Have you ever wanted to read a book that gave you a strong female lead and a platonic side character? One with military academies, major battles, and even bigger powers? Have you ever wanted to read a book that infuriates you to the point that you see red? The Poppy War series by R.F. Kuang swiftly and unexpectedly became my most hated and simultaneously, most remarkable read. After taking about a month to get through all three books in the series, I credit these novels with being the greatest fantasy read of my life thus far. Allow me to tell you why.
R.F. Kuang is currently pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literature at Yale University. As an academic, Kuang wanted her stories to be based on something plausible in our own world. Rin’s story, alongside major battles in The Poppy War, are heavily inspired by the Sino-Japanese War and the Nanjing Massacre. The inspiration from the Chinese Opium Wars resides right there in the title. In The Poppy War, Kuang creates a fantastical world around real historical war, colonialism, and exploitation in 20th century China.
At the conclusion of each book, Kuang lays out where she obtained her inspiration in her acknowledgements. From there, I did my own research, desperately wanting to know which of Rin’s horrific war stories occurred in my own world. Far too many of the gruesome battles that I witnessed through Rin occurred in China during the Opium Wars. Unsurprisingly, I had never heard of most of them, but I should have. Alongside crafting a three-book masterpiece full of fire gods, water dragons, camaraderie, and incredibly complicated characters, Kuang also takes on the task of teaching Chinese history to all those who will listen.
This series allowed me to obtain much needed knowledge on the history of China’s near century of war through a story unlike any other. The books, and specifically Rin’s characterization, taught me that main characters do not need to adhere to the wishes of the reader. In fact, maybe they never should. I learned more from Rin than I ever have from a character that was always morally correct.
The first book of the series, The Poppy War, begins with the lead character Rin being accepted into the most prestigious war college in her country. From here, the readers witness her grow in strength, knowledge, and of course, mythical powers. During these major world-building chapters, you meet a character whose drive for greatness is nearly palpable. Sometimes I was sure I could feel her passion right there on the page.
The second book, The Dragon Republic, is entirely different. Through literary whiplash, you meet a weak, impressionable, and young female lead whose only real wish is to get high and forget about her own destructive behaviors. Rin’s fire from the first book seemingly vanishes as she allows the high society men to repair the nation she so desperately wanted to fix. Through a tedious and downright infuriating character arc, my beloved main character was genuinely the bane of my existence as I tried to see her through this second book.
In the third book, The Burning God, there is a new emergence within Rin, primarily in the form of pure fury. Suddenly, the powerful and unapologetic female lead returns and is ready to make the nation right again. Only, when did things go so wrong? This third book felt like I had a blindfold on for the first 1,200 pages of the series, and the character I spent weeks getting to know was so much more complicated than I could have ever guessed. In all honesty, I loathed Rin. I loathed her more than I have ever loathed a main character before.
In my loathing, I recognized the remarkability of R.F Kuang. I knew how much Rin frustrated me. I was painfully aware that she would continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. More so, I understood that she would fail to be the character I wanted her to be, and yet, for some reason, I read on. I never gave up hope, and never felt like I should. Through some kind of literary genius, Kuang made a character that I would usually detest into one I never stopped believing in. Even when I should have. I loved Rin through her most heinous actions and her cruelest words. I loved her even when her own world didn’t. Through Rin’s characterization, Kuang created a masterpiece. The Poppy War is a fantasy that drips with the reality of complicated relationships and complicated people. Rin was proof that I could love someone even when their actions only disappointed me, something I didn’t know I was capable of before.
Maybe you hated Rin right up to the very end. Maybe closing that last page felt like finally being able to breathe again. Great story though, wasn’t it?