Tag: R. F. Kuang

Midnight Designs: The Burning God Phone Wallpapers

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 3 Comments

First of all, apologies for being a bit absent on this blog in the past month. The COVID-19 lockdown in my state eased completely at the end of last month, and since then I’ve been so busy at work that I’ve barely had time off, let alone stealing a moment to blog. However, the release week of The Burning God is not something I wanted to miss, and I wanted to complete my wallpaper series for the trilogy with this post as a contribution to the celebration!

  • Quotes and characters belong to the inimitable R. F. Kuang, cover art from The Poppy War series are drawn by Jung Shan.
  • The phone wallpapers are free for your personal use only.
  • Please do not edit, repost, redistribute the images.

DOWNLOAD LINKS: 1 / 2 / 3

The themes in these books have always hit like a punch to the guts, and this is especially evident in ending of this trilogy. We see the culmination and consequences to all the questions the series have been posing: about war, about history, and about Fang Runin herself. She’s become a mythic figure by the beginning of book three, but she’s never felt so fallible and human. I’ll miss my murder baby, and all three of these wallpapers are dedicated to her! I would let you ruin me, Rin!!

The Poppy War series has been a significant part of my life in the past few years, and I’ve made so many blogger friends through in. In truth, it extended the life of this blog by at least another few years. Saying goodbye to it with the conclusion of The Burning God feels so bittersweet. If any of you want to discuss the ending and all things spoilery, please do not hesitate to reach out by DM! Especially if you are a fellow member of the Chen Kitay protection squad!!

Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 7-8

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 1 Comment

It’s time to revive my reread of The Poppy War, I just recently received an eARC of The Dragon Republic and wanted this reread series written and published before my mind gets the two novels mixed up and inadvertently spoil you! TPR 7-8.png

Reminder that these posts will contain spoilers for the ENTIRE book. If you haven’t finished reading The Poppy War yet, feel free to check back when you are done.

REREAD INDEX

Chapter 7

The chapter begins with the rough patch between Jiang and Rin after her refusal to study Lore at the end of last chapter. Continue reading “Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 7-8” →

Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 6

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 5 Comments

Apologies, I am a day late with this reread. I recently started working the Sunday shift, so we might have to change the reread schedule a little, depending on how busy I get! Thanks for understanding.
TPW Reread 6.png

Reminder that these posts will contain spoilers for the ENTIRE book. If you haven’t finished reading The Poppy War yet, feel free to check back when you are done.

Chapter 6 is largely a training chapter, made engaging by the interactions between our favourite master-student duo: Jiang and Rin!

REREAD INDEX

Chapter 6

The snow was lovely to observe for all of two serene minutes. Then it became nothing but a pain in the ass.

It’s winter in Sinegard, and Rin has little patience for it. I have to admit, snow was very disappointing after the first few minutes. Continue reading “Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 6” →

Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 5

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 6 Comments

TPW Reread 5.pngAnother week, another chapter of The Poppy War. In this chapter, Rin deals with menstruation, tops her classes, steals a library book, and is a general badass.

Reminder that these posts will contain spoilers for the ENTIRE book. If you haven’t finished reading The Poppy War yet, feel free to check back when you are done.

REREAD INDEX

Chapter 5

Content Warning: Self-harm

Rin gets a harsh reality check after Jun bans her from Combat class after a scuffle that was largely Nezha’s fault. She responds to the elitism at Sinegard Academy by resolving to beat every single one of these aristocratic children in all their classes. Rin’s brand of hardcore determination is a large part of why I love this book so much.

But Nezha attacked first.
The more she considered this, the faster her despair crystallized into anger.

Rin is consistent in always managing to turn most extreme emotions into rage, it’s no wonder that The Phoenix loves her. Also explains why she can relate to Altan so easily. Continue reading “Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 5” →

Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 4

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 7 Comments

The Poppy War Reread Chapter 4.png

It’s that time of the week again! Today we take a deep dive into Chapter 4 of The Poppy War, where the infamous Altan Trengsin makes his first appearance.

Reminder that these posts will contain spoilers for the ENTIRE book. If you haven’t finished reading The Poppy War yet, feel free to check back when you are done.

REREAD INDEX

Chapter 4

We quickly learn that Sinegard Academy is pretty much a glorified bootcamp, where students are literally left to either sink or swim. Continue reading “Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 4” →

Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 3

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 12 Comments

Reread TPW Chapter 3.png

Welcome back to The Poppy War Reread, this week we are diving into chapter3.

Reminder that these posts will contain spoilers for the ENTIRE book. If you haven’t finished reading The Poppy War yet, feel free to check back when you are done.

REREAD INDEX

CHAPTER 3

Content Warnings for Chapter 3: allusion to drug use and drug addiction, allusion to genocide.

Rin and Nezha are the last to arrive to the main hall, thanks to their scuffle at the end of the last chapter. I love that the older students are being loud and brash on purpose to set the new recruits on edge, reminds me of my good old days in high school. Continue reading “Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapter 3” →

Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapters 1-2

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 11 Comments

TPW Reread 1-2.png

I’ve made it loud and clear on numerous occasions over the past weeks that The Poppy War is my favourite read of 2018. I think it has the potential to be one of my favourite reads of all time (I usually wait a couple of years after my first read to make that call). I’ve had such a hard time getting the book out of my mind that I’ve decided to do a detailed chapter-by-chapter reread while waiting for the sequel. Please join me if you have finished The Poppy War but want to dive back into this world.

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK BELOW. PLEASE DO NOT READ THESE POSTS UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THE POPPY WAR.

Reread Index

Content Warning of Chapters 1-2: self-harm, allusion to sexual assault, drug addiction and drug use, death, hit-and-run accident.
Continue reading “Reread at Midnight: The Poppy War Chapters 1-2” →

Interview with R. F. Kuang on The Poppy War

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 9 Comments

The Poppy War Interview

Hi all! Another day, another post to slowly transform Read at Midnight to a fanblog for The Poppy War. I have a very exciting interview with R. F. Kuang to share with you all today. Minor spoilers for the book in the last question (I’ll mark it, don’t worry). I also have links to R. F. Kuang’s other interviews at the end of the post, if you need to dive deeper into her brilliant mind.

 

Continue reading “Interview with R. F. Kuang on The Poppy War” →

Book Review: The Poppy War

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 13 Comments

35068705Rating Five Star

Title: The Poppy War

Author: R. F. Kuang

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Series? Yes, 1 of 3

Goodreads

Book Depository |  Dymocks  |  Booktopia

The Poppy War is a searing and blood-soaked military fantasy that will carve itself into the reader with every word. Deftly blending historical events and Chinese mythology, the novel imagines a vivid new world and uses this alternate universe to process living generational trauma. Between the endless actions and warfare, among the figures of gods and monsters, readers will also find a human story about war and the lasting impact it has on the individuals and nations involved.

The-Poppy-War Continue reading “Book Review: The Poppy War” →

Midnight Designs: The Poppy War

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 25 Comments

The Poppy War Wallpaper Teaser

The Poppy War is one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 and it did not disappoint. Quite the opposite, it left me breathless and dazed, groveling for a sequel like a poppy-addled addict. I will do a full review once I have digested everything, but for now, I have some wallpapers inspired by the book for you all. Let’s be honest, we all deserve all little TLC after the novel.

  • Quotes and characters belong to the brilliant R. F. Kuang, cover art from The Poppy War hardback are drawn by Jung Shan.
  • The phone wallpapers are free for your personal use only.
  • Please do not edit, repost, redistribute the images.
  • They are made for iPhone 6, but should fit most smartphones.

TPW Teaser 01

DROPBOX LINK

I don’t believe in gods. I believe in power.

Sorry I don’t make the rules, but all the best protagonists are Slytherins. Rin is ambitious and resilient, she burns for power and she will grab life and deities by the throat to earn it. Also the best exam crammer I have ever seen in a fantasy novel, I am ready to declare undying allegiance to her.

TPW Teaser 02

DROPBOX LINK

War doesn’t determine who’s right. War determines who remains.

As implied by the title of the book, war plays a huge role in The Poppy War, and the novel does not hold back from the violence and horrors which accompanies it. Many events in the book parallels the Second Sino-Japanese War, and it expertly weaves between historical reality and fantasy to create a devastating portrait of war.

TPW Teaser 03

DROPBOX LINK

She came from nothing. She wasn’t going back to nothing.

One of the things I love most about Rin is her drive and personal agency, her sheer determination to write her own story — even if it’s one where she may not end up the hero.

  • Find more of my free book-related designs here.
  • If you enjoyed these free graphics and want to support me, you can find me on Society 6.
  • Alternatively, you can commission me for your custom graphics by contacting me.
  • Finally, you can grab me a cuppa via Ko-fi here.