The Poppy War

The best way to describe this book is just lame. It's lame. It's boring, plain, and unoriginal.

I found out it was inspired by Chinese history, which I found interesting and cool. But then I realized the author was a Chinese American who was born in America. This directly coincided with the very warped depiction of China throughout this book. These issues aside, I think the book just simply does not bring anything to the table.

I think my disappointment stems from the overhype that this novel had. They said it was the next best fantasy debut, the best fantasy of the modern era. But I found that to be completely untrue. You can't just reforge ideas made in the past, copy them but make no apparent change or own originality and call it a day.

Let's start with the world. Every fantasy novel the first thing you want to do is open the map and take a look. But what I saw before me was some lame ass place with just a few labels and provinces. That's when I knew this novel was gonna be lame...

Our story is about a peasant girl who somehow aces the exam to go to the best school in the country or whatever. This is a concept that I have seen so many times, but I have never been so flabbergasted at the way the author decides to depict the girls struggles. Sometimes I have an issue with characters having something known as main char syndrome, where for some reason everything is shaped around the main char. Now this isn't particularly true in this book as the war showing the main char's uselessness in the grand scheme of things is quite interesting (there are many issues with this tho that Ill go into later). However, the fact that Rin can just burn herself and ace an exam that you are supposed to study for your entire life for? Also what even is this exam. If you do the best you go to military school... Please. How does a practical exam even prepare you for that.

Now let's actually talk about the school. So we are told that at this school you learn strategies and implement super interesting tactics to war. So how come, during the fighting that happens in the books later basically none of this happens? It feels so cast to the side, like half the book was just for nothing. Instead of using tactics and strategies that we learn about in the school, they just use some kind of suicide squad with powers. And also these powers are honestly so so lazy.

The most unique part of this novel is the mentor mentee relationship between the gatekeeper and Rin. But the things learned during this are just thrown away. Like ok your supposed to go through all these steps to channel to god, but these suicide squad kiddos can just do it like that? And then we have my biggest annoyance. How useless Rin is. It doesn't feel that she's useless because this is a big war and she's swept in it. No it's because she is so lame when it comes to her power. Like bro u have the Phoenix or whatever but that Atlan guy has it too so what's the point of Rin even existing.

Let me just say right now, I freaking hate Rin so much. I think she is the reason I disliked this book so much. She's so narcissistic and annoying and honestly just so like bratty. Also we are supposed to have this strong female character, but this girl is so infatuated with these random guys like bro I don't careeee about ur dumb romance subplots. She cares so much about what these guys think of her it's honestly kinda just concerning how weak willed her supposed strong female character is.

I can't even remember half the things that happen in this book because it was just so lame and forgettable. The school was done half assed. The world building half assed. The fight scenes are honestly so lame. Even the war part, the part that is supposed to be the highlight of this novel was just not it.

I think one of my favourite stories is Magus of the Library. This novel reminds me a lot about that novel, it it honestly lacks so much in comparison that I found this one to be so so so lame.