The Poppy War by R.F. KuangMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like many others, I pretty much only found out about this book when there erupted a firestorm about whether or not it counted as YA. Having now read it, I can confirm, along with everyone else, that despite it featuring a teenage protagonist going to an elite academy and learning that she may or may not be the very one capable of really turning the tide in a horrifying new war, it's simply too dark for most teenagers. All the trigger warnings you've heard - racism, sexism, rape, genocide, sterilization - apply. That's what you get when you go into this book, an #ownvoices fantasy drawing on Chinese history, and in particular the early 20th century wars against Japan, for inspiration. That's the world our heroine, Rin, gets plunged into, and this world ain't playin', not by a long shot. It's a violent and horrifying one, and R.F. Kuang...well, this is only her debut, but she's already writing like a pro. I understand this isn't the only book she'll be writing in this series either - she's planning a trilogy, at least. I'll be ready to read the sequels too, but of course I'm sure a lot of the same trigger warnings will still apply going forward, so read with care, my friends.
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