A rather strong follow up to the amazing [b:The Poppy War|35068705|The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)|R.F. Kuang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515691735l/35068705._SY75_.jpg|56364137], where we get to see what happened with all the characters after the war. It's hard, because war is hell and the characters are all very traumatized by their experiences. On top of that, they're thrown in another conflict, this time a civil war. On of the things that I found most attractive about this book is the way R.F. Kuang writes war, with a lot of attention payed to detail and tactics. So kudos to her for actually writting a war book I'd want to read.

Other than that, I enjoy the characters here and the general world building and development of the magic system. The relationships between the characters are also interesting and the tension created between them is realistic enough. I'm eagerly waiting for the last book in this series, because I have rather high hopes for it.