Lee Hunts

I just finished reading The Burning God, by R.F. Kuang. This is the final book in the Poppy War trilogy, a grimdark fantasy series based on Chinese history. This book picks up right where the previous one left off. Yin Vaisra has made a deal with the Hesperians, and he is now the ruler of the Nikara Republic. Rin and Kitay are now in the South, taking part in the Southern rebellion against the Republic. This book details the next bloody chapter in Nikara history as Rin and her followers fight against an insurmountable enemy. Overall, I am not sure what to feel about this book. I did not hate the book by any stretch. At the same time, I continually come back to specific parts of the book that I thought could have been handled better. Overall (No Spoilers) My favorite part of this book was the beginning sequence of events. I thought it did a good job laying the groundwork for everything that was to come, especially the depiction of the fighting: namely, their brutality, how the killings ...

I just finished The Dragon Republic, the second book in The Poppy War Trilogy. In the aftermath of the events of the first book, Rin was left traumatized and addicted to opium. She lost Nehza, a close friend of hers, she committed an act of genocide against an entire country, and her friendship with her only remaining friend is consequently on the ropes. Rin is now forced to rely of the help of people who have no regard for her humanity, as she works to take down Su Daji, the Empress who betrayed her country and set the Federation loose on her people. The book is a fast paced and gripping tale that continually makes you question where the story is headed, and who the real danger is. In true grimdark fashion, the waters are incredibly muddy, and friend and foe are equally susceptible to cruelty and vicious pragmatism. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and consider this to be a very strong follow up to The Poppy War. Overall (No Spoilers) The best part about the book is the overall plot progr...

I just finished reading The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. This is a grimdark fantasy novel based on Chinese history. In particular, it is based on the second Sino-Japanese war that started in the late 1930s, bled into the Second World War, and ends with two atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The novel follows a character named Fang Runin, who is a war orphan, a child left parentless in the wake of conflict and given off to a family who does not love her. She decides to study for a major nationwide exam that would purportedly give her opportunities beyond the impoverished life of a slave that she is confined to. This book is a visceral and violent experience, with nothing held back in terms of the brutality of war, or the troubles of class in the people's lives. The ending most of all, captures the horrors and the bleak nature of war, and what it does to people. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, my enjoyment increasing the further into the novel I progressed. Strid...