I was pleased to be able The Poppy Wars and the two other novels in the Trilogy via Libby.
I enjoyed the opening portions of Poppy Wars as the orphan Rin struggled as Rin, an orphan abused by her opium dealing Foster parents studied to pass a very difficult exam which would gain her entrance to a very prestigious school. Above all she wanted to avoid being married off to an older man so her Foster parents can be paid. When she passes her entrance to the academy and her time there held my attention.
Then war breaks out and Poppy Wars to me devolves into endless violence. I found it becoming a task to finish the story. The characters were obsessed with killing. Maybe the book was just not right for me but I returned the other two books in the Trilogy.
"An epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.
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"- from the publisher
I would say if you are a fan of the fantasy genre, as I am, give the book a try if you can get an E book via Libby
I just mentioned on your post about Yellowface my feeing that I'd not enjoyed Babel as much as others did, and your thoughts on this one mirror some of my thoughts about that one as well. She's certainly popular though.
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