I'm Reading The Poppy War Series by R.F Kuang

Over the next few months or so I will finally start reading The Poppy War Series by R.F. Kuang! The first book of her’s I read was Yellowface so I assumed she was a satire/contemporary fiction author since Yellowface was so well written and executed as a work in that genre. Imagine my shock when I realized that she has also written interesting science fiction/fantasy novels. The next book in my R.F. Kuang journey was Babel, or the Necessity of Violence which immediately became one of my favorite books of 2024. I loved the world she built, I loved the history that she wove in the story and how much it mimicked the real world. I loved the elements of magic and fantasy she developed and wove into her story and despite this, Babel still felt realistic even if there were large aspects that were not rooted in reality.

Anyways, I’m embarrassed to say that what inspired me to finally pick up this series was a TikTok where one user recommended The Poppy War series for those who like the Fourth Wing series. Then another user stitched the original user saying these two series are on opposite ends of the spectrum. I had heard a lot of buzz around the Fourth Wing series but I accepted it wasn’t for me since I find that I don’t particularly enjoy romantasy as a genre but a good sci-fi/fantasy story will always get me any day of the week.

I don’t know what to expect from this series but I’m excited to delve deeper into the world of R.F. Kuang (especially since I discovered that we both attended Georgetown at the same time, yes she graduated maybe two years before me but that’s not the point). She’s able to develop such complex characters and complex stories and I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes this in The Poppy War series.

Join along for the ride! I don’t have a particular schedule but I’m planning on reading it over the next few months and sharing my thoughts with my internet friends who didn’t ask.