The Poppy War

I loved this book. The magical academy element at the beginning had me hooked, the fact that Rin had to work and struggle for her abilities and her place in the world, and the likeable characters all kept me hooked. I admit I lost a slight bit of interest in the beginning of the second half, because I didn't care much for the descriptions of military strategy, but my attention was caught again and I kept it until the end. I'm looking forward to the second book in the trilogy.