I was not ready for this series when I picked it up. I bought the audiobook after having seen other people talk about it on Goodreads, expecting it to be good, but having no idea it would become one of my favourite books to have read this year.
Title: The Poppy War
Author: R.F. Kuang
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication date: May 1st, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Content warnings: Genocide, abuse, drug use, suicide, self-harm, rape, torture.
Synopsis
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.
Review
What do you do when the world tells you that you are nothing? That you will always be nothing? You fight, and spit in the faces of all the people who ever doubted you. This is what Rin, a dark-skinned orphan, marginalised because of her economic status, her gender, and her skin colour, does. She is determined to win a place at Sinegard, the elite military academy. But once she is there she realises that she is still a target, and that everyone around her will treat her like she is nothing. Bullied and humiliated by her classmates, she finds herself caught up in a war that goes beyond the boundaries of the school.
Don’t be fooled by the description of this book. It is not a cute story about a girl who goes to a school and finds out that she is the chosen one. It is a devastating story of the cost of war, and how those in power will do terrible things to keep it.
From the moment I started this book I adored Rin. She isn’t always nice, but you don’t have to be nice to be worthy. I could understand a lot of her anger. She’s furious at the injustice of being viewed as nothing by everyone around her. It is her desire to break out of the life other people are crafting for her that gets her to Sinegard. She starts the book as someone who isn’t perfect, but who I think many of us can identify with. And as the novel progresses we get to witness her descent, and how rage twists her until all she can do is fight for more and more power. I hurt for her, and all that she was becoming.
Some of my favourite moments are when Rin is training with her instructor, Jiang, who is honestly one of my favourite characters. What she learns with him really stayed with me as I read the book. I love that Jiang on the surface seems like comic relief, but there are moments when you can see the awful pain that he has locked inside of him. He tries to teach Rin to do the right thing, and cautions her from using her power like Altan Trengsin has. Altan, one of the most brilliant students the school has seen in years. Brilliant, but deadly and utterly damaged by the things that have happened to him.
I felt like Altan was written so, so well. There is a heart-breaking moment where Jiang speaks to Rin about Altan after the trials, the exams the students must go through, and it absolutely broke my heart. Whatever we think about Altan as readers, it’s so clear that he was used by pretty much everyone around him. They made him what he was. The system took and took from him, until he became the person we see in the book. And it is so tragic, because it is exactly what happens to people in real life.
“You needed it more than anything,” Jiang said sadly. “I’m so sorry. I should have fought to save you. You were a scared little boy, and they turned you into a weapon. And now . . . now you’re lost. But not her. She can still be saved. Don’t burn her with yourself.”
I can’t say I like Altan. But there is a difference between a person who has everything and chooses to do bad things, and a person who has constantly been oppressed and marginalised, and who is driven to do bad things through their anger. This is why I hurt for Altan, as I hurt for Rin. Yes, he does terrible things. And I know there are readers who will say that he is bad, and nothing more because of this. But I don’t think that’s true. As I said, there is a difference between those who are at the top and still choose to hurt, and those who have had everything taken from them and fall into those behaviours out of desperation. So many of the characters in this book were abused children, who could never leave behind the things that were done to them.
There is also a vibrant cast of side characters. Particular favourites include Kitay and Nezha. I loved how the author really captures humanity in every character she writes, even those who do terrible things. Most of us aren’t all good or all bad. And the complicated dance between doing good things and bad, and what that makes us, is illustrated so well in every single character.
“We are at war,” Kitay said. “And you are being evacuated because for gods know what reason, you’ve been deemed important to this country’s survival. So do your job. Reassure your people. Help us maintain order. Do not pack your fucking teapots.”
This book manages to be extremely character driven, with an engaging plot, and perfectly crafted world building. It really is an incredible piece of literature and it was such a privilege to read it. I loved the history and politics that was present throughout the book, and how we get such a clear sense of the many cultures and people present within the world and their relationships to one another.
I felt like sobbing while reading, even at the start of the book when it wasn’t so desperately sad. This book touched my very soul and it was everything I had hoped for and so much more.
“War was not a game, where one fought for honor and admiration, where masters would keep her from sustaining any real harm. War was a nightmare.”
R.F. Kuang manages to capture the bleak reality of war without making me feel like any deaths were thrown in unnecessarily. This book is tragic and painful, but there are also quiet moments, and moments where I laughed out loud. She captures the reality of life, how even in the most painful of times, there are light moments. I finished this book with an overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss, but also looking forward to what would come next.
I could talk about the entire series for days, if given the chance. If you want to read about politics, magic, colonialism, war, survival, this is the book for you. I highly recommend the audio version which is read by Emily Woo Zeller.
Get a Copy
You can buy The Poppy War at:
Find more of my reviews over on Goodreads and check out my review policy to contact me about book reviews and other related events.
Discover more from Catch These Words
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.