Review by booksonmars - The Poppy War

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

3.5

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

what i liked:

all the characters were wonderfully fleshed out: rin had clear and distinct growth at the beginning, but her tendencies stayed true. she’s stubborn, determined to get what she wants even if it’ll burn her in the process, and watching her grow is and will be an interesting journey.
her relationships with the people around her and how they influence her, particularly jiang and altan. they both represent opposing forces in her life, and i think seeing her bend both ways before ultimately forging her own path showed her vulnerability: how desperate she is to be loved.
the book was more a historical fiction with fantasy elements rather than a full on fantasy, which i loved. with rf kuang i’m always learning something from her books, one of the main elements being the many ways people act for and towards power.

things i wished more/less of:

more of a transition between her and nezha’s relationship. them being enemies was a drawn out battle that had grisly outcomes and was steeped in prejudice. this relationship quickly turns to friendship, and although it is justifiable because they’re in a war, i wish there was more of a buildup to it; both their personalities seemed too clashing for them to immediately strike up a friendship.
i also feel like you were told everything and nothing about the magic system; it felt like a lot of it was rushed and that the use of these beautiful metaphors distracted you from trying to understand it.

i’m still living for rin on her path to utter destruction and chaos, i’m just wondering when i’ll be able to pick up that 600+ page book…