📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖
Book Review from the
Bookster
Title: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang & Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
Book Edition: Audiobook (Physical Copy Available)
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, & War. (Magic Realism)
Warnings: Violence, drugs, and child soldiers.
Series: Yes. Book 1 of 2 of the Poppy War.
The Poppy War is a dark read with a focus on religion, social
class, and politics. The book reads like a pseudo history book based in Asia
and when ruling families still controlled the empire. When the religion was
polytheistic and changed regionally so that these gods were brought to life by
what the region focused on the most (a fishing region has a god specific in
help of fishing that they prayed and gave tribute too). The origin stories of the
gods and heroes are a major part of the world and where the possible magic
realism comes in. As the main character discovers through meditation and
spiritual awakening the world of the gods. Although, her actions do have real
world effect it’s not the majority belief that magic or the god’s ability are
real. (Similar to the Boxer rebellion were they trained themselves spirtualy to
be able to fight against those that where conquering their land. Read-Alike:
Boxer by Gene Luen Yang.)
The main character Rin lived in the country
side as a war orphan putting her in the lowest of the social scale in a society
where upward progression is pretty much a fantasy that the nobles use to keep
the lower class from rebelling. By scoring high on the Keju she becomes an enemy
to the social order and is dragged in to politics of the land.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
*Please note UPL does not currently own this title but those interested are encouraged to ask about inter-loaning it from another library. Also, Bookster listened to this on a different platform and it is not currently available through Nassau Digital Library.
