One word for The Poppy War: UNHINGED! I’ve listened to/watched R.F. Kuang’s interviews, so I’m not entirely shocked that this brilliance came from her.
I even bought four of her books before I ever read a single word she’d written. That was the kind of trust I had in her.
Any book whose religious themes I enjoy ranks pretty high for me. In The Poppy War, it’s done so tastefully and tied into a bizarrely unique magic system (and some parts of the world-building) that had me speaking in expletives.
The world-building is so fascinating, so original, and so detailed! R.F. Kuang’s writing is so good! She writes beautifully with very evocative and unflinching description/narration.
The themes (colonialism, imperialism, war, identity, PTSD, oppression, morality, culture, etc) were explored in a thought-provoking manner (my head is still reeling from everything swirling in it) and woven masterfully into the narrative and plot.
The plot itself is intricate, gripping, and epic in scale. The characters are multidimensional, nuanced, and complex. It was so interesting to read about them and their motives, oftentimes selfish, but totally understandable and somewhat justifiable.
The MC, Fang Runin, is CHAOTIC! When you check the thesaurus for feminine rage, her picture is right there staring at you. She’s always right and everybody else is wrong, FULL STOP. PERIOD!
The hype did not lie! I loved The Poppy War a lot and enjoyed it from the first page to the last! I’m excited for the rest of the series. A must-read for lovers of fantasy books!
