The Poppy War
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- Create Date：2021-06-03 09:56:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：R.F. Kuang
- ISBN：0008239843
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Summary
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。
“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。
Reviews
Scott
，
Starts out as feeling like it’s going to be a YA book and does not even remotely end there。 Great book。
Orsi
，
3。4
J
，
Wow。 I did not know what I was getting myself into when I started this book。 This book does not shy away from the atrocities of war， and is all for being dark and destructive。 There are references to Chinese history， proverbs， deities， and culture in general。 I love that Rin was partly inspired by Azula from Avatar。 What I would have appreciated in this book would be consistent pacing and a more condensed text。 Despite the heavy topics and dense introduction to this world， this was a spectacular Wow。 I did not know what I was getting myself into when I started this book。 This book does not shy away from the atrocities of war， and is all for being dark and destructive。 There are references to Chinese history， proverbs， deities， and culture in general。 I love that Rin was partly inspired by Azula from Avatar。 What I would have appreciated in this book would be consistent pacing and a more condensed text。 Despite the heavy topics and dense introduction to this world， this was a spectacular tale that's definitely worth a read。 。。。more
Giovanna
，
（4。5/5）
Lola
，
I couldn't put this book down。 Halfway through I had to look it up and make sure there was more than one book to look forward to。 I love the mix of Chinese history and fantasy in this book。 The writing was illustrative and gripping。 A must read if you love fantasy novels！ I couldn't put this book down。 Halfway through I had to look it up and make sure there was more than one book to look forward to。 I love the mix of Chinese history and fantasy in this book。 The writing was illustrative and gripping。 A must read if you love fantasy novels！ 。。。more
Susan
，
2。5 stars。 I liked the premise of the book， the world building， and the references and allusions to Asian culture and mythology。 However， I did not appreciate/expect the level of detail of war scenes and war-time atrocities that are also in the book （massacres， rapes， descriptions of bodies piling up， bloody rivers， etc。） in what I expected to be an adventurous YA type novel， so readers be forewarned。 May not be suitable for younger audiences。 （It also has depictions of drug use/abuse and self-i 2。5 stars。 I liked the premise of the book， the world building， and the references and allusions to Asian culture and mythology。 However， I did not appreciate/expect the level of detail of war scenes and war-time atrocities that are also in the book （massacres， rapes， descriptions of bodies piling up， bloody rivers， etc。） in what I expected to be an adventurous YA type novel， so readers be forewarned。 May not be suitable for younger audiences。 （It also has depictions of drug use/abuse and self-inflicted pain。 Multiple characters are required to be high to reach their gods/powers， or also use opiates to numb the pain of their emotions/actions） As for the main character， I found her to be ok。 I was rooting for her in the first half of the book as she is the intelligent and skilled underdog， but yet is also an adolescent who makes many questionable decisions。 It will be interesting to see if/how her character develops in the second and third books。 。。。more
Sydney Fay
，
oof。 disappointed by this book。the first half was so good。 really well-written， fast-paced in a great way， and just a really interesting concept。 i loved the first half and had high hopes for the rest of her。 but i think the book just kinda lost itself trying to fit SO much in the last half。 the character development was just not there and i felt whiplashed every chapter with something new and crazy happening （but not in a cool， interesting way， more like a rushed confusing way）。 also， i feel li oof。 disappointed by this book。the first half was so good。 really well-written， fast-paced in a great way， and just a really interesting concept。 i loved the first half and had high hopes for the rest of her。 but i think the book just kinda lost itself trying to fit SO much in the last half。 the character development was just not there and i felt whiplashed every chapter with something new and crazy happening （but not in a cool， interesting way， more like a rushed confusing way）。 also， i feel like a lot of things happened in the last half that was just not explained or thrown in。 while the gods and magic in this book was interesting， i just don’t think it was developed well which is big for me if you introduce magic into a book （especially introduced half way into the book）。 there need to be clear rules and limits and this just wasn’t touched on well at all imo。i gave this book three stars though because i appreciate how the book took from the violence China suffered （which is widely ignored or not known） in the twentieth century。 i learned things i didn’t know about the country before and like i said， the first half of the book was really good。 。。。more
Kamayani
，
kinda insane
Lauren
，
Boring。 The change in part 2 threw me off and I don’t want to read any further。
Jessica Shu
，
unsympathetic characters， mediocre prose， gratuitous violence & many unnecessary scenes
Agata
，
To chyba będzie największe książkowe rozczarowanie roku。 Kompletnie nie umiałam się wciągnąć w ten świat。 Początek był super， podobały mi się szkolne klimaty， ale im dalej w las tym bohaterowie byli jeszcze bardziej irytujący a książka stawała się męcząca。 Raczej nie będę kontynuować serii
SepEe
，
"She had come from nothing。 She wasn't going back to nothing。 She was no victim of destiny。 She can call the gods to do her bidding。 And she would call the gods to do such terrible things。 She will watch you burn。 Every last one。"Fang Runin， the last Speerly， Commander of the Cike ♡♡⚠️ Captivating but Heart-wrenching: Rape， Bloodshed， Drug abuse， violence， self-harm etc。 - definitely a gory novel "She had come from nothing。 She wasn't going back to nothing。 She was no victim of destiny。 She can call the gods to do her bidding。 And she would call the gods to do such terrible things。 She will watch you burn。 Every last one。"Fang Runin， the last Speerly， Commander of the Cike ♡♡⚠️ Captivating but Heart-wrenching: Rape， Bloodshed， Drug abuse， violence， self-harm etc。 - definitely a gory novel 。。。more
Maria Blønd
，
I did it！ I finished this book！ And I am at a complete loss of how to rate it。。。 It was a fantastic， beautiful， terrible and horrible read！ I’m not sure that I ever want to read it again， let alone finish the series， but at the same time I was captured by the magnificence of the story。This book will rib out your heart and leave you crying in the middle of the night and still you’ll want more。。。 I might pick it up again when I’m older and don’t have a small child， but I just don’t know right now。 I did it！ I finished this book！ And I am at a complete loss of how to rate it。。。 It was a fantastic， beautiful， terrible and horrible read！ I’m not sure that I ever want to read it again， let alone finish the series， but at the same time I was captured by the magnificence of the story。This book will rib out your heart and leave you crying in the middle of the night and still you’ll want more。。。 I might pick it up again when I’m older and don’t have a small child， but I just don’t know right now。。。 。。。more
Tammy
，
Started out really strong for me， loved the school chapters especially but felt like it went from Harry Potter to GoT in a nanosecond。 Amaaaazing world building but started to feel lecture-y at some points， info just being thrown at the reader。 Way too long imo。 I feel like I just read 5 different books all in one。
Olivia
，
"War doesn't determine who's right。 War determines who remains。"This book was just wow。 It's been a while since I have been so absorbed into a book。 The Poppy War is an amazing fantasy novel filled with modern Chinese history， fascinating mythology with Shamans and Gods， and interesting characters。 It explores quite dark themes such as genocide， racism， sexism， torture， overdose， and rape （off-page but it was extremely difficult to read）。"Children ceased to be children when you put a sword in th "War doesn't determine who's right。 War determines who remains。"This book was just wow。 It's been a while since I have been so absorbed into a book。 The Poppy War is an amazing fantasy novel filled with modern Chinese history， fascinating mythology with Shamans and Gods， and interesting characters。 It explores quite dark themes such as genocide， racism， sexism， torture， overdose， and rape （off-page but it was extremely difficult to read）。"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。 The book starts off with Rin， a war-orphan studying for the Keju test in order to get into the best military school: Sinegard。 Rin is not a chosen one nor special。 She studies and works very hard to get into Sinegard and once she gets into this military boarding school， she works even harder。 She faces racist and sexist bullies and teachers but she also meets friendship and mentors。 Rin's time at Sinegard is much lighter compared to the rest of the book but I really loved this part of the book。 But the war creeps closer to Rin and her and her classmates are thrown into war。 This is when the story gets much darker but we also get to read the strong world-building and dive much deeper with the characters。 We also get a lot of action scenes in this part of the book and I loved it。 I've always had trouble getting through action scenes in books because they always felt mindless but I was on the edge of my seat for all of the action scenes。I truly loved The Poppy War and plan to read more of this series。 It is a perfect mix of gripping action， deep characters， strong world-building， and a reflection of humanity in war。 I'm truly excited to read more of Rin's journey in this world。 。。。more
jham ☀︎
，
"She had come from nothing。 She wasn’t going back to nothing。" The Poppy War will undeniably break your heart to pieces。 It's graphic。 It's bloody。 It's heartbreaking。 Just when you think you're done suffering， remember that there are two more books in this trilogy。 This book contains themes that explore the darkest part of humanity so please proceed with caution。 The story revolves around a dark-skinned war orphan named Fang Runin （Rin） who gets a deal of a lifetime: to be a bride for a wealth "She had come from nothing。 She wasn’t going back to nothing。" The Poppy War will undeniably break your heart to pieces。 It's graphic。 It's bloody。 It's heartbreaking。 Just when you think you're done suffering， remember that there are two more books in this trilogy。 This book contains themes that explore the darkest part of humanity so please proceed with caution。 The story revolves around a dark-skinned war orphan named Fang Runin （Rin） who gets a deal of a lifetime: to be a bride for a wealthy merchant who is three times her age。 Her only way out of the deal is to score high in the national test called Keju and secure a spot at the most prestigious military academy， Sinegard。 Rin's school rivals made sure that she knows that a poor bumpkin simply did not belong in their den。 In her journey of proving everyone wrong， Rin unlocks a far greater force that calls to her past， present， and future。 War is coming and her courage is put to test。 Armed with opium seeds， combat prowess， and impulsive rage， she risks every chance to secure victory from the hands of her enemies。-After finishing the book， I felt broken。 There are no other words that can describe how RF Kuang beautifully picked apart my soul。 At first， I was afraid that that author will romanticize war， but I'm grateful that she did not。 Knowing that this book is drawn heavily from real historical events， it was not easy reading through some chapters （view spoiler）[ （especially Golyn Niis） （hide spoiler）]。 Kuang's simplistic and unapologetic writing fully encapsulated the atrocity of war。 She did not sugarcoat the trauma and inhumanity experienced by the characters。 I have to say that there was not a time that I was bored。For a novice fantasy reader， the worldbuilding was easy to grasp and the author did such a wonderful job explaining the magical concepts and the setting of the novel。 Reading through the fighting scenes was such a delight！ I was completely mistaken to think that it would be boring and unengaging。 “She adored praise—craved it， needed it， and realized she found relief only when she finally had it。” The character that I admired most was Rin。 Everyone mistreated her， and even though she was brilliant， she had to constantly prove herself。 As soon as she was knocked down， she got up twice as fast。 Being the badass that she is， she was not invincible to the effects of the war。 She was a changed person who made questionable decisions。 There are actually a lot of morally gray characters and I live for it。 In the beginning， Nezha is written for readers to hate。 He was such a prick。 But somehow， he ended up being one of my favorite characters。 My favorite scene between Rin and Nezha has to be the time when they fought the Federation soldiers。 I would love to see a live-action of that！ "War doesn't determine who's right。 War determines who remains。" Altan Trengsin。 Such a tragic， broken man who suffered so much trauma in one lifetime。 He was robbed of his childhood and heritage。 Every night he spent in the lab， he only wished for someone to save him。 Ultimately， he sees his family and friend all disappear in a night。 Instagram | Blog text 。。。more
Sulagna Hati
，
Some of the most detailed and realistic world-building I’ve seen， to the point it became overwhelming。 Pacing was off at points， the content felt inconsistent; it felt like YA at first but was 100% adult by the end which was jarring。 Could have benefited from more generous editing in all aspects but overall super impressive
Sean Ford
，
3。5/5 stars。 Immersive world building coupled with a hodgepodge of character tropes。 Looking for more action and nuance in the sequel。 A fine first foray into Epic Fantasy。
Clara
，
I AM DFJKDFJDJKFDFKDK
mayari
，
corruption arcs so sexy
lou
，
fang runin my unhinged gf
mayaaccordino
，
bello bello bello。 parto parlando delle cose che mi sono piaciute di più: il world building è spettacolare e super interessante e originale， o per lo meno non mi capita spesso di leggere fantasy di questo tipo。 anche lo stile dell’autrice mi è piaciuto molto， l’ho trovata davvero brava， sopratutto considerando che questo è il suo primo romanzo。 per quando riguarda i personaggi， ho amato la protagonista， rin， che è molto controversa， non è la solita protagonista buona al 100%， anzi， è un personag bello bello bello。 parto parlando delle cose che mi sono piaciute di più: il world building è spettacolare e super interessante e originale， o per lo meno non mi capita spesso di leggere fantasy di questo tipo。 anche lo stile dell’autrice mi è piaciuto molto， l’ho trovata davvero brava， sopratutto considerando che questo è il suo primo romanzo。 per quando riguarda i personaggi， ho amato la protagonista， rin， che è molto controversa， non è la solita protagonista buona al 100%， anzi， è un personaggio molto grigio， che fa diverse cose discutibili， ma proprio per questo mi è piaciuta tanto。 gli altri personaggi mi sono piaciuti un po’ di meno， perché ce ne sono veramente tanti e spesso non si riesce ad approfondirli a pieno o ad avere il tempo di conoscerli e apprezzarli， nonostante ciò mi sono piaciuto molto nezha， kitay e altan （e anche molti altri）。 passiamo agli aspetti invece più negativi: in questo libro succedono troppe cose una dopo l’altra， non se ne conclude una che già c’è un altro plotwist e per questo a volte la narrazione era un po’ confusionaria， a tratti troppo veloce e a tratti veramente lenta。 sempre legato a ciò: il tempo all’interno della storia。 questa è una cosa che mi ha lasciata un po’ interdetta， poiché nella prima parte del libro （onestamente quella che mi è piaciuta di più） la nostra protagonista si trova all’accademia， ma un secondo dopo sono già passati tre anni e qualche pagina ancora dopo ci troviamo nell’ennesima nuova situazione e così via。 avrei voluto forse leggere di più dell’accademia e delle vicende li， ma comprendo anche il perché ci sia spostati così velocemente da lì per motivi di trama。 detto ciò consiglio moltissimo questo libro， come ho già detto è super interessate e coinvolgente， un fantasy così non lo leggevo da tempo！ 。。。more
Kyle
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A promising and thoroughly enjoyable beginning fades into a unnecessarily brutal and disappointing end。As a big fan of the Name of Wind it is no surprise that I enjoyed Rin's journey to and time at the academy。 I've read other reviews which call it a rip off which I understand but personally I saw the Asiatic elements and the gods to be unique and standalone。 The secondary character development during Section I was a little underwhelming but the world building and plotting was engaging。 Five sta A promising and thoroughly enjoyable beginning fades into a unnecessarily brutal and disappointing end。As a big fan of the Name of Wind it is no surprise that I enjoyed Rin's journey to and time at the academy。 I've read other reviews which call it a rip off which I understand but personally I saw the Asiatic elements and the gods to be unique and standalone。 The secondary character development during Section I was a little underwhelming but the world building and plotting was engaging。 Five stars。 From there I respected the Section II focus on the siege， staying engaged in the misfit band of Shamans offering a different perspective。 I felt like the character development during this section was the best in the book and the plot stayed engaging。 Although this section was dark， it never felt gratuitous to me until the very end。 Four StarsRight around page 400， just before Section III is where it all went downhill for me。 Although the feeling built over time， I thought the plot slowly starts to go off the rails and eventually careens out of control by the end。 I'm not a fan of GrimDark esq writing but can accept some brutal passages that have a purpose， I just didn't feel like that was the case here where violence and death was completely excessive and gross。 Outside of the death and violence the plot also lost me where the gods， drugs， shamans， and regional history started moving so quickly it felt like a fever dream which was hard to follow so by the end I was eager to finish。 1 StarSome comparable books for me would be Scott Lynch's books Gentleman Bastards series or the Prince of Thrones， all of which start out strong and then escalate wildly at the climax。 。。。more
Klaudia
，
4。75*
Franciszek Danielewski
，
Kocham！ Bardzo udany pierwszy tom seriii czekam na więcej！ Polecankooo！
astrid
，
me encantó este libro， es lo mejor， sa-yo-nara
Zack
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Lots to like here。 Rin can be frustrating， because she seems to make the same mistakes over and over and never really learns from them， but then I remember that she's a traumatized 19 year old in a war and it makes a little more sense。 This one is brutal， and I was not expecting it， which I think is also kind of the point。 Unfortunately， toward the end things lose their way a bit and it started to feel like the author needed to have more and more sidebars， or explanations， for things that didn't Lots to like here。 Rin can be frustrating， because she seems to make the same mistakes over and over and never really learns from them， but then I remember that she's a traumatized 19 year old in a war and it makes a little more sense。 This one is brutal， and I was not expecting it， which I think is also kind of the point。 Unfortunately， toward the end things lose their way a bit and it started to feel like the author needed to have more and more sidebars， or explanations， for things that didn't quite fit in character or didn't seem entirely organic。 Still， pretty good and I will read the next in the series。 。。。more
catreadssomething
，
"War doesn't determine who's right。 War determines who remains。"Wow， this really was just *chefs kiss*First of all， this book deserves the hype， completely and truly。 I felt like I knew the characters and yet they surprised me in ways that made sense， the settings were vivid， the story was full of twists and turns， I found myself uttering the common lie that is 'just one more chapter' over and over。 To really summarize what this book is about， anger and injustice and what war does to people。 Tha "War doesn't determine who's right。 War determines who remains。"Wow， this really was just *chefs kiss*First of all， this book deserves the hype， completely and truly。 I felt like I knew the characters and yet they surprised me in ways that made sense， the settings were vivid， the story was full of twists and turns， I found myself uttering the common lie that is 'just one more chapter' over and over。 To really summarize what this book is about， anger and injustice and what war does to people。 That's all presented to us through our protagonist and I found it realistic yet still heartbreaking。 It's not that I'm tired， per se， of protagonists that try to do what's morally right at all times， but it was just so interesting to analyze a protagonist that was finally faced with actual situations where there was no right or wrong answer， just who was willing to be sacrificed and for what。 This is one of those books that seemed to look into my soul and tell me things about humanity that I already knew but didn't give time to fully think about。 And for that， it will receive five stars。 A perfect blend of fantasy and history， this book gripped me， and by the end， I was hurting and ready to read the next book in the series to put myself through it all over again。 TW: War， Violence， Mentions/Descriptions of Sexual Assualt and Rape， Child Abuse， Genocide 。。。more
Nadine
，
Klasse bin gespannt wie es weitergeht 👌🏼👌🏼
Christy Wahl
，
I couldn't do it。 I pushed all the way through to 70% and just couldn't handle the "I love you， you don't love me" plot line。 It really bothers me that the YA genre is so saturated with star crossed lovers and relationships built on lying or deception and protagonists that describe themselves as plain， unremarkable and even ugly。 In an age that is so filled with the 'what about me' cries and the daily noise of everyone clambering to be first， I feel like reading/watching and submerging oneself i I couldn't do it。 I pushed all the way through to 70% and just couldn't handle the "I love you， you don't love me" plot line。 It really bothers me that the YA genre is so saturated with star crossed lovers and relationships built on lying or deception and protagonists that describe themselves as plain， unremarkable and even ugly。 In an age that is so filled with the 'what about me' cries and the daily noise of everyone clambering to be first， I feel like reading/watching and submerging oneself in the self-seeking and self-pitying worlds of modern YA fantasy only exacerbates the lost and depressive outlook of so many that are drowning in loneliness in our culture。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Poppy War
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Poppy War&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Poppy War&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0