Title: The Poppy War Author: R. F. Kuang Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction Audience: Adult Series/Stand Alone: Trilogy, Book 1 Format read: Audiobook Publisher: Harper Voyager Date read: 13 August 2020 First published: 1 May 2018 Content Warning: Drug use, addiction, general brutality, violence, war
Mini Review: This was such a good, but hard book to read. This is very much an adult historical fiction fantasy set in a world where war and brutal treatment is commonplace; “War” is in the title after all. The characters are so real and vibrant, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in their stories. It was a hard book to put down but left me emotionally a bit raw at the end.
Full thoughts: Our main character, Rin, is a war orphan who has been through a lot and her journey is nowhere near complete when she gets accepted into the most elite military school after acing the Empire wide examination. War orphans, especially dark-skinned peasant girls like herself, aren’t expected to pass the exam, let alone get a top score. Her journey only gets more interesting (and darker) from there.
This is very much an adult historical fiction fantasy set in a world where war and brutal treatment is commonplace. I usually like to escape into my books and this wasn’t really a world I wanted to escape into, but it was a very good and interesting read with realistic characters and situations. It’s also terrifying to know that while this is fiction, it is based on brutal history. I hadn’t realized any of this going into the story and my brain wasn’t quite in the right mindset for it when I started and the topics do make it a harder read. I also think I would have enjoyed it better if I read it myself, not via audiobook. For the next book in the series, I will try to physically read it as opposed to listen to it. The names were also a little bit hard to follow sometimes as a couple sounded quite similar, but that’s on me, not the audio itself.
In the author’s note she mentions several non-fiction resources for information on the Rape of Nanjing, Sino-Japanese relations and the history of WWII in China. She hopes that the popularity of the story helps more people become aware of these histories and I hope so as well.
I definitely recommend this story and am really looking forward to finishing the series and seeing how it all goes for Rin. It’s a very well-written and compelling story that left my emotions feeling a bit raw for a while afterwards, but I’m still very eager to finish the series.
I listened to most of this book via audio but read the author’s note and checked the spelling of some names in the ebook. At time of posting, I now own hardback editions of the books which are so very pretty. I wrote most of this review in August and posted it on Goodreads but have edited it to now post here on my blog.
Let me know if you’ve read this series and what you think, and please no spoilers!
Cover photo is my own picture of the Illumicrate Hardback edition released November 2020.
November felt like it was going slowly the whole time, yet I can’t help but have a feeling of disbelief that it is actually December now. I mostly read ebooks in November so I could highlight/make notes when needed, sometimes I paired it with an audiobook as well. The narrators for the Stormlight Archive series and the Scorpio Races do amazing work and it’s nice to be able to switch between formats, or listen while reading/doing chores/traveling. Not that I travel so much these days, but that’s how it is.
The trick to happiness wasn’t in freezing every momentary pleasure and clinging to each one, but in ensuring one’s life would produce many future moments to anticipate.
Oathbringer, page 150
Overall it was a great reading month, much better for me than October. It probably helped that I spent most of it just reading The Stormlight Archive which is a bit of a safe place for me. I didn’t read the quote here until somewhere in the middle-end of the month, but it’s a good representation of what I’m trying to focus on right now. Lots of things are pretty frustrating these days, but there are still things I can do to make things a little bit better for today and future days, like be kind to myself and maybe not force myself to read something I don’t feel like reading.
Readathons: Continuing my plan from last month, I didn’t join in with any organized readathons as I focused completely on my reread of the Stormlight Archive. I was hoping to finish Rhythm of War this month too, but that would have been quite a bit to fit in, aka another 653 pages.
4129 pages: How can just 6 books finished represent this many pages? Meet the Stormlight Archive, home to super long books of awesome goodness! When November started I was 71% through Way of Kings and when it ended, 47% through Rhythm of War. In addition to the books finished below I also listened to some of the Scorpio Races which I really enjoy rereading this time of year. November cakes anyone?
71.4% TBR: Much better than last month, but still two books short as I didn’t finish Rhythm of War or start the most current Owlcrate bookclub book, Legendborn. Honestly if I had listened to more audiobooks and not written so many reviews, I probably would have finished both but I’m glad I focused some on writing. This is one of the things I’m trying to be kind to myself about and find a balance between my different interests.
For the books I’ve put on my monthly TBR this year I’m now at 89% which I’m pretty happy about. For December I will consider reading a lot of the ones I’ve not gotten to yet this year, but I also have a stack of manga calling my name.
The Stormlight Archive: This is hands down my favorite series and this month I’ve spent a lot of time (re)reading the books and writing reviews. It’s hard to express how much this series means to me, but maybe it’s also quite obvious given how many blog posts have been related to it this month. I love it even more with each reread and every book. Rhythm of War is currently my favorite cover of the four US hardback covers. As for a favorite book in the series… it is so hard to choose one. It might be Words of Radiance, (that ending!!!) but Oathbringer brought everything to a new level of amazing and I also really love them all. It’s also very likely that Rhythm of War will steal the show, but that’s another thought for next month! I’ve tried to include a few quotes in each review and that selection process by itself seems to take longer than writing the entire review!
With that in mind I couldn’t resist including some of my favorite quotes along with the mini reviews below! Let me know if you’ve read any of these and your favorite characters from the books!
“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.”
The Way of Kings, page 806
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson– ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Stormlight Archive is without question my favorite series and it all started with this book, the Way of Kings. A truly epic story, this volume touches upon tough topics in a high fantasy setting. There is adventure, war, (light) romance, found families, religious intrigue, politic intrigue, backstabbing, storytelling, legends that maybe are more than just legends and witty comebacks. This is definitely a long-term commitment but one you will enjoy and reread. Full Review Adult – Fantasy, High Fantasy – Series: The Stormlight Archive, Cosmere
“It frightens me,” Shallan said, “because we all see the world by some kind of light personal to us, and that light changes our perception. I don’t see clearly. I want to, but I don’t know if I ever truly can.”
WORDS OF RADIANCE, PAGE 947
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book 2 of the Stormlight Archive was just as amazing as I remembered it being, in fact probably more amazing as there are a couple of connections I didn’t realize in my first read through. The character growth in this book was splendid. The story centered mostly around Shallan, but our other main characters also have their own arcs and development. The story is delightfully complex and ends on a high note making me want to start the next book immediately. If you’re looking for epic fantasy complete with political and religious intrigue, legends and conquest, look no further! Full Review Adult – Fantasy, High Fantasy – Series: The Stormlight Archive, Cosmere
Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This roughly 40,000 word Stormlight Archive “novella” takes place between Words of Radiance and Oathbringer and follows the adventures of Lift, who we met during interlude 9 of Words of Radiance. Lift is manifesting abilities of the Edgedancer order of Knights Radiant including the ability for regrowth. This is a fun addition to the series, and I strongly recommend reading it before Oathbringer. Full Review Adult – Fantasy, High Fantasy – Series: The Stormlight Archive, Cosmere
Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – ⭐⭐⭐ Oh Dash & Lily, such a great combo for a contemporary holiday story! This is the third book of Dash and Lily, all are set around the holidays, usually in New York but now London is involved so don’t forget to mind the gap! As with the previous stories, this one still felt quite clever despite the overall plot being mostly predictable. It’s possible to read this as a stand alone but I think you’d appreciate the history of the characters more having read the previous books in the series. YA – Contemporary, Holiday – Series
“Storms, I’d hoped … I’d hoped you could tell me, give me an absolute right. For once, I’d like my moral code not to come with a list of exceptions at the end.”
Oathbringer, page 318
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Continuing the epic journey that is the Stormlight Archive, the third full book in the series does not disappoint. Full of adventure, intrigue, wit, relationships, even more character growth, (not to mention Stormlight), this continues to be my absolute favorite series. Oathbringer’s order of Radiant is Bondsmith and focuses on Dalinar Kholin who is still trying to fulfill the seemingly straight forward command of, “Unite Them.” As with all the Stormlight Archive books Oathbringer is wonderfully complex and leaves me eager to continue the series. Truly an epic story in every sense of the word. Full Review Adult – Fantasy, High Fantasy – Series: The Stormlight Archive, Cosmere
Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This novella is a wonderful addition to the Stormlight Archive series! The main POV is Rysn, a Reshi trader we’ve met a few times throughout the series, and now we get to learn more about her and her incredibly rare pet Larkin, Chiri-Chiri. If you are reading the series this is a great addition and sheds some light on a particular type of being we’ve seen before, but received very little insight into. We also get to see some side characters in a more up-close way and join Rysn on an adventure to hopefully find the fabled ancient island of Akinah! Full Review Adult – Fantasy, High Fantasy – Series: The Stormlight Archive, Cosmere
Thanks for reading this far! =)
Please note: Cover images are from goodreads.com and/or my own collection.
PalmKD - Books and Other Nerdy Ramblings 