The Poppy War is the BEST fantasy novel I have EVER read! 

Also, i think it's importanr to note that this is Grimdark Fantasy. Some people go into this book thinking it's "just" a regular fantasy genre and thus, shocked and disliked it because grimdark is simply not what they were looking for to read.

Wuthering Heights for me. Hated it, loathed it in school and now, best classic book I've ever read, hands down. ❤

The 2nd book is better! And the 3rd is perfect. I cried. I was angry. I was hurt. I was amazed. I was in love with the trilogy. The fact that these were her debut, mindblown.

I loved Yellowface and Babel, so I bought the entire Poppy War trilogy. Looking forward to reading the trilogy. R. F. Kuang is a brilliant writer.

I don't like Poppy war at all. Maybe because I am an Asian.

I, too, bow to the queen ✨🕯️Ms. Rebecca Kuang ✨

I'll be curious to see how you think of the trilogy going forward. It definitely kicked me in the teeth more than once during the time I read it. But yeah, this series and Ken Liu's short fiction is what introduced me to the R*pe of Nanjing and Japan's various atrocities in the 1930's and '40's

For me, I couldn't get through Dracula the first few times reading it, I think I needed the right environment to enjoy it properly

I read Babbel and Yellowface expressly because of your videos and devoured them both. Got The Poppy War not long after that. Hyped to getting around to reading this. Also Kuang’s next book due next year sounds ridiculous but almost phenomenal at the same time. I’m so there for it.

Yes. My favourite book (Drawing Blood) is by Poppy Z. Brite. The more I read it the more I love it, even though it's already my favourite book.

war atrocities are hard to stomach, but you sold them with enthusism and historical context, thanks. 🌹

2:00 It happened to me with Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. The first time I read it I sort of liked it. Upon a second read though, I applied a queer lens to it even if the author wrote it with themes of spirituality. That second read changed my life and my own gender queerness and I will reread this book often from now on!!

Willow !! Oh my gosh, it's been awhile since I had a chance to watch any videos (looking forward to catching up) , but always an avid supporter ❤ I am floored at your voice, always have loved it, but wow you are sounding fabulous ! Now let me get back to the video I was so excited !

This audiobook is one of my favorites! Highly recommend it for a reread :)

I didn't like Poppy War but i enjoyed reading the first third of the book. The vibes changed so much afterwards, the first bit was like a whimsical kids tv show and then 2nd and 3rd bits were just too brutal. I was not expecting the shift. I won't be reading the sequels.

I don’t think that’s ever happened with a completed book, but many of my favourite books were ones that I DNFd like 3, 4, 5 times before finally making it past 50% and loving it. Vita Nostra, Fifth Season, Gnomon (incredible. My fav postmodern book and fav dystopia), Rage of Dragons, Jenn Lyons second book, etc

Sold! You have an uncanny ability to sell me on a book!

So I read the first half of Poppy War after having read Janny Wurts, Neon Yang, and Samantha Shannon, and kinda quit as the second part was beginning. This convinced me to go back and give it another read next time I'm in a fantasy mood.

The poppy war is amazing it's my favorite book in the trilogy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amazing to me that she wrote it while she was still a teenager and it was published by the time she was 20. Don't get me wrong--- I taught playwriting for high school students, so I know how creative teenagers are, and how they are capable of writing some really cool stuff. But still... wow.

I'm so glad that you're going to finish out the series! I personally can't choose which entry is my favorite but this is absolutely a series that is greater than the sum of its parts so I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the sequels/whole series. ^_^

Atlas shrugged. 3 goes. Boredom. Rapture. Digust. 🤷‍♀️ I think I recommend it? But *not* because it's good.

Great video. Really enjoyed yellowface, and have put an order in for The Poppy War, looking forward to it!

Oh wow I have Babel and Yellowface. I need to pick up Poppy Wars thanks for the recommendation.

I think it took me a couple of decades to get Madame Bovary. You need to have experienced some disillusions in life and be well acquainted with the word of book to understand the craft that makes this a masterpiece. I deeply loved the poppy war trilogy: I could not put it down and hope you will like the other volumes as I did. Prepare some tissues though.

It's true that in the middle of The Dragon Republic it feels like she gets a bit lost, but wow the ending is so powerful, so much tension and action that it pays off. Now going through the last book, I feel I'm going to miss the trilogy when its over. Thanks for the vid!

Smillas Sense of Snow. It was okay the first time I read it but on my second reading it became my favorite ever. Highly recommend

It didn’t quite become a favorite, but I recently reread Jekyll and Hyde. First read it in high school, thought it was so boring and so slow, was really disappointed. But on the reread I felt like it was funny and thrilling, and now I want to keep rereading it ✨

Not a bad to good, but an excellent to astonishing. The Andalite chronicles. Sci fi body horror for kids. Character trapped in gross alien body tries to sewer slide. I was absolutely always trans.

can readers of this book kindly lmk who the first book is dedicated to? it says "this is for iris" so i was wondering that if maybe it is Iris Chang, the us journalist and author.

Loved how Kuang showed the dark sides of war. In fantasy war is often glorified, it's just a stepstone on the hero's path and to proof their skills. Sometimes it's even portrayed as something epic and beautiful, the great finale and afterwards everything will be fine. In the Poopy War everybody loses, doesn't matter who officially wins the battles or even the war.

RF Kuang is SUCH a master of the second act tonal switch. Now I EXTRA cannot wait for my Poppy War hold at the library to come in :3 Also, it took me 4 discrete tries to get through Gideon the Ninth, and now TLT is one of ny favorite series of all time! I had some troubles getting into the narration style at first, but once it clicked, I was obsessed. Fabulous video as always!! ✨✨✨

My favourite fantasy book, and I am not a Fantasy reader. But R F Kuang's writing is just phenomenal and your articulate and enthusiastic review is now making me want to re-read it right away!

I'm curious if you can direct me to more about the museum that you mentioned and any other reading regarding the massacre. Thanks

You know RF KUANG is my favorite author hahaha I’m so glad this caught you the second time around!!

Both Babel and Poppy Wars are on my TBR list.

First time I read " Master and Marguerite" it didn't hit me I felt in love during the second time I've read it. I have lot of fauvrite books but if I have to chose THE ONE it would be this one. I've read Polish translation, French translation and I want to get the English one for my collection (maybe Spanish would be good way to practice the language, orginal would be complicated); I saw Polish tv theatre adaptation (the cast is perfect), I saw the Russian miniseries (I still prefere our old version), I've listen to the audiobook read by multiple actors so it resembled a radioplay (pretty good) and I will probably search more adaptation and reread the book. It's among the antidepressant reads I go to when I'm not feeling to well emotionally.

🍁📚

Now I’m torn. I’ve liked a lot of your recommendations. But I really didn’t like Babel at all. Now very tempted to read Poppy War, even though I had taken it off my TBR after Babel.

The Magus, by John Fowles. So far, read this novel 5 times and listened once on Audible. Fabulous novel!!!

It was some Jane Austin novels for me. I read Pride And Prejudice in high school and didn't love it at first cause I didn't fully understand it and the language of that time. Social cues were also not my forte back then (and even sometimes now). It wasn't until a few years later, having read up on the history of the regency era and having a better understanding, that I really began to love it. I haven't read it in some time, but I also really love the series with Colin Firth and watch it every year. I watched it a few years back for the first time after finding out I'm autistic and I now truly believe Mr. Darcy is totally autistic, so now I feel I understand it even better and love it all the more. Might be a leap to some, but we're pretty good at spotting our kind in the wild. lol

Afraid nothing like this has ever happened to me before, but damn does this video make me want to read Poppy War! ^_^

Humm... that`s a bold statement... never heard of it. Have to check it.

Thanks! ❤