The Poppy War by Rebecca F. Kuang is a trilogy about a war-torn country filled with betrayals, emotion and all the elements that make a book a thrilling read. This series also shows its inspiration from historical events, specifically the Second Sino-Japanese War. The book follows an abandoned orphan, Fang Runin, and the struggle and obstacles that she faces. 

As an avid reader, I often find myself too critical when it comes to books, and have a very specific taste that I usually read. Despite The Poppy War being out of my usual comfort zone, I enjoyed every page of this series. Throughout the entire series, I was on the edge of my seat, trying to anticipate what would happen next. One of my main critiques of books is that they can be too predictable. This series had none of these issues. 

Another major part of this series is the historical inspiration. If you enjoy fantasy inspired by historical events, this book does it beautifully. It perfectly turns the real historical events into an action-packed fantasy world with so many twists and turns. 

Although this book is incredible, I do have some critiques. To start, this book is incredibly descriptive. While this is definitely a good thing regarding writing style, if you get uncomfortable by death and blood, I would not recommend this series. Also, these books are around 600 pages on average, so if you don’t have a long reading stamina this book might be too long. Another point is the pacing. During the second book, I thought that the pacing became somewhat slow. If you can power through that part, however, it is amazing.

Overall, The Poppy War is a thrilling read that keeps you hooked until the end. While reading it, I felt fully immersed in the world Kuang has created through every word.

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.