May 2021 Book Review: The Poppy War

THE POPPY WAR

By R.F. Kuang

~Book Review~

*WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!*

IT’S MULAN MEETS NAME OF THE WIND MEETS…HARRY POTTER? Nah, The Poppy War’s heroine Rin has more in common with Jay Kristoff’s Mia from The Nevernight Chronicles or Nona Gray from Mark Lawrence’s Book of the Ancestor series. She’s not an assassin, but Rin is a tough-as-nails overachiever and morally gray decision maker—she doesn’t bat an eyelash over parting with an adorable pig she carries to the mountaintop every day for endurance training, she self-inflicts wounds to stay awake in order to cram for the Empire’s Keju test, and she is so devoted to being the best solider of her class that she gives up her ability to bear children.

In other words, we have a memorable heroine who makes messy and difficult choices! Rin is very much the heart of this story and I was heavily invested in Part I to see what our peasant underdog would do next to survive at Sinegard, the elite military school of the Nikara Empire (a fantasy depiction of China made up of provinces named after the Zodiac and influenced by the Second Sino-Japanese War and the consequences of the opium trade).

Part I of this book is an excellent thrill ride. Against all odds, peasant orphan Fang Runin “Rin” (Mao Zedong influenced) scores high enough on the Empire’s merit test to earn a spot in the elite military school Sinegard, where the best in the Empress’s army are forged to face threats from the Federation of Mugen (Japan influenced) and Hesperia (The West influenced). Rin is a firecracker. While she forges one friendship with the adorable and strategic genius Kitay, she’s largely set against a hostile upper class who despises everything about her from her dark skin down to her impudence to take a spot away from one of their own. Rin largely responds to these threats with her fists, especially tangling with wealthy rival Nezha more than once (and yet, she also can’t help but notice how handsome he is, cuing Zuko reform arch on the horizon!)

Rin is also drawn to the mysterious and powerful Altan, an upper classman who defeats any opponent he faces. He comes from Speer (Taiwan influenced), and is one of the only survivors of the island nation after a horrific explosion, rumored to be tied to the merciless deity known as the Phoenix. More painful still is the Nikara Empire’s hidden role in Speer’s demise. As Rin delves further into her studies, she discovers her own connection to the disturbing powers of the Phoenix and her aptitude for shamanism, which leads the eclectic and humorous Master Jiang to take her under his wing.

Like I said, Part I is a rousing page turner that doesn’t shy away from the consequences of war and establishing Rin as a character who will follow through on her actions no matter the cost. I loved the conversations about strategy and the tests of the academy, as well as her relationship with Master Jiang.

Unfortunately, the book detours in the second half. After developing Sinegard and Rin’s classmates so well in Part I, the story suddenly does an about face after the Federation attacks. Rin is dropped into the middle of war, which could have worked, except she’s assigned to a special Shamanistic branch of the Empress’s service called the Cike. Kuang now has to develop an entirely new set of characters in the Cike, who each have their own magical powers. We’re essentially starting over watching Rin build relationships with each of them—in the middle of a war, which should be when the urgency is at its highest. Instead, this approach to introduce an entirely new set of comrades throws off the pacing and tension, and also leaves the reader confused, not invested, and wondering what’s going on with Nezha, Kitay, and Venka. Rin as well undergoes a facelift of sorts being quite submissive toward her new leader, Altan, as the Phoenix pulls them in different directions and pushes them to answer how far they will go to win the war.

Nevertheless, this is great military fantasy and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Rin’s school friends and enemies. The series continues in The Dragon Republic and The Burning God. For more on historical influences behind The Poppy War, check out this great post by Kevin Kaichuang Yang here: https://readbytiffany.com/2020/11/15/everything-you-need-to-know-before-you-read-the-poppy-war-by-r-f-kuang/

Recommended for fans of: Fonda Lee, Alison Goodman, Mark Lawrence, and Jay Kristoff