the poppy war book tag! (in which i write 1k+ words about my favorite series)

[this post is dedicated to all the friends i made through The Poppy War! i love you all.]

well, hello there people!

i have not so recently been tagged by my lovely friend vee to do the poppy war book tag! and what more to do to express my undying love for this series that dedicating a whole post into it because, well, i believe my twitter followers have had enough of me screaming about it (just fyi, that doesn’t mean i will stop, watch me scream about the poppy war for years).

this tag was created by Vee @ Vanshika’s Books, Nandini @ Novels and Nebulas, Krisha @ Bookathon! so special thanks to them!

fang runin – who’s your favorite anti-heroine?

art by JungShan Chang

i believe there is no better answer than fang runin herself. rin can literally destroy nations and commit arson and i would think: “step on me”. i especially find it exciting and amazing how we got to see her develop throughout the series. she changes so much, and i guess it tells the readers how war can change people.

fang runin goes from this simple girl living with a family in the countryside, and, believe me, she’s a whole other person by the end of The Burning God.

chosen one schmosen one – which character deserves more spotlight in your favorite series?

for me it would be venka (from The Poppy War). though we witness her struggles throughout the series, she goes through a lot of development. i find her in general to be such an interesting woman, in the way that she deals with her trauma and the way she holds herself. you can especially see the turning point in her arc in the first book, and while it hurts so much, i do think r. f. kuang has done a wonderful job at crafting it.

no stone left unturned – who’s your favorite fictional genius?

the answer is a tie between kitay from The Poppy War and annabeth chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

listen, i cannot express how much i love kitay. i think many fans of the series agree that he’s one of the few characters -if not the only one- that deserves a happy ending. he is such a complex character and there are so many layers to him. i can’t explain how he makes me feel (given i’m not gifted with words all i know is how to scream). the fact that he is an academic genius and his feelings towards the fact that he’s being used during the war…hits different.

on the other hand, annabeth chase is my baby and i would give her the world. i honestly don’t know how she kept up with the all the other dumb characters for 10+ books. i would’ve bailed out. she is so smart and talented and amazing and sweet and i love her. i loved seeing her grow and become a very strong and gifted woman.

the epic descent – what makes you empathize with your favourite morally grey character?

i think it’s time to talk about my favorite character from The Poppy War… Yin Nezha.

before you come at me (i know you will, especially if you have read The Dragon Republic), let me explain myself. i love nezha. i love how complicated he is, how torn he is between his family duty and what he knows he should do. his actions are not the best (god knows i would’ve smacked his face if he was in front of me), but…i kind of get it? sometimes family has a way of keeping you in chains, and nezha’s gives a high praise to blood links. of course, i do hate nezha in a lot of moments, and he should be held responsible for his actions. but i love him too. does that make sense?

i also think rin is a great answer to this question. i do believe she should be held responsible for her actions just like nezha, and she’s sometimes (well, most of the time) blinded by revenge, but seeing what she went through…i kind of get it too. she is fueled by hate and revenge and to me, it’s understandable.

mad gods & their maddening powers – what’s your favorite novel about gods and their powers?

i want to answer The Poppy War and PJO again… but let’s talk about a new fave that is my current read…Lore Olympus.

art by Rachel Smythe, creator of Lore Olympus

Lore Olympus is not technically a novel since it’s actually a webtoon, but i started it recently and i…can’t stop reading it? it just brings me so much joy and mushy feelings. i love how the creator tells the story of Persephone and Hades in a modern twist? and the art!! THE ART! it is so beautiful i can’t stop staring at it. anyway, if you’re looking to spend some quality time, check out Lore Olympus!

immortals & their battles – what’s your favorite battle scene?

any battle in The Poppy War trilogy that involves Rin and Nezha, especially the one in the first book. for those who read it, you know what i’m talking about.

*internal screaming*

this poisonous beauty – which character do you find as intriguing as you do terrifying?

i’d say jiang from The Poppy War is a character i find terrifyingly intriguing. because his character stays a mystery for a long time, i grew more and more interested in him as i went on with the series. i’ve said this many times to other enthusiats of the series, but i feel like he represents all the memories we regret and wish to forget. his behaviour, especially in the first book, clearly comes because of a background of actions that are revealed until later on. it was also a little terrifying how i kind of related to him at some moments.

clever truth and cleverer lies – what’s a book rife with political intrigue that you enjoy the mind games of?

again, it’s The Poppy War. this series is smart, it’s so well-crafted and so intriguing that it kept me thinking about all the possibilities until the very end. i was so passionate about finding all the similarities to real history, as well as all the symbolism within the story, and my experience was so much better when i was expressing all my feels and theories in my friends’ dms.

a trio to reckon with – who’s your favorite fictional trio?

the complex dynamics between the three complex characters who are rin, nezha and kitay is one i can’t help but adore. it’s fascinating to see how it evolves and what it could have been if everything that happens in the series hadn’t taken place. i love how their feelings towards each other develop and i just..i love them so much.

companions for the darkness – tag your friends!

i feel like everyone and their mothers has done this tag already, so if you see this, you’re tagged!

this was so fun to make and i had a grand time! if you haven’t already, please consider buying and/or reading The Poppy War series because it’s so amazing! i did not expect it to be this phenomenal before picking it up.

have you read The Poppy War series? what were your thoughts on it? let’s chat about it!