So, I finished The Poppy War. I’m devastated, and I have some thoughts. Let’s unpack if this series lived up to they hype.
📚 Spoiler-Free Reviews:
The first book was tricky. It was good and it was a fun read but it started out very YA coded so I was a little confused about what I was getting into after the reviews made me expect a dark adult fantasy. However, about 60% of the way through it got very violent and gut wrenching. The tonal shift was jarring, but it pulled me into the rest of the series
★★★★☆
The finale was great- the plot pushed forward quickly. It was a very dramatic and slightly shocking ending to the trilogy. There were a few disappointing resolutions to some major plot points/characters but it’s still good. And the ending is unexpected and jaw dropping. If you like having your heart broken, highly recommend.
★★★★☆
⚠️ Spoilers Ahead!
Here are a few things I loved and a few things that disappointed me.
😒 Letdown: The Trifecta Fizzle
Sooooo. We spend three entire books hyping up the Trifecta- tracking down Riga, mourning and reuniting with Jiang, watching Daji dance circles around everyone- and then it all… sort of just fizzles? We travelled across a continent for what felt like an ENTIRE BOOK for the Trifecta to last all of one blip in the story? WHY?!
Rin raises Riga from the dead, reunites the trio, and then drops the whole thing immediately when it (predictably) goes sideways. After insisting that there was nothing that could make her change her mind about releasing Riga!
All that build up for a plotline that lasted one blink. Yes, they took out a few Hesperians, but still, minimal payoff. Why tease the Trifecta just to bench them? Admittedly, I also couldn’t get enough of Jiang and wanted more of him!
💔 Love: That Beautifully Tragic Ending
As usual, Kuang leans into realism over emotional payoff.
Rin accepts that her people are starving and that she herself is too consumed by rage to be a real solution. Her death is sort of redemptive- she’s able to overcome that need to destroy that has consumed her for years, but not quite enough to live with that decision.
She dies not fully a hero, leaving Nezha now saddled with trying to accept Hesperian aid without erasing Nikara’s identity- a challenge Rin admits she does not have the will to be around for.
Everyone loses, but something is salvaged.
Barely.
@Poppy on Pinterest
🔥 Love: Rin’s Post-Victory Spiral
Rin has a massive victory at Arlong, but cannot accept it. After her win she becomes restless, paranoid, and itches for the next fight. Watching her split at the seems is difficult, watching her turn against Kitay even more so. But again, the Rin we know and love knows nothing but fight, anger, and trauma. While she’s grown as a leader, that much has not changed. But let’s face it, that makes complete sense. Yet another example of Kuang’s ability to weave together tragically realistic plot that accepts human imperfection.
“The point of revenge wasn’t to heal. The point was that the exhilaration, however temporary, drowned out the hurt” -Rin, The Burning God
🫂 Love: The Platonic Soulmates
Kitay and Rin’s friendship throughout the trilogy is beautiful. They’re not lovers, but don’t need to be. This story is not a romance, in fact, Rin has terrible taste in lovers- but wonderful taste in friends. In a genre overflowing with romance, these two are literally platonic soul mates- and I love the refreshing change.
Watching them fracture, heal, and ultimately die together is devastating, and honestly, kind of perfect.
“Rin and Kitay were bonded in a way that he could never understand, and there was no world where Rin died and Kitay remained alive.” -Nezha, The Burning God
😞 Letdown: Venka’s Fall
Venka was one of the most quietly powerful characters in the series. Her friendship with Rin, scarred, resilient, and slowly built, was nearly as moving as Kitay’s.
Her survival at Golyn Niis and the retelling of her trauma was one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the trilogy. And yet, she emerges, emotionally scarred, but fierce. She chooses not to lose herself. That journey ending with Rin’s growing paranoia turn on her was brutal.
What’s worse is that we never get clarity. Did Venka really betray her? Or was she loyal to the end? I would have been okay with the twist, but that ambiguity made her death feel less significant when it was, in fact, a devastating end to a wonderful character. Venka deserved more than a question mark.
Venka and Rin by Polartss on Redbubble
Final Verdict:
Was this series perfect? No. Was it ambitious, messy, brilliant, and real? Absolutely. Kuang didn’t write this to comfort us, or to fit neatly inside the box of a fantasy series with romance and wonder, she wrote it to provoke. To confront us with uncomfortable truths, to challenge our assumptions, and to make us question who we root for and why. Mission accomplished.
@feluart on IG
Third thoughts 
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