“Oh, but history moved in such vicious circles.”
In the grand finale of the Poppy War trilogy, R.F. Kuang writes with increased pace and skill. Rin’s journey is more hard-hitting than ever. The circumstances begin to fall into place with her as a truly monstrous yet compelling anti-hero. Rin, now betrayed in light of the interests of the Republic, returns to the south to stir the millions of common people into a path of vengeance. There, she’s revered as their one and only savior. The goddess who’ll sear everything and everyone on the path to liberation.
There is a sense of lightness in this book. While the aftermath of war is described in a candid and particularly gruesome manner, the story is so tightly packed that the characters are always jumping to and from major battles and events. Characters are killed without remorse or explanation. The only constant is Rin’s surviving trauma and the hatred that fuels her. In a sense, this novel almost selfishly revolved around Rin, and only Rin. While this could’ve worked if Rin’s character development was on par with the rapid pace, the execution left more to be desired. The narrative that followed her inner thoughts was oftentimes repetitive and dense.
Still, one cannot deny that Rin is a compelling character. Her contradicting beliefs versus the reality of her actions and her realization of it all is something that Kuang portrays well, and to devastating effect (as shown by the many heartbroken readers). There is something empty about Rin’s conclusion. Her actions, while morally gray, are written with such honesty that readers can’t help but thirst for more. We become self-centered with Rin. She pulls us in and makes everything else seem inconsequential. Her realization of her actions, in turn, hits us harder. Despite all its faults, this book was effective to a scary degree. It’s an emotional dam waiting to burst.
~4 stars.
