The Poppy War Trilogy: Review

This review on The Poppy War trilogy contains spoilers for all three books.

It might be difficult to do, but I am going to attempt to put all my thoughts together regarding R.F Kuang’s trilogy consisting of: The Poppy War, The Dragon Empire, and The Burning God. To put it simply, these three books comprised a series that will really stick with me. All three were written in a beautiful yet terrifying way, with the real rawness of human emotions and actions entwined together. The books radiate strength, not just from the characters themselves (particularly Rin, the main character who, sometimes, you can’t even call the protagonist or the ‘good guy’ because of her questionable actions), but from the story and events that unfold also.

It’s undeniable that this series is a dark fantasy, one with a complex (yet extremely well-explained) ‘magic system’ filled with shamans and powers that as a reader you sometimes envy. It’s a must-read for those looking for a new fantasy world that is brimming with war and human-created disasters, showing the lengths people go to for power or security. The story itself, that continues from one book to the next seamlessly, is enthralling to read, yet disturbing at times; this makes it even harder to put down. 

The first book, The Poppy War, has contradicting reviews, with some readers expressing that they ‘couldn’t get into it’ and it was ‘slow’ (including one of my friends!); however, like me, there are people happily rating this book five stars (along with the other two books). I would rate it this because of the effective set-up of the story. Without the ‘slow’ parts (which still interested me and kept me reading) that encompass Rin’s time getting into a prestigious military school and her training whilst there, and without the set-up of her background and the world itself, including shamanism and war theories, the rest of book one, plus book two and three, wouldn’t have a strong foundation to sit on. The Poppy War prepares you for the adventure and journeys Rin and the other main characters go on (including her closest comrades in the Cike, and her friends and enemies also- Nezha and Kitay, to name the two most featured in her story). I was still intrigued in the first book and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the initial challenges Rin faced in her small hometown and the war school she attends, which are troubles that seem more and more trivial the further you progress into the series, with the effects of war unfolding and the antagonists that present themselves.

I believe what I loved most about this book was the highs and lows Rin experienced. As a character, she is flawed, like real humans are. She knows what she wants and she doesn’t just take it, she works as hard as she needs to to do so, no matter the cost. In all three books, she fails at times, she succeeds at times and other times there is no winner or loser. There are extreme challenges that face her, and it’s not just a typical case of 'going against all odds, the main character comes out all okay and untouched’- that isn’t the situation at all with these books. All characters are affected by the war, with some losing limbs or gaining facial deformities, some facing mental anguish, and others being driven mad by power. Everyone has an obstacle to face, even Rin.

The trajectory of the story occurs about three quarters of the way through book one, when the story ‘picks up’ and the students at Sinegard are thrown into a real-life situation that they were just studying: war. This leads into The Dragon Empire as the book takes twists and turns you initially don’t expect. You don’t know who to believe or whose side you should be on, as although everyone clearly wants power, they want it for different reasons and aim to acquire it in different ways. The characters continue to be raw and morally grey (this expression is an understatement), and there never really is a fully fledged ‘good guy’. You agree with them at times, especially Rin, then all of a sudden she goes against everything she stands for and justifies doing it. Her closest comrades are shamans, war strategists and warriors; all of which become real, as though they don’t just live on the pages themselves; this is because of the impeccable writing style R.F Kuang possesses. The characters aren’t the only concepts that are real and raw, but the world itself. The realities of how the world is in real-life creeps in, with social class, politics, poverty and hierarchy all playing a part; but the concrete descriptions of the fantasy world that you live in in-between these pages is palpable. It’s as though the world is right there, in your mind, all the dots and lines connecting together with no missing pieces. Kuang’s world-building is enviable, with her ability to form a world parallel to the one we know but still so different at the same time.

In The Dragon Empire, the fighting and battles slow down slightly, with the focus being on malicious political actions and motives. The real effects of war are outlined in this book, as well as the third, and you have to face the consequences of the character’s wanting to fight and gain power. The continuous wars, which switch leaders and political alliances throughout the books, all affect the social and economic fabric of the nation- starvation and famine are thoroughly described, with floods and fires all being by-products of the war itself (which normally would be considered natural disasters, but in this war are actually caused by people themselves, as they go to great lengths to win).

I’d dare say The Burning God was my favourite- it was the perfect last book in a trilogy, in which the character’s endings were well executed and their stories rounded nicely to a finish. Yet, the ending still posed questions as to what would happen with the nation later and whether the country would survive the wars that have shaken the country to its core. Considering the Hesperians were the ultimate enemy in the end, the main Hesperian characters that arrived in book two didn’t appear much in the third book; but then again, I suppose it was from the point of view of Rin and her team, not the Hesperians. Though, it would have been interesting to see the war from a different perspective; Nezha, who was first Rin’s enemy at school, then a close comrade and friend, then again her enemy as he sides with the Hesperians, clearly went through a lot of turmoil with the Hesperians, their religion and their opposition to shamanism. But, this was only revealed at the end, when it was too late for closure or reconciliation. I appreciated the ending, and it did pull at my heart strings as Rin and Kitay, who were bonded together, died in each other's arms and Nezha was the last standing out of the trio. Rin sacrificed herself for the sake of the nation, as she knew the Hesperians would not stop while she was still alive. Kitay did the same, and with them bonded together, it was more of a (gruesomely) satisfying ending than if everyone lived happily ever after. Never in a book I have read has the main character died, especially in that circumstance, and especially with their best friend and closest companion. But, I knew that was the only way the book could end and the story could work in favour of the whole nation. Even if Rin made questionable choices throughout the years and let her anger and need for revenge drive her, in the end she made the morally correct choice and did what she knew would be best for the country she had recently just conquered.

The title of the third book leads me into discussing the Gods and the part they play in these books. To be a shaman, you must channel one of the 64 Gods in this fantasy world. The Pantheon, the spirit realm where the Gods live and fight, is well-described and the concepts of this world and the real physical world plays an important role in Rin’s journey, especially when she is learning to become a Shaman. She channels the Phoenix, the God focussed on revenge, hatred and anger, who uses these emotions to fuel fire through Rin’s body and orifices. At times she was overcome by the white-hot rage within her and her want for power, all which reflect the Phenix’s very desires, but she learned to command it and use it to her advantage. 

Others in the Cike, the group of Shamanas shunned by traditional society, have connected with different Gods, from the Monkey God to the Water Dragon God. Each character struggles with their relationship with the different Gods, and each knows that they will either die in battle or end up with their mind taken over by their God, driving them mad. The consequences of the Gods and the power they have and in turn pass onto the Shamans all make sense, and I never had any questions as to why or how anything happened, because the strings were all tied together by Kuang. There were, of course, naturally questions throughout the book, but the ultimatums given to Shamans always made sense because of the risks involved when partnering with these dangerous Gods. The theme wasn’t always man versus Gods, but it was even man with Gods. They worked together, even if there was a price to pay. 

A theme of religion ran throughout, but not as detailed as modern day religion now. It was more about believing in the 64 Gods and using their power, but the Hesperians did have a religion. They were a very religious group and this is what drove their choices and want for invasion- in a way their beliefs and theories of existence reflected that of modern day religion and relationships with a Christian God. They were the true enemies in this series, with them mainly taking the stage in Book 2 and 3, and being a driving force for the war. Even with the characters you hated, including the Hesperians and the leader of the Dragon Republic's army (Vaisara- Nezha’s father), you couldn’t help but love how vivid you could imagine them because of the author’s writing style. I could hear how they talked and see how they walked and acted, and I experienced this with the characters I loved also, those being Rin and the other members of the Cike. The writing style and detail put into the characters, and the perfect dialogue, intensifies how I felt for each character. In fact, the dialogue always had a purpose and was a window into who that character was, their history and motives, and their opinions and thoughts.

It was my love for some characters that ultimately made the book hit me so hard; there were a lot of deaths, which made the book even more realistic in a sense, because there wasn’t the usual trope of ‘the main characters always live and are never hurt despite all odds being against them’. I mentioned this earlier also. Some parts of the book were painful to read because of this, and its brutal nature was evident throughout the whole series. Such as, the death of Altan, who was Rin’s mentor and the leader of the Cike (until Rin took over after his death). Despite being saddened by his death in The Poppy War, part of me really thought he had survived and would show up later in the books- we didn’t actually get to see a body, and his death was only told. But, alas, he did in fact die. When the rest of the Cike died, one by one throughout the book, the whole group falling apart was what broke my heart the most. Their deaths were heartbreaking, and it was real in the way that there were no goodbyes and no closure before their deaths. There were unspoken questions and answers between the comrades, and this made the moments all the more poignant. Each of them had their weaknesses and strengths, and these were even highlighted in their deaths- in the way they died and the reasons why they did.

Overall, the trilogy was hard-hitting, raw and emotional. There was incredible depth to the books and the storyline had so many layers. Although the pacing could be slightly off at times, and towards the end the war just kept on going and going, I was still intrigued and the realness (despite it being a fantasy…) of the characters and world was always palpable and made the reading experience enjoyable. I’d fully recommend this series to any fantasy reader (in fact, I recommended it to my Grandad who has been a fantasy reader for years, and he thoroughly enjoyed the books too!). R.F Kuang’s writing is a masterpiece, and the emotions and facts conveyed through the story (which I have read that is even derived from some real history) were extremely impressive considering this was her first trilogy. If you want a series that is a real page-turner and has characters with incredible depth to them, I’d say this trilogy is the one for you.

About The Author:

Chloe D'Inverno is the Founder and Editor-in-chief of Everywhere Publication. She created this online blog to create a community for writers so she could share their work as well as her own. Working full-time in marketing, this is a side project of hers. In her spare time, she loves to read and write (and work on Everywhere Publication!).