The Poppy War: Why I'll be reading fantasy again

Hey everyone! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written.  While I’ve been busy reading all sorts of books this month, it took me a while to decide what I wanted to write about next. I have a few books I’m still working on which will definitely get reviews, but in the mean-time, let me introduce you to a novel that made me remember why I like fantasy (and why you should too!). I picked this book up on Sunday and read through all 520 pages by Tuesday. It’s THAT good.

Fantasy is a bit of a struggle for me. I feel like being introduced to a completely new world can take some acclimatization, and it sometimes feels like work to learn an entirely new lingo or world construct. This book made me forget that those had ever been concerns. 

I initially picked up the book due to the recommendation of a woman working in Barnes & Noble (thank you, thank you, a million times thank you!). She mentioned that it was a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, and that she couldn’t wait for the sequel to come out in a few months. That amount of praise led me to read the back cover and I was immediately hooked. A bad-a* woman finding her mystical power in a time of war? Um, yes please!

Here’s what you need to know. Rin is an orphan who has been taken in by a not-so-kind “aunt” and “uncle”.  When she discovers she is to be married off to profit the family business, she decides to take the impossible exam for entrance into Sinegard, the top military academy. After taking the exam and being accepted into the school, she begins to learn how to harvest her own fantastical powers, and before she knows it, she’s communing with gods even as war is erupting, once again, in her homeland.

To add much more to this rather brief outline would be to spoil the book. It’s not a coming of age novel, it’s not a teen romance, and it’s not a romantic take on war. The author is currently earning her M.A. in Chinese history, and as such, pulls from her education to bring this world to life. War time descriptions in the book match descriptions from real historical events, and there’s a list of additional suggested reading at the end of the novel if you wish to further pursue the topic. This expertise, in my opinion, makes her writing all the stronger. What you find here is a young woman grappling with the real issues all leaders deal with in war time. Is it ok to completely obliterate an opponent to save your own soldiers? What about annihilating innocent bystanders? If your enemy sees you and treats you as sub-human, does it excuse your decision to behave in a similar manner?

What I truly found in this book, beyond an amazing, half historical and half fictional world, are real life questions all humans face in wartime. This book can be very graphic- war time descriptions are historically accurate and can read like a horror novel to those of us who have never been on a battle field. But they left me pondering the same questions as Rin, asking myself whether I would be able to maintain my humanity in the face of such violence or instead give in to the same tactics as my enemy to protect my own country and people.

This book is extremely well written- it’s easy to follow and I didn’t find myself having to re-read previous portions to better understand situations. The historical setting allows the fantastical aspects to somehow seem more plausible. But more than that, everyday issues are dealt with: fitting in among one’s peers, making peace with difficult life decisions, and deciding whether to take serious risks for a better possible pay off instead of playing it safe. 

The sequel comes out in a few months, and I may be the first in line at the bookstore when it does. Meanwhile, go out and pick up a copy. You’ll thank me later.