more accurately demonstrate my passion but if I ever die suddenly and don't have time to say anything profound, just know that my real last words will always be about how much I love this book.

So, what's this book about?

The Poppy War is a historical military fantasy grounded in the bloody history of China’s 20th century in ...more

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May 15, 2018 Emily May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2018

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school
➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history
➽ Shamans and gods
➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters
➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags y ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

You think I torture my characters? Pffft. I am a rank amateur compared to R.F. Kuang! Set in an alternate Asia and inspired by the Opium Wars and 19th Century colonialism in China, The Poppy War is the story of Rin, a small-town orphan whose only chance to escape poverty and an oppressive arranged marriage is to score top marks on the government’s exams and earn a place at Sinegard Academy, where the Nikara Empire’s best and brightest are trained for leadership. Imagine a combination of West Poi You think I torture my characters? Pffft. I am a rank amateur compared to R.F. Kuang! Set in an alternate Asia and inspired by the Opium Wars and 19th Century colonialism in China, The Poppy War is the story of Rin, a small-town orphan whose only chance to escape poverty and an oppressive arranged marriage is to score top marks on the government’s exams and earn a place at Sinegard Academy, where the Nikara Empire’s best and brightest are trained for leadership. Imagine a combination of West Point, Oxford and Hogwarts, and if that sounds intriguing, it is! Just don’t get too attached to the place, because Rin’s training at Sinegard is only the beginning of our story. Nikara (think Qing dynasty China), a vast but disorganized empire with out-of-date technology and many warring internal factions, is on the verge of war with its old nemesis the Mugen Federation (think Imperialist Japan). Rin and a few other ragtag misfits with an aptitude for shamanist magic may be the only secret weapon that can stop Mugen from completely destroying their homeland. The problem is the type of magic Rin summons cannot easily be controlled. It could drive her crazy, take her over completely, or, you know, possibly start Armageddon. But other than that, I’m sure everything will be fine!

Not really. Though the beginning of the book may read like the fantasy narrative we all know and love — obscure girl goes through training to discover she is the Chosen One — Kuang subverts that narrative and quickly turns our expectations upside-down. She shows us how sinister a training academy can be, how it can be used for nefarious purposes, and how easily the teacher-student relationship can turn abusive and traumatizing. Who are the good guys here? Are there any? Kuang gives us no easy answers, but she lets us feel sympathy for our young protagonist Rin and her comrades. The cruelty and horror of war are vividly described, so be prepared for violence — graphic and awful, but entirely appropriate to the narrative. The big question becomes what Rin will choose. Is victory worth the price of her soul? No one is spared in this book. Everyone is beat up, orphaned, traumatized, killed, gravely injured, driven insane, dehumanized, abused and/or tortured. I loved it! I mean . . . I didn’t love the horrors described, or the vast amount of suffering, but the stakes were real, the story was grimly compelling, and the characters stayed with me long after I finished the book. Highly recommended. Now I am going to take a deep cleansing breath and prepare myself for more painful enjoyment (enjoyable pain?) in Kuang’s two sequels! ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 R.F. Kuang rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Hi, there!

THE POPPY WAR is my book, so I'm obviously a bit biased. I wrote it over three months during the winter of 2015, signed with an agent in February 2016, and sold the book to Harper Voyager during my birthday weekend in May 2016. It's been nearly two years since then, so I'm terribly excited for it to finally go out in the world!

I'm going to use this space to tell you a little about THE POPPY WAR in case you're wondering whether you might enjoy reading it. This book is not a romance sto Hi, there!

THE POPPY WAR is my book, so I'm obviously a bit biased. I wrote it over three months during the winter of 2015, signed with an agent in February 2016, and sold the book to Harper Voyager during my birthday weekend in May 2016. It's been nearly two years since then, so I'm terribly excited for it to finally go out in the world!

I'm going to use this space to tell you a little about THE POPPY WAR in case you're wondering whether you might enjoy reading it. This book is not a romance story. This is not a YA fantasy school story (sorry. I love those too.) Yes, there's a school, and we learn some things at the school, but please don't let that description deceive you as we leave that setting quite quickly.

This is, as I've always conceived it, a war story. It draws heavily on the Second Sino-Japanese war which–if you know anything about Asia–was one of the darkest and bloodiest moments in Chinese history. It grapples with the Rape of Nanjing. It deals heavily with opium and drug use. (Opium was a source of Chinese weakness. This book asks what would have happened if opium were instead a source of shamanic power.) This book is primarily about military strategy, collapsing empires, mad gods, and the human ability to make awful, ruthless decisions. It's about how dictators are made.

To be entirely frank, if you're turned off by violence, I might pick up a different book.

But! If you liked Avatar the Last Airbender but always wished it were a little darker and more fucked-up, you might like this. I think everyone writes, unconsciously or not, from the sources they loved, and this book ended up being my creative smorgasbord of ATLA, Ender's Game, The Grace of Kings, and Game of Thrones. I'm not saying THE POPPY WAR will necessarily read like those books. But geopolitical dramas mixed with brutally cruel choices is something I loved about all of those works, and I really hope that's reflected in the writing.

Thanks for stopping by, and I really hope you enjoy the book <3 <3 <3 ...more

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Jul 03, 2018 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2018-releases

Hands down Best Fantasy of 2018!

This was such an amazing read and cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy. The books will be insta buys for me!

War, school, magic, no freaking romance... This book kept me on my toes.

I have no doubt this series will become huge and I'll make sure to rave about it until you all read it!

PS. Just wanted to add that there are trigger warnings for... well everything. Self harm, drug use, rape, etc. It's a pretty dark book! ...more

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Jul 10, 2020 Regan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

wooooooooow

Lots to unpack here but overall I really respect the approach the author took.

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Aug 22, 2019 Victoria Schwab rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This series is wonderful. Straight into the sequel for me.

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Apr 21, 2018 Emma rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I'm not going to lie, I struggled with this one. Right up to about 45% in I was wondering how the hell anyone was giving this 5 stars - not only was it not grimdark, it was borderline/actual YA, and a rather blatant rip off of The Name of the Wind to boot, including but not limited to: super clever, good at EVERYTHING main character who gets a place at top university/college and proceeds to be trained/confused/challenged by quirky professor/lore master who is the only one who believes in/can do I'm not going to lie, I struggled with this one. Right up to about 45% in I was wondering how the hell anyone was giving this 5 stars - not only was it not grimdark, it was borderline/actual YA, and a rather blatant rip off of The Name of the Wind to boot, including but not limited to: super clever, good at EVERYTHING main character who gets a place at top university/college and proceeds to be trained/confused/challenged by quirky professor/lore master who is the only one who believes in/can do a specific type of magic etc etc. One of the first bits of magic he shows her is even how he can bend the air to his will. Hmmm. It's all school antics, with particular OTTness when one rude comment on the day of induction escalates a chance meeting into two characters becoming immediate mortal enemies. On top of that she nukes her womb because she has her first period- interesting choice, to make women useful only when we're neutered. Anyway, I'm not entirely knocking this part of the book, for all its faults it was the best bit.

Then you get book 2 and the violence/action levels go up a bit as the war hits and the school yard is left in the past. But Rin is hard to get on with, she's intensely childish and it's already clear that she wants power more for her own sake. She's jealous of her commander because he has more firepower than her and is even more dangerously reckless than Kvothe. She strops around for the entire book, increasingly losing any agency to emotional reactionary outbursts. The less said about book 3 the better, the stupidity of the decision making by Rin and her commander is on another level. The last two sections epitomise epic immaturity on the part of pretty much everyone, the only reason this isn't YA is because of the way violence is gratuitously used to up the levels. Sure, this is what happens in war, this is the kind of stuff that's happening now all over the world, but the levels of brutality do not fit the level of the rest of the story. Even in books where it's essentially a death arena (Red Rising/ Catching Fire), you didn't get the author lovingly describing (TRIGGER warning for extreme violence) (view spoiler). You also get a female character not seen since the first book brought back just so she can detail her repeated rape. It's the kind of stuff you get in horror, not fantasy and often not even in real grimdark. (This is not the novel to read for female empowerment despite having an apparently strong, female lead.) It feels more like someone wrote a coming of age/school story but wanted a bit more publicity so used the savagery to spice it up a bit. War is brutal, and yes use it so you can make people aware of just how sadistic and monstrous people can be when normal rules are destroyed, but you have to make it fit your narrative....It started all Harry Potter and ended with Saw.

The one thing that made the book for me was the incredible worldbuilding, it was excellent to have a Chinese and Japanese basis for the terrain as well as the historical and mythical past. If it didn't have that, I'm not sure it would even have got the two stars. I won't be reading any more.

ARC via Netgalley ...more

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May 31, 2018 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites

The Nikara believed in strictly defined social roles, a rigid hierarchy that all were locked into at birth. Everything had its own place under heaven. Princelings became Warlords, cadets became soldiers, and orphan shopgirls from Tikany should be content with remaining orphan shopgirls from Tikany.

Well, fuck the heavenly order of things.

Epic. Spectacular. Breathtaking. This is the one of the best books I have ever read in my adult life. I literally could not put it down. I'm gushing, I know ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 Muhtasin Oyshik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, audiobook, 601-700-pp, 5-star

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) by R.F. Kuang

Gods, magic, and war. A military fantasy where the atmosphere inspired by Song Dynasty and the conflict in the book based on The Second Sino-Japanese War, you can be sure that this book won't be an easy one. Brutal story. Incredible world-building. Excellent writing. This is a story that asks us to examine how we weigh the life of ‘the other’, how we justify atrocities, and what it means to be human. Definitely wouldn’t recommend for a younger read ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 may ➹ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: rep-bipoc-asian, diverse, my-soul-hurts, fantasy, shocking, please-step-on-me, rep-bipoc-asian-author, ownvoices, rep-bipoc, pov-3rd

reread 1/8/21: Reading this another time knowing exactly how everything ends is... so painful. I feel such a deep sense of despair for these characters and how their lives are touched and terribly scarred by war and trauma. I was able to appreciate Rin’s character arc in a whole new light after reading the next books, and I also shed a lot of my initial dislike of Altan this time around. This book and series is so wonderfully written, and it is so tragic to witness but a blessing at the same tim ...more

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Sep 02, 2019 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”Children ceased to be children when you put a sword in their hands. When you taught them to fight a war, then you armed them and put them on the front lines, they were not children anymore. They were soldiers.”

This book. I mean… THIS BOOK! *sighs deeply and shakes head*
There is so much to be said about “The Poppy War” and I’m afraid I won’t even be able to put at least half of my thoughts into decent sentences. Because after finishing this book about a month ago (A MONTH AGO!!!) I still have tr ...more

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Apr 09, 2018 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Melanie by: Petrik

Shelves: adult, arc, dark, fantasy, read-in-2018, own-voices

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

First and foremost, please go read one of my best friends in this entire world’s review: Petrik’s review is not only amazing, he is also an ownvoices Chinese reviewer. Next, I just want to warn you guys that this is a very dark book that is heavily inspired by the Nanking Massacre. Please use caution and know that this book has major trigger and co ...more

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Oct 20, 2018 Val ⚓️ Shameless Non-Snowflake ⚓️ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, 0-in-my-library-read, 3-stars, fantasy

Low 3 Stars

Boy, did it take me forever to finish this thing.

I really wanted to love this book. One of my favorite reviewers adored it and sang it's praises, but it just didn't draw me in the way I thought it would.

The last 150 pages or so got really good (thus why I rated it 3 instead of the possible 2 I was planning on up until that point - not that it matters) and I smashed through them in one sitting; however, it still didn't save the entire book for me.

I felt that the world-building was lo ...more

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Oct 16, 2020 ✨ A ✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, faves-adult-scifi-and-fantasy, five-stars, read-in-2020, fantasy, buddy-read, cross-post, debut

You know when you read the first few chapters of a book and you’re overcome by a feeling, a knowing, that this book is going to stick with you. That you don’t know what’s going to happen next, but you can tell you’re going to love it? — that’s what The Poppy War made me feel.

The writing was exquisite. It drew me in, and kept me hooked. It felt like I was watching a movie in my head, everything was so vivid, mesmerising but also heartbreaking. From descriptions of the setting, to the history and ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-2020

TW: child abuse; self harm; death of animals; VERY graphic violence; gore; graphic torture; graphic deaths particularly of women and children; rape; self-sterilization; opium use

(Note that this is not throughout the book; the torture and graphic death are mostly present in 2 chapters)

This is a adult grimdark fantasy inspired by the historical events of the second Sino-Japanese war. It weaves the fantastical elements of magic and gods with the grim realities of war. I adored our characters and ...more

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Jun 03, 2018 Sean Barrs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Grimdark junkies

Shelves: fantasy, 4-star-reads

The Poppy War is not a book to be missed by fantasy fans and especially those who like it infused with copious amounts of blood, darkness and misery.

This isn’t some fluffy little tale about teenage romance and personal discovery (although it may seem that way in the beginning.) This is a book about reality. Now that’s an odd thing to say isn’t it? Reality? We’re talking about fantasy here. But do let me explain.

This is a book about the realities of war. War isn’t pretty. War isn’t about heroic ...more

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Oct 08, 2020 Mary S. R. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: grim military fantasy fans (not grimdark)

Recommended to Mary by: ♠ TABI⁷ ♠

Shelves: historical-fiction, sociology, faves, fantasy, dark, philosophy, adult, religion, politics, mythology

When you are so hyped for a book you’re practically giving helium a run for its money, there are only 3 possibilities:

☆ You write a pungent review, crushed beneath the waves of disappointment.
✯ You write a loving criticism, pleased that it was good but displeased that it was not that good.
★ You write a gushing piece, declaring your heart stolen and your soul sold.

I was hoping for the third.
But I’ll settle for the second.

Credit: Jhoca

“You will be offered power beyond your imagination. But

...more

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Sep 16, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

‘this book will seriously mess you up.’
- ancient chinese proverb

lets get down to business. there is a lot to unpack with this book, so im going to use this review as a way to process my thoughts. to begin, the story is broken down into three parts.

part one - this felt very YA to me. students are gathered at an elite school to train to become top soldiers for an imminent war. we get introductions to characters and decent world building. its very straight forward feel to this section.

part two - t ‘this book will seriously mess you up.’
- ancient chinese proverb

lets get down to business. there is a lot to unpack with this book, so im going to use this review as a way to process my thoughts. to begin, the story is broken down into three parts.

part one - this felt very YA to me. students are gathered at an elite school to train to become top soldiers for an imminent war. we get introductions to characters and decent world building. its very straight forward feel to this section.

part two - this takes on a very different tone than part one, its almost jarring. the war is starting so we see what life is like outside of the school and on the battlefield. there is more world building and the fantasy element of the story begins to make a more prevalent appearance.

part three - what did i even just read!? this was dark, and morbid, and even barbaric at times. but it also transcends everything previously developed in the story. things that had been hinted at in the first two sections finally become clearer and the ending of this is just insane. so many themes were explored in this section, i dont even know where to begin. holy crap. this section. definitely not YA.

its safe to say this book was not what i was expecting. but thats because i picked this up with literally no expectations, other than knowing it was historical fiction. and even though this was based on chinese history, it had a very modern feel to it, which could have been because of the writing. also, it was difficult for me to determine the pacing of this book. at times it felt soooo slow, but then youre hit with a massively action-packed section. i think if the overall story (i.e. atmosphere and pacing) had been more consistent, and even condensed, this would have easily been a 5 star read for me.

as a whole, i thought this debut was a massive accomplishment and i have a really great feeling about the sequel, and this series in general. im really looking to see how the story will further develop!

↠ 4.5 stars ...more

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Jun 29, 2018 Connor rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Connor by: Emily

Shelves: fantasy

My Video Review:
https://youtu.be/6hlv4tFLNRI

This novel started out so strong for me, and I can't believe how little I was enjoying it toward the end. This novel reads like two separate people wrote it. I loved the first 40 percent. I know people have compared The Poppy War to The Kingkiller Chronicle because of the academy setting and the fact that the main characters don't have much going on personality-wise. I get that criticism, but I was just enjoying the academy and the classes and everythi My Video Review:
https://youtu.be/6hlv4tFLNRI

This novel started out so strong for me, and I can't believe how little I was enjoying it toward the end. This novel reads like two separate people wrote it. I loved the first 40 percent. I know people have compared The Poppy War to The Kingkiller Chronicle because of the academy setting and the fact that the main characters don't have much going on personality-wise. I get that criticism, but I was just enjoying the academy and the classes and everything with the world building.

Rin is very determined, strong (and over the top with her self-harm), and persistent. She's quick-tempered and has a strong desire to learn and to lead. Then after 40%, she's completely the opposite. I don't understand. She whines and complains all the time. She's unfocused and weak (with random sprinkles of strength that are too few and far between?) She went to the academy to avoid getting herself locked down in the first place and then attached herself completely to some random dude that treats her poorly and she hardly knew? In one chapter she's "given up the luxury of fear," and then in the next, "fear struck her as she looked into that eye." Rin's characterization was just too inconsistent and really threw me out of the story constantly in the second half. I was fine with Rin being a Mary Sue, but I wished she'd at least been consistent with her Mary Sue-nature. At the very least, I wish she had kept her quick-tempered nature because that would have made the most sense with what happens in the second half.

Caveat: I read this as an audiobook, so her drastic change in tone and personality may have been read into her by the audiobook narrator. She may be a little better if you read it physically.

I honestly thought the gruesome aspects made a lot of sense, and I thought it was realistic. There is genocide, rape, torture, colorism, racism, and substance abuse. Those are terrible, but it wasn't where I had problems with this book. I think maybe this should have been published and split into two. The first half, the better half, would have been amazing. I probably would have given it 4-5 stars. Then Kuang would have had more time to polish and fix the characterization problems with the latter half.

I'm happy to see so many people love this book, but I was unfortunately a little disappointed. ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Warda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: author-of-colour, characters-of-colour, i-fell-in-love

UK folks! The ebook is on sale for 99 pennies! Might as well aboard the hype train.

———————————————

“You humans inflict everything on yourselves, and then blame us afterward. Every calamity has been man-made.”

And this is exactly why I don’t read fantasy nearly as often as I should. I am wiped the fuck out. I’m not even going to try and be coherent here, no point.
This was exhausting and traumatic and INcredible to read. And I expected that. But I was not prepared for this story to wrap itself ...more

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Apr 25, 2018 James Tivendale rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, freecopy

I received an advanced reader copy of The Poppy War from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank R. F. Kuang and Harper Voyager for this opportunity.

Rin is a war orphan who works at her foster parents' shop and their main income is created by dealing drugs. Only just into her teenage years, Rin is offered a proposal to marry and bear children for an unattractive gentleman three times her age who has no redeeming qualities. She decides she needs to escape this prese I received an advanced reader copy of The Poppy War from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank R. F. Kuang and Harper Voyager for this opportunity.

Rin is a war orphan who works at her foster parents' shop and their main income is created by dealing drugs. Only just into her teenage years, Rin is offered a proposal to marry and bear children for an unattractive gentleman three times her age who has no redeeming qualities. She decides she needs to escape this presented and projected future and her only means of doing this is to study for the Keju - an examination where the top-50 students in the country that pass the test can train at the military educational establishment set in the empire's capital. Surprising everyone apart from herself she is successful and then whisked away by her tutor to the city and this is where Rin's adventure really starts.

Although the college sections are similar in design and structure to those depicted within novels such as The Name of the Wind and The Wizard of Earthsea, The Poppy War has a lot more in common with Anthony Ryan's Blood Song. This is a dark, brutal, gruesome and occasionally uncomfortable book to experience so readers should not think that because it features a school environment with best friends, bullies, and coming of age experiences that this is dumbed down like some fantasy adventures that feature such tropes.

The Poppy War is inspired by China's bloody 20th-century history and parallels between segments here and real events can be seen at certain points. The oriental take on fantasy is something that has intrigued me since I read Fonda Lee's - Jade City and similar to that tale Kuang's debut is complex, insightful, well-crafted and features certain characters who kick-ass at martial arts. The world building here is sublime, as is the depth of the nations history, religions and practices. There were many ways the author engineered the intricate details of her created world but my personal favourite was when the myths of the Trifecta were presented in the form of a shadow puppet show.

The characterisation and character development employed throughout this novel are exquisite. Written in the third person perspective, Rin is the only point of view character that we follow and to say that her character and personality change throughout the course of the narrative is an understatement. She is an excellent protagonist and shortly she may be mentioned alongside genre-defining characters such as Kvothe and Vaelin. There is quite a sizeable dramatis personae and too many standout characters to mention in this review. Notable mentions go to Jiang (the Lore master who might just be a little bit insane), Nezha (Rin's rival who is the beautiful son of a warlord and who should have a glorious military career), and Altan (the college's finest student who excels in all aspects and has never lost a fight). Also, the Cike are brilliant. They are almost like this worlds version of the X-Men.

Approximately the first half of the book is set in the school where students learn about five subjects including strategy, lore, and martial arts training. Three years later we reach the second half of The Poppy War which features skirmishes, battles, political indecision and some of the grimmest and most shocking scenes I've come across for a long time. One moment is particular stands out as being on par with the nightmare that was the hammer scene from Anna Stephen's Godblind. This story features plenty of deaths as well as torture, drug use, mutilation, implied rape, grotesque monsters and malevolent gods. The first third of the book doesn't really present this sort of darkness and despondency so I thought I'd make it clear in my review that this is a story that is very adult in nature. A good percentage of destruction, later on, is generated from this worlds magic where certain vessels can be assigned the power of the gods and wield it for their own means. As I'm sure you can imagine, this leads to ridiculously overpowered players that then can lead to complete madness.

2017's debut fantasy releases were some of the finest of recent years and it's great to know that Kuang has picked up the baton and is carrying on the trend and leading the charge in 2018. I can safely say that this will be the finest debut of 2018 and I'd be surprised if it isn't one of the top 3 books of the year full stop. Spectacular, masterclass, brilliant, awesome... All the complimentary buzzwords you can imagine don't quite do The Poppy War justice for how amazing it is. The only very minor criticism I have is that on the cover artwork Rin has a bow and I can't remember her using such a weapon in the book. That's my only negative. If you like dark adult fantasy then check out this masterpiece by grimdark's newest and perhaps darkest daughter.

James Tivendale. ...more

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Jul 22, 2018 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hardback, historical, fantasy-all, favorites, own

I loved this reread!!

I can relate to so much with Rin. I love her and so many others. There were a few things but they were just mentioned so it was not as bad. There are some graphically human stuff but that’s okay. Either way, a fantastic book!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

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Sep 09, 2020 Nenia ✨️ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨️ Campbell rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, poc-interracial, rape, omg-wtf-pagecount, dark-and-twisted, books-that-made-me-lose-friends, made-of-sterner-stuff

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest

Whew. I buddy-read this with my friends Maraya and Sage and I'm honestly glad it was a team effort, because I'm not sure I would have gotten through the book on my own. The last time I tried to read this, I ended up quitting at 14% because I was so bored. THE POPPY WAR is a pretty widely-read book that a lot of people have read and have opinions about and I guess I'm just one of the masses in that regard, because I have a lot of things t ...more

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Aug 30, 2018 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, adult, favourite-covers, series-to-complete, 2019-reads, fantasy, 2018-reads, series, audiobook, historical-fiction

REREAD JULY 2019: THIS WAS EVEN BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND ??? some thoughts:

• Altan [redacted] makes me so sad and umm ... I refuse to accept it? Turn up in The Dragon Republic king !
• Altan + Changhan .. does anyone else get a gay vibe
• I loved Nezha in this SO MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST TIME and he really is my piece of shit son
• the scene where Nezha and Rin fight back to back IS art I don't take criticism
• KITAY NEEDS PROTECTION AT ALL COSTS
• I love this fantasy so much like ... interestin ...more

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Mar 13, 2019 Navessa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, romance, 2019

Me: typing this post while trying not to move my neck because this book gave me a spine-cracking case of whiplash…

What just happened? I haven’t experienced this kind of love/hate 180 with a book in years. It’s like this was written by two people. One would be an author I would add to my auto-buy list. The other I would never read again.

Let me go ahead and throw out the obligatory “SPOILERS” warning now, because I have some feels and I need to talk about them without censuring myself.

This book is ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 Reading_ Tam_ Ishly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The second and the third books are calling me 💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃

Oh, Rin 🖤

"Warfare was about absolutes. Us or them. Victory or defeat. There was no middle way. There was no mercy. No surrender."

And this happens exactly in this book.

I want to talk about so many things but it's just that there are so many things that I can talk about which might actually become spoilers so I am in a dilemma since yesterday as to how to write the review about this book.

This book is so many things at once (as it's supposed t ...more

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May 14, 2018 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: year-2018, 5-star

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

I can't believe this is a debut. I can't believe the author is in her early twenties. I can't believe humanity's history with war and violence is so deeply disturbing.

RTC. ...more

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Dec 24, 2018 Spencer Orey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The increasing level of violence over the course of this book was tough for me. It's a stunning debut though and one of those thick books that somehow flies by quickly. The characters are very well done. I empathized with all of them. And the China-inspired world is a real standout!

The thing I'll come back to later is the terrible thoughtful tradeoffs this book presents about taking on the Gods/magic/power. That aspect of the book is phenomenal.

But it is very very violent. Like, be prepared for ...more

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About R.F. Kuang

R.F. Kuang

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Hello! I use Goodreads to support books I really loved (I don't review or even always finish books I don't like) so it's mostly 5 star ratings here. I don't check GR very often so I don't respond to friend requests or messages. If you'd like to get in touch, find me on Twitter or at my author website–thanks! ...more

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“War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who remains.” — 337 likes

“I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.” — 142 likes

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