I started the first book in The Poppy War trilogy the summer before my sophomore year of high school; now, four years later, I’ve finished the third and final book in the series, The Burning God. I don’t usually take such a long time to finish a book series, but I found that reading over a long period of time actually worked really well with this particular series. This trilogy spans almost five years, and by the time I finished it, I felt that I had grown up with the characters in a way. Now that I’ve finally completed it, I thought it would be fun to review it and get my thoughts out into writing.
The Poppy War follows Rin, a war orphan from the fictional land of Nikan, who studies her way into an elite university and eventually becomes entangled in a global war. Somewhere along the process, she becomes involved in the shamanic arts, and much of the latter two books deal with her struggle and transformation after becoming a shaman for the god of fire, the Phoenix.
I really loved the way this series incorporated fantastical elements. Often in fantasy novels, it’s easy to get swept away by the fun and appealing aspects of magic. However, the Poppy War series is not afraid to show the devastating consequences of supernatural power. After reading it, you definitely won’t wish you could take Rin’s place and have her ability to control fire. Her otherworldly abilities lead her down a path of vengeance and endless hunger for destruction. Especially in the later books, Rin becomes someone who is harder and harder to sympathize with. She does not take responsibility for the atrocities she causes throughout the war, and she becomes less in touch with her humanity as the fire takes over her mind. Paradoxically, I found myself unable to really hate her at any point in the series, because I had read every step of her journey, ever since she was studying to get into the military university Sinegard in the first book. I thought the series did a great job of fleshing out Rin’s character, and especially the way she changes due to the Phoenix and her own trauma.
Another thing I enjoyed about this series was the way it read almost like historical fiction. This fantasy trilogy draws a lot from East Asian history, making the events of the novels not seem far removed (like fantasy can sometimes seem), but like things that could happen (and have happened) in real life. R. F. Kuang goes into unrelenting detail about the horrors of war. There are plenty of scenes that are difficult to read because of the sheer gore and brutality described. I appreciated how Kuang took a raw and unflinching approach in her writing, even if it was hard to get through at times. Also, the political and social tensions between countries, along with the real issues each individual nation faced (poverty, discrimination, etc.), felt extremely relevant and real. Part of what I love about fantasy is when it shows us a reflection of the problems or issues in our own world through a fictional lens.
Finally, every book in this series was just super fun to read. It’s absorbing from start to finish, and you’ll definitely have a hard time putting it down once you start. If I had to choose, I would say that my favorite of the three was the first book, because I loved reading about Rin’s time at Sinegard, and especially the relationships she formed there. There are so many likeable characters in this series, and it’s super easy to get swept away by the all-encompassing nature of the world Kuang creates. This trilogy deals with some heavy topics, so it would be good to look at content warnings before diving in. Still, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an engaging fantasy series. Overall, this is one of the best fantasy series I’ve read in recent years, and I can’t wait to read more from Kuang in the future.