Book Title: The Poppy War
Author: R. F. Kuang
Series: The Poppy War #1
Date Started: August 14th 2020
Date Completed: August 21st 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Adventure
Quality Rating: Five Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Star
Final Rating: Four Stars
Review:
◆ Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this eBook copy for review ◆
I enjoyed The Poppy War, but Kuang upped her game very fast into one of the most impressive high fantasy war novels I've ever read. It handles a very dark and complex story with the maturity, imagination and heart that few writers I've come across even come close to.
It's maybe a little misleading to just summarise this book as a war story because it feels much more like a fantasy adventure, but it is ultimately a mix of politics vs. strategy vs. action. And it's all grey area, with morality you have to learn as you go, which is so engaging. I feel like I'm playing a game of chess just reading it, trying to work out who to root for and trust. It's doubly effective when you have such a compelling and flawed character as Rin at the centre, making those tough decisions and having to live through the consequences. The magic system also works perfectly with it; I sometimes forgot I was reading a fantasy novel because the shamanism is layered so well into the worldbuilding and is totally believable.
What I think jars most people about these books is how graphic and grim and violent they can be, but there (so far) hasn't been a moment where I feel like it's not being taken seriously. The killing and the hurting and the terror aren't indulgent or used for excitement, and arguably not always even plot devices; it's treated with the maturity and depth needed. There were a few points in this book where my stomach turned when things nearly crossed too far for me, but actually Kuang plays the balance well.
A little sidenote for me is that Kuang writes exactly the kind of romance I love; where it doesn't have to be said between the two people or even to the reader because it's clear they care deeply for the other person. The fact that it's rooted in friendship is another element I adore and think frames it so well in a novel like this, where the character's personal lives aren't necessarily the main focus but inevitably affect their motivations and decision-making.
I absolutely loved The Dragon Republic, and if the next book jumps up in intensity and/or emotional involvement then I predict tears. Seriously, how much is The Burning God, the final book in this series, going to kill me?
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