I've noticed a lot of negativity regarding The Poppy War Trilogy and RF Kuang in general on Reddit, and after reading the Poppy War Trilogy, I can say that I actually really enjoyed it and I don't know why so many people are hating on it. Prior to the Poppy war, I read Babel, another book by RF Kuang. I enjoyed that as well. However, I personally liked the Poppy War more. I really enjoyed the historical parallels in the book (opium wars, Chinese Civil War, nanjing massacre, the qing dynasty's failure to modernize, etc.) And I thought the message about racism and colonialism (which was also in Babel and from what I know, is also in many of Kuang's other books) was pretty well done.
I've heard many critiques about the pacing of especially the 2nd and 3rd books, but personally, I never got bored when reading them, but I guess that a subjective opinion. I've also heard many critiques of the main character, Rin, saying she is unlikable, a hypocrite, etc. While these are true, I think it was Kuang's intention to make Rin a very messy and flawed character, and I personally really enjoyed those aspects about her. I enjoyed the parallels that were made between Rin and Mao Zedong as well and found them to be interesting. While I agree that the message did seem a bit blunt and in your face at times, and it's definitely not the best book I've ever read, I enjoyed it for the most part, and don't see why it gets so much hate.
If anyone has read the Poppy War trilogy, I would like to know your thoughts on it and whether you agree or disagree!
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