The Poppy War

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately was left a little disappointed.

One of the things I loved was the setting - I love anything set in Asia or Asian inspired so I loved that this fantasy world was set in an Asian inspired land. I also enjoyed the setting of the training school at Sinegard, as I love any book with a magical school or training element. Both of these things really gave the story a great start and made the world building an enjoyable experience.

Unfortunately after the great start, I felt like the story plateaued a tad. I didn't feel like the pacing was consistent - when there should have been fast pacing for a lot of action some scenes were drawn out whilst others were sped through where we could have done with a little more description. I think the book was also a little too long, given that this is the first in a series it could have been edited down slightly to make it a bit more of a punchy opening instalment.

I will say that this story is brutal - I believe it was inspired by events in the Second Sino-Japenese war, and specifically The Rape of Nanking which is an unbelievable and little known atrocity in history. There are trigger warnings for literally everything you can warn against, it's horrific to read but knowing it has a basis in history makes it even more shocking. Just be warned parts of this book are not easy to read.

All in all, I did enjoy the book, it's a great fantasy and a brilliant setting, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would.