The Poppy War is the first novel in the Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang.
Finished on: 27.7.2023

Content Note: rape, genocide

Plot:
Rin is a war orphan, living with an unkind foster family who sell opium and exploit her however they can. Now they are planning to sell her into marriage. Rin has only one chance to get out: take the Keju, a national academic test and hope to get placed so high she can get an education instead of a husband. Much to everybody’s surprise, Rin not only passes the test, she is one of only a handful of students to be accepted into the military academy in Sinegard, Nikan’s capital. With war between Nikan and Mugen always a possibility, Rin throws herself into her studies.

The Poppy War is rather exciting with its unusual setting. Despite some very familiar elements within that setting, I am curious to see where the story takes us in the next books. Probably nowhere good.

We get very little Chinese-inspired fantasy, especially not 19th century Chinese-inspired. So that was pretty cool to read, even for somebody like me who really doesn’t know anything about that time and place, except that the Chinese were at war with the Japanese. The conflict between Nikan and Mugen does mirror that. But of course, this is a fantasy novel and not a historical one, so don’t expect an education there.

In any case, apart from the setting, there was a lot that was familiar with regards to Rin’s story at Sinegard. We get all the hallmarks of the classic magic school story there, I’d say, and that part felt a little tired. There are also some elements that left me a little confused, especially regarding Rin’s ethnicity and the way it wasn’t recognized at first and then suddenly was completely obvious.

But it was made up for by the fact that I did start to wonder whether I was actually reading a villain origin story here. The choices that Rin makes, the action she takes, especially in the end, are so bad that I am more than curious to see how Kuang will handle the fall-out in the next books. If it actually is a villain origin story, I would be surprised, but in a good way.

Summarizing: heavy but definitely interesting.