The Poppy War was nothing like what I expected, but it was still a unique, darkly compelling and unpredictable story. It was complex and brutal, and it deserves every bit of praise.

My mind is blown. My heart hurts. I’m simultaneously in love with and terrified of Fang Runin. She was brilliantly written, unlike any character I’ve read about before. I loved Kitay and Altan. Jiang amused me. Even Nezha grew on me. I’m invested in these characters and afraid for their lives. Well, at least, the ones that are still living.

Kuang crafted a fascinating world, rich with history and mythology and rife with political tension. I know this was based off of Chinese history, but I unfortunately don’t know anything about Chinese history and can’t contribute to that. I shouldn’t, anyway, since I’m white. Also, I’m in awe of the fact that Kuang wrote this when she was 19 and published it when she was 22. I’m 19 and I can’t stick with a project for two chapters. So much respect.

One thing I appreciate is that there’s no romantic relationship either present or developing in this book. There’s so much going on already, and as much as I love kissing and angst, I think the book is better off without any of that.

I have so many thoughts and no idea how to put them into words. I was surprised by how shamanism was integrated into the world and the plot. One twist involving Rin didn’t have much effect on me, as I remembered something I saw on Twitter and put the pieces together easily. But plenty of other twists shocked and destroyed me. That ending? Painful. [redacted]’s reaction? Also painful.

The slow pacing didn’t bother me. While it seemed uneven, with some intense action scenes followed by a lot of drudgery, Kuang made it work. I was so invested in the second half of the story and I read it fairly quickly. I had to know what happened.

The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because I felt that the time jumps were done a bit awkwardly. They were easy to miss, in my opinion, and in a few instances I had to reread the previous page or paragraph to make sure four months did just pass in one sentence. I understand why it was done, and I wouldn’t change it. I would just make it stand out a bit more.

That, and the last couple of chapters were sort of confusing? I didn’t always know exactly what was happening. The temple scene and the aftermath are mainly what I’m referring to. This is mostly just a personal problem, though.

I’m well aware that this review is a mess, but in my defense, it’s after midnight and I’m also a mess. While The Poppy War is definitely not for the faint of heart—I’m surprised I was able to get through it, squeamish as I am—I definitely recommend it to those interested. Consider me the newest addition to the online masses obsessed with this book. Now, the question is whether or not I dive into The Dragon Republic as soon as possible to find out what happens, or wait a bit and give myself a break before my heart is broken more...

Representation:
• Protagonist of color
• Some side characters of color