From the Bookshelf of Ranters and Reviewers…

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

R.F. Kuang

Start date: March 1, 2021

Finish date: March 31, 2021

Discussion: BOTM

Why we're reading this: March Diverse BOTM
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BOTM

November 2021 Series BOTM Suggestions
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 19 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:56PM

October 2021 Continuation BOTM: The Wicked King
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 16 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:55PM

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What Members Thought

Jan 11, 2021 ☆Pelumi☆ rated it it was amazing

OUT OF FIVE
RATING: 4.5 stars
PLOT: 4
CHARACTERS: 5
WORLD BULIDING: 4
MY FEAR: 300

*takes a deep breath*
This is very well one of the HARDEST REVIEWS I have ever had to write.
Why? This book is so dark and deep that I fear I may not even be able to convey everything I feel in just one review.
It felt like I read an entire series in just this one book, it was so rich!

There is a moment in life when you realise that you have been wasting your entire existence. There is a moment in life that your entire exi ...more

164 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2020 n* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hello-darkness-my-old-friend, tear-them-from-my-cold-dead-hands, first-books-in-series, book-girlfriends, sorry-guys-i-judged-it-by-its-cover

wow. i mean, wow.
there was not one moment when i was bored while reading this, and i love it so much.
i can't even review it properly ~~that makes it sound like i have a single coherent review to my name (which i don't lmao)~~. it portrays war accurately—how terrible it is and how there really is no side that is pure and innocent. i also particularly loved the part about all the events in the novel happening through choice, not something fanciful like fate. i adore the world and not once did it feel ...more

41 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2021 Annie rated it really liked it

Shelves: almost-five-stars, its-emotional, good-endings, good-premise, for-sapphire, 5-diverse, good-covers, good-characters, grade-a, has-slow-pacing

“You humans always think you’re destined for things, for tragedy or for greatness. Destiny is a myth. Destiny is the only myth. The gods choose nothing. You chose.”
4 Stars // 89%
Inspired by the backdrop of China's Century of humiliation, The Poppy War is a military epic in the style of a traditional Chinese Wuxia story, locking two thinly veiled fantasy versions of China and Japan (Nikan and Mugen) against each other in a bloody, wretched fight for territory. And as Mugen advances on the Ni ...more

41 likes · Like · see review

Jun 03, 2021 dorian ♕ ♕ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: covers-worthy-of-an-oscar, enemies-to-lovers-gold-mine

i cried.

24 likes · Like · see review

Jul 13, 2021 jasmine ₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, powerful-female-mc, mythology

rating: 4

**random thought dump review thing:**

THIS BOOK WAS SO CHAOTIC
i don't really know what to think of it ://
the main character was SOOO annoying... i liked her at first but then around the last 1/3 of the book she just seemed like a little whiny brat

- i liked some characters, like kitay, nezha, samsa, & (most of the bizarre children haha)
- the magic and mythology is sooo amazing and out-of-worldly
- the plot was good, but pretty messy at the end
- I realllyyy dislike the lack of sympathy from ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2024 Maja ☾ rated it it was amazing

nothing prepared me for chapter 21

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2020 Anne rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites

Basically i have a lot of feelings but all i can say is that though everyone *almost everyone* dies near the end and kitay, the best person ever has left the crew angrily, the book was a gem to read and to discover. in it's pages i found a deep, delved world inspired by ancient chinese and drug wars. Overall, immensely satisfied i picked it up. ...more

Like · see review