Recent Reads: The Poppy Wars and The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????


As so rarely happens, I found The Poppy War on Kindle Daily Deals on Amazon, and bought it, and then a couple of days later, I found out the second book was on NetGalley, and then I knew it was meant to be!

The Poppy War is set in a world where some people can channel gods, which is very useful in fighting wars!  These people are known as shamens, and the Empress is one of the most famous shamens still alive.

Rin is a teenager from Rooster Province when she decides that she doesn’t want to marry the man her guardians have found for her, that might also help their business, and instead she studies for the exceedingly hard exams to get into Sinegard, which is the most elite military school.

There have been two Poppy Wars before, and whilst the the Empire is peaceful now, there is the threat of war from the Federation of Mugen.  









The Dragon Republic is set when Rin has become a very powerful shamen, who channels the Phoenix god, who wants everything to burn.  She’s addicted to opium, and feels like she has no control over her powers, or the whispers of the god.  

They are at war, and Rin’s powers have proven themselves useful to the cause.  But Rin is now joining the Dragon Warlord, and wants to turn the Empire into a Republic, and kill the Empress who betrayed her country.

These are fantasy books, with characters addicted to drugs, who are trying to find their way through horrific acts, to find some kind of life. They are quite long books, each over 500 pages long, but they are telling a good story, and one that I want to know the end of!

The Poppy War was published on 1st May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

The Dragon Republic was published on 8th August 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow R.F Kuang on Twitter, or through her website.

If you’re interested in fantasy books with the same feel, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

1 thought on “Recent Reads: The Poppy Wars and The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang”

  1. Pingback: The Burning God by R. F Kuang review

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