Synopsis

The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

 

Audiobook Review

More than 5 stars and six stars for the whole series

WHAT A WILD RIDE!

At one point I was so anxious and afraid that I sent a “SOS” to a fellow bookstagrammer, Jeann @happyindulgence who I knew had already read it. And she told me “Oh dear! It gets even worse nearing the end”. Very reassuring Jeann, thanks for the pep talk!

One thing is certain: RF Kuang is like none other author who wrote what some qualify as YA, even if she does not like labels for her series.

You will fear.

For Rin and Kitai. For Nezha. For their world.

You will bite all your nails.

Because Rin will make so many bad decisions or decisions that seemed good but turned bad that she nearly died …many, many times. Or her world nearly ended many times too.

You will be horrified.

Because THIS IS WAR! And not the sugarcoated war we can often read in YA books but the bloody, messy, war with amputated limbs, cannibalism, gore, famine, countless of deaths.

You will be ashamed.

Ashamed at being white Christian (if you are one that is) because that’s how I felt. With the Hesperian’s conquest, their desire to push their religion as the only true religion, their condescending attitude towards Nikan people, their certainty that THEY were right and the others were barely above animals … it truly hit home what we, European, did with our conquests and colonization.

Why would my religion, my culture, my beliefs be above, better than others?

“It’s realizing the future does not include you”

You will be surprised.

When you were convinced Rin was making the wrong choice but miracle happened and it turned out, if not exactly right, less worse.

You will hope.

Because of course there will be victories. And you’ll hope that indeed Rin could win and could keep her world with her traditions. She will care for her people. Unite that empire.

You will despair.

Because you KNOW it’s historical fiction. And when you can’t bear the angst anymore, you will go to Wikipedia to know the outcome of that war, what events happened in China around that time. And armed with your new historical knowledge and with what you know of Rin, of her pride, of her recklessness and of her hungry god, you will think that the outcome seems very bleak. And you’ll despair having your wish fulfilled.

“Rin had realized that her war wasn’t civil, it was global.”

And you won’t be able to stop reading.

I know because I listened to 24 hours of audiobook in less than three days!

That series is a nightmare, it’s torture and wonder all rolled into one.

RF Kuang is an author I fear to read but will do nonetheless because her stories are simply brutally outstanding.

Have you read that series?

Thanks for reading.

Sophie