
The Poppy War
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Emily Woo Zeller
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By:
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R. F. Kuang
About this listen
A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s 20th century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N. K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.
When Rin aced the Keju - the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies - it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard - the most elite military school in Nikan - was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the South is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power - an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive - and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away....
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity...and that it may already be too late.
R.F. Kuang studies modern Chinese history. She has a BA from Georgetown University and is currently a graduate student in the United Kingdom on a Marshall Scholarship. The Poppy War is her debut novel.
©2018 Rebecca Kuang (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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The Kaiju Preservation Society
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food-delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization”. Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world.
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I'm listening with a permanent smile on my face
- By Lucy A. Pithecus on 03-15-22
By: John Scalzi
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Malibu Rising
- A Novel
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva. The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself.
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Malibu Sinking
- By SB on 06-01-21
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Belladonna
- By: Adalyn Grace
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother.
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The narrator is amazing!
- By Nemofishy on 10-05-22
By: Adalyn Grace
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Ariadne
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur.
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We've been spoiled for choice
- By Stefan Filipovits on 05-04-21
By: Jennifer Saint
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All the Dangerous Things
- A Novel
- By: Stacy Willingham
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally. Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year. Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever.
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Wow
- By Rachel on 01-10-23
By: Stacy Willingham
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The Cruel Prince
- The Folk of the Air, Book 1
- By: Holly Black
- Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him - and face the consequences.
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Mixed feelings . . .
- By S. E. on 03-09-18
By: Holly Black
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Once upon a Broken Heart
- By: Stephanie Garber
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged.
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Disappointing
- By ShawnieT on 11-02-21
By: Stephanie Garber
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The Shadows Between Us
- By: Tricia Levenseller
- Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power: 1. Woo the Shadow King. 2. Marry him. 3. Kill him and take his kingdom for herself. No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it. But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king.
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Excellent and Unique
- By English Teacher on 03-04-20
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If We Were Villains
- A Novel
- By: M. L. Rio
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Oliver Marks has just served 10 years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.
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Fake deep with a side of bland
- By Amazon Customer on 06-14-18
By: M. L. Rio
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Empire of the Vampire
- Book One
- By: Jay Kristoff
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 27 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.
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So good
- By donna on 09-16-21
By: Jay Kristoff
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This Is How It Always Is
- A Novel
- By: Laurie Frankel
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it's another baby boy. At least their large, loving, chaotic family knows what to expect. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.
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Story mirrors our life -- to a point -- spoilers
- By 1mom3kids on 11-14-17
By: Laurie Frankel
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American Prometheus
- The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
- By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress. When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s.
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An American Tragedy
- By Edith on 12-13-07
By: Kai Bird, and others
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What Lies in the Woods
- A Novel
- By: Kate Alice Marshall
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.
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INEQUITABLE RATINGS
- By Ann on 03-05-23
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The Immortality Key
- The Secret History of the Religion with No Name
- By: Brian C. Muraresku, Graham Hancock - foreword
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock, Brian C. Muraresku
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and the real-life quest for the Holy Grail that could shake the Church to its foundations.
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A Fun ‘Trip’—But Not a Sober One
- By Joshua on 11-28-20
By: Brian C. Muraresku, and others
What listeners say about The Poppy War
Highly rated for:
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- Sophia Feddersen
- 05-07-18
Opium, War Crimes & Magic!
The Poppy War by R.F Kuang is a book with many faces.
We begin our journey with Rin, a war orphan fostered by a pair of illegal opium traders. The first third of the book deals with her journey to the capital city where she attempts to gain entrance into a military academy and trains there. This part, while never light, feels a lot like Ender's Game or Red Rising. Rin struggles to make friends, learn strategy, and outwit the bullies who are upset that a peasant has risen so high. It's brutal, but fun.
The fun stops around act two.
It happened gradually enough that I didn't realize how dark the book was until we reached the end of it. Dark revelation after dark revelation unfolds, not just about the world around the characters, but about their internal lives and vices. It doesn't surprise me that this book was written by someone who studies "collective trauma". By the time I'd reached the last page, I felt if I understood the emotional cost of war in a way I hadn't before.
This is an author with something to say about war, power, and addiction, and she says it so beautifully. As much as I love books like Red Rising or even Ender's Game, I feel since they aren't as strongly rooted in one countries history they lack the intimacy and raw rage I found in the Poppy War. Despite being a book about a whole country, every sentence, every plot moment felt personal. It helps that the prose is excellent. I can't wait to read the next book.
Side note: I also really enjoyed the magic system, which is based around the use of drugs. I found the role Opium played in the world fascinating. Some of the most heart-breaking moments of the book dealt with addiction.
Performance notes:
I really loved the performer of the audiobook. She did a great job, with the exception a the fighting masters voice which really did sound like someone strangling Kermit the frog. Otherwise, though she killed it!
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24 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Masina Pepper
- 09-30-18
Good but parts are rushed
The first part before a lot of things go down is kind of a hard listen/read. Parts are rushed and places/characters feel under developed. The best way to put it is that its 2 dimensional, but later we get to see a more expressive text from the writer, there's side yet to be seen by the characters and the conflicts they face. it was a total 180 from the first part. The writer was only 21 (same age I am) when she wrote this, so it's impressive none the lease that she was able to tell these characters stories in the way she did especially in part 2 of the book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- upat5
- 05-11-18
Oh boy!
I'm not sure where to begin but this book is all over the place. The protagonist oscillates between so many different point of views and moods that you counter if she has a mental / emotional handicap. On the one hand I want to applaude the originality of the Character but on the other hand I can't understand why a female protagonist should be defined by the men in her life.
There is a great epic story in this book but it is surrounded by alot of noise. Maybe a better editor would have been able to polish the story to a relative sheen.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Shaymus
- 10-29-18
Fantastic
Excellent and compelling story as read by a truly talented narrator. Highly recommended for those who like multiple genres.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Devontay
- 05-16-18
Promising.....and disappointing
This book was so promising. The main character starts off strong, willful, smart and determined. And then....she regresses. I’m so disappointed with the latter parts of the story. The author built a pretty good character and then dismantled her all in one book.
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- Hammar Patrik
- 10-03-22
Great, but...
Amazing narrator.
I think atleast the most graphic chapters set during the war should have triggerwarnings.
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- M. Bagley
- 05-12-21
Interesting.. yet unsatisfying
The story line started out captivating and totally had my attention. As the book went on it was complete lack luster. The main Character Rin was disappointing. I appreciate a book that shares roles of heroes and I liked that part of this book. Sadly Rin had so much promise and I was excited to see her grow and develop in her strengths and maturity until she didn’t. What started out to be a promising series fell flat to my expectations. By the end I felt like the author was more worried about trying to put the “f” word in nearly every sene then to develop her characters. When I read the review it said it was a live story, it definitely had the potential to be but she never pulled the trigger. I couldn’t even easily define who her main heart throb was. Between her obsession with Two of the boys and a true friendship with another you will be left confused and frustrated.
Emily did a fabulous job narrating this. She truly is amazing with each charter. Even with her amazing skills it can’t make up for the authors story line. I won’t be continuing this series. When a book feels like a chore to get through it’s not worth reading.
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- Daniel Poley
- 10-19-21
Tough to get through the second half
Book gets real dialogue heavy and ponderous in the second half. Not the good type of heavy either. I mean Im constantly skipping with the little 30 second button as folks just drone on and on about choices and stuff. Great story. Need to slim it down.
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- ronnito
- 10-27-21
Good, not great
Not sure why this book is on so many lists. It's good, but doesn't leave me caring for any of the characters or transformed in a meaningful way. The audibles score is correct. Goodreads score is odd. Worth the credit, but not the best underdog story out there.
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- jordan
- 05-18-21
I'd like to beat tf out of Rin
overall I love this book. its a fantastic story and the world it's set in is nicely fleshed out. but for the love of god I want to smack the main character. she infuriates me, but I had to stick around to see how it ends
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