The Poppy War Collector's Edition (The Poppy War, #1)

by R.F. Kuang

JungShan (Illustrator)

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface comes an all-new, fully illustrated, collector’s edition of R. F. Kuang’s debut novel, The Poppy War. Considered one of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, the story of orphaned Rin’s rise to power gets a fresh look with a full-wrap illustrated jacket and black-and-white interior art by JungShan throughout, plus embossed case, designed end papers, and sprayed edges.

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

• ISBN10: 0063413574
• ISBN13: 9780063413573
• Publish Date: 26 November 2024 (first published 1 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Edition: Collector's Edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 576
• Language: English
• URL: https://harpercollins.com/products/the-poppy-war-collectors-edition-r-f-kuang?variant=41602192080930
• Special: Collector's Edition Illustrated

Reviews

[leahrosereads]

There are so many reviews that will be more eloquent and better thought out than what this mess is about to be, that I recommend just checking out ANYONE else's review. At the end of the day, I'm a one taker who just likes to pour my thoughts out to look back on, and that's about to happen.

THE POPPY WAR is what I hope to read every time I enter a book's world. I wish for fantastically developed characters and intricate worlds to escape into, even if the world isn't exactly a wondrous place. That's The Poppy War.

When we're first introduced to Rin, she's this tenacious teen hell bent on creating a better life for herself. This isn't the typical Chosen One trope. Everything Rin accomplishes is from incredibly hard work (sometimes to the point of abusing herself) and her desire to absolutely NOT be stuck in a life as an orphan war child. She's ruthless and fearless and refuses to give up. She's one of the strongest female characters I've ever read to such an extreme level, I know that there will be some readers who don't agree with her choices. But they're hers. A young woman who knows that if she doesn't succeed here, her life and dreams and hopes will be over.

War is a better path. And that's one of the most tragic thoughts I think I've ever read in a story. Rin chooses a life of war over an arranged marriage.

I genuinely had a lot of respect for every character introduced here to some extent. Rin's teachers are training generals and have a lot on the line, especially with how volatile this world is. Her peers are her competition and see her as a quota that the school has to fill. Of course, Rin shows those fuckers.

And that's just the first part. The rest of the novel has Rin in WAR. And the brutality that comes along with it is written in such details that every horrific act is described explicitly and in uncomfortable details. But that's the point. War isn't a comfortable topic, and it shouldn't be glossed over to keep the reader's mind at ease. You should be just as horrified with what's happening as the MC. And that happens here. So while I was at times uncomfortable by what I was reading, I appreciated RF Kuang for going there and being as ruthless in her descriptions as war is on the world.

This is a fantastic story, and RF Kuang has herself a devoted reader in me. I'm anticipating the next part of this trilogy to be just as gruesome and hard hitting, but I definitely think it's necessary for the topic.

[KitsuneBae]

Right, when's the next installment?

[Leigha]

A young woman tests into a prestigious military school as a national war brews on the horizon.

This incredibly well-written novel, the first in a fantasy series, focuses on the atrocities of war. It's a brutal and multi-layered depiction of a nation and a people torn apart. Descriptions from real-world tragedies, including the Nanking Massacre and the atomic bombings over Japan, weave together effortlessly. I have no doubt this novel will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

The main character, Rin, is scrappy and resilient. Her journey from war orphan to solder to shaman is full of daunting tasks and horrific violence. One of the things I like most about Rin is her ability to accept responsibility for her actions. She makes some tough decisions as her journey unfolds, and not all of them are positive. Secondary characters are less defined than Rin, but no less impactful. Enemies become friends and friends become enemies as loyalties are tested. Essentially, this novel is about choices - the choices you make and the choices made by others. It analyzes the effects of choices from a single person to nations. It's beautiful and brilliant. It's awful and horrific. It's a war story.

While I'm definitely interested in the sequel, I'm so glad it will not be coming out anytime soon. It's going to take me some time to decompress from this novel. I don't recommend reading this book if you are dealing with mental health issues or if you trigger easily. Read this when you're emotionally able to handle graphic descriptions of violence.

tl;dr A well-written fantasy novel about one woman coming to terms with herself and her country. Trigger warnings everywhere.

[Ashley]

4.5 stars - wow that was good! O_O

[Mercy]

What do you do when you don't know how to rate a novel?

I have been thinking about it since I finished this book but I can't decide if it's a 3, 4 or a 5 star read :__

I really liked most of the book, except one part at the beginning when is said that girls almost never make to the highhest ranking academy in the country, I'm still mad about it but I'm kinda okay but just because it doesn't get mentioned again (?. After that, I started to really enjoy the story, Rin is a great protagonist and we can see her development through the book and it wasn't as in other books when the main character learns to be a badass warrior in like a week?? nope, this doesn't happen in The Poppy War. We get to see Rin training and getting beated over and over again and slowly she starts to get better at what she does. She is also smart but she actually spends time doing her homework and studying a lot to pass her exams. So yeah, Rin is a very very realistic character.

As a military fantasy (I think it's the first time I read a military book) it gets pretty twisted and dark at some point. Part III has some specially gruesome parts and if you want to read it you should be aware of the following trigger warnings: self harm, torture, genocide, rape, mutilation and many more.
The story is mainly about war and the role humans have in it, the choices they have to make that often have terrible consequences, part III has some scenes that were so hard to read for me because it was so fucked up that I couln't make myself to continue reading. Although the violence in the book is not a shock value factor but R.F. Kuang uses it to show the nature of war with all its atrocities. This is when I get to talk about what I didn't like, I think it's more because I am still so shocked of what happened and not the fact that it just shows how war is for both bands but there's something almost at the end of the book the part of Rin killing everyone and I guess I didn't like that. It's a shame I can't talk clearly about it because spoilers but now I want to know how the author will develop that in the next books. If she does it in a good way, I will come back and probably give this book a higher rating.

Anyway, The Poppy War is an awesome debut and I wish I could have a clear mind now and write a better review but if you want to read one that I think I mostly agree with (except for the part where I liked the book less) you can read Petrik's review. .