The Poppy War

I've finished this one feeling very conflicted. I think I want to like it more than I actually do.

I really enjoyed some of the plot elements, the lore behind the world, and especially the progression of the lead protagonist over time. She develops into a wonderful anti-hero, that I couldn't help both admonish and root for at the same time. There's just something about this world that I want to read more about, and I honestly can't quite put my finger on why. The cliffhanger ending definitely did it's job.

Yet, despite all of that, there were some deeper flaws that were hard to ignore. The book felt pretty uneven across the chapters, both in terms of quality and tone. There was a definite YA feel to the first third of the book, and more importantly to the style of writing that clashed hard against the content, which at times was gruesome and hard to read. Most secondary characters felt identical to one another, and though their actions were markedly different, when it came to dialogue I could hardly distinguish them. The world building felt a little haphazard at times and shallow, though still interesting. Sometimes characters would speak like highschoolers from the U.S. or would say a phrase that felt super out of place in this type of fantasy world. That sort of stuff made it hard to get immersed and invested in the world.

Even with these flaws, I still found myself enjoying it for the most part. It touches some important ideas about religion, duty, and war. The Poppy War borrows a lot of Chinese history in the early 20th century that was interesting in its own right.

I'll probably end up reading the sequels, hopeful to find some better prose as Kuang hones her craft.