#the poppy war
it doesnt go away. it never will.
@litofcolournet event i — characters of color
@fantasysociety game iii — favorite dynamic
↳ fang runin and kitay chen, the poppy warqara’s expression softened. “do you love him?”
“yes,” rin said immeaditely. “more than anyone else in the world.”
My love for Nezha knows no bounds
rin, nezha, and kitay have about four brain cells between the three of them…
and they’re all kitay’s.
Holy Frustration, Batman! I don’t recall a book that made me so frustrated at the main character and the world. The Dragon Republic picks up with Rin dealing with the mental and physical consequences of her actions against the Federation. She is haunted by Atlan’s memory and uses opium as a way to numb her feelings. Her actions in the first 200 pages of the book made me grind my teeth because she reverts to a sullen teenager, however, this quickly ends as the adults around her slap her out of her sulk. Rin’s naivety fades as the Republic prepares to fight the Empress Daji - Rin’s sworn enemy and the villain. But all is not what it seems. And as Rin begins to dive under the surface her desire for revenge often clouds her judgement but she is pulled back down to earth by some of my favorite characters from book one.
Book two was as action-packed as the end of book one but with more dense battle scenes and political intrigue. The magical battle scenes in particular were incredible. They reminded me a tiny bit of Noami Novil. Kuang’s plot twists are evenly paced and keep the reader entertained throughout the 560 pages (this is not a short story). She gradually introduces new characters and sheds light on the Trifecta. It also becomes clear to the reader, that there is no black and white in war. Someone always loses. One of the things that startled me a bit was how ugly the Hesperians were painted. I expected them to be haughty and extremely racist, as the Westerners looking to colonize. Their beliefs in the one god echoed the christian missionaries who arrived in China in the early 1840s. But some of the things Petra said reminded a tad too much of the Nazis. Their belief of the superior race - blonde and blue eyed as one example. I believe the racism mentioned is an accurate portrayal but why blonde and blue eyed specifically? My guess was this was to show contrast vs. the Nikara and the Mugen. In fact, Daji’s back story paints an interesting perspective on the war.
The other aspect of the Dragon Republic that was a little hard for me to believe was the supposed romance between Atlan and Rin. Following the release of the first book, Kyuang confirmed that romance was not a strong plot device. Rin’s feelings of guilt and her confession in the second book contradict this a bit. Unless the love is more platonic? It was really hard to tell. And there is still evidence of a love triangle but it is resolved by the ending.
And what an ending. That is one award you have to hand to Kyang. She knows how to write an explosive ending. Even knowing what Rin and Kitay are planning you don’t really see the plot twist coming.
3.5-4 stars for The Dragon Republic. I loved the Poppy War more but this does not disappoint.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
XX
Susan
P1 Studying for Strategy exam
it doesnt go away. it never will.
i’m reading the poppy war right now and i’m in love with kitay… precious boy <33
I am a force of creation
(insp in the notes)
ahiranyas-deactivated20220421:
@pagesdailyevent two: favourite characters — fang runin
was she now a goddess or a monster? perhaps neither. perhaps both.
the poppy war, r.f. kuang
“We are not madmen. But how can we convince anyone of this, when the rest of the world believes it so?”
the theme of gods in The Poppy War
“We are not madmen. But how can we convince anyone of this, when the rest of the world believes it so?”
the theme of gods in The Poppy War
oh, he thinks. but history moves in such cruel circles.
fang runin and yin nezha: the poppy war, historical fiction.
@pagesdaily: event two — favourite genres.