That she got into Sinegard - the most elite military school in Nikan - was even more surprising.īecause being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the South is not an easy thing at Sinegard. 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. And while most people calmly go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away.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. The Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of psychoactive substances and a seemingly insane teacher, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive - and that mastering these powers could mean more than just surviving school. Fighting the prejudice of rival classmates, Rin discovers that she possesses a lethal, unearthly power - an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard.

That she got into Sinegard - the most elite military school in Nikan - was even more surprising.

When Rin aced the Keju - the test to find the most talented students in the Empire - 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 had hoped to get rich by marrying her off and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free from a life of servitude. Winner of the Reddit Fantasy Award for Best Debut 2018 'The best fantasy debut of 2018' - WIRED A brilliantly imaginative epic fantasy debut, inspired by the bloody history of China's twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.

The poppy war series