Here I’ll review the rest of each series for three books I’ve previously posted.
I unintentionally began reading two fantasy trilogies in parallel during the last three months. While waiting for the second Poppy War book (call it PW2 for the moment) from the library, I started Mistborn. Then PW2 became available before Mistborn2, which itself came in before PW3.
This order unexpectedly improved my experience of reading both series. The books invite obvious comparisons: one villain in the middle of each trilogy is a nobleman whose son, heir to his father’s title, is the love interest of the female protagonist. PW’s Rin and Mistborn’s Vin, despite their hilariously nearly identical names, brought very different mindsets to their shared conflicts, and seeing them side by side taught me more about their overall emotional states. In this case, Rin jarringly realizes in the final moments that she is attracted to the father as well as the son, making her motivations more about emotions she needs to sort through than the war she’s explicitly fighting. Vin instead sees as time goes on that the father is the opposite of the son’s personality, helping her put aside her moral uncertainty and do what needs to be done for the kingdom.
I’ve never been someone who can read two books simultaneously, and I can happily plow through a good, 10-book series without wanting to break for another story. Now, however, I’m more open to pairing books together like wines and cheeses, and will be on the lookout for series that can play off one another.
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The Poppy War Trilogy: The Dragon Republic, and The Burning God
Written by R. F. Kuang
Book 1 Rating: 19/20 Series Rating: 17/20
This historical fantasy whose flawed protagonist is struggling to survive a war only gets darker as it goes on. It was difficult but believable to watch Rin make one mistake after another, always costing lives in the process, as the author turns a fantasy trope on its head by showing how poorly a supernaturally-gifted, traumatized teen would actually lead if given the opportunity.
The series lost some steam in the third act, with repetitive internal dialogue and too many squandered opportunities to kill villains. That said, the alien treatment of the British, and the serious explanations of war strategy and how soldiers must compartmentalize to justify the bloodshed, make the trilogy worth seeing through. The Poppy War remains one of the most unique fantasy series I’ve read.
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Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages
Written by Brandon Sanderson
Book 1 Rating: 19/20 Series Rating: 19/20
This series escalated incredibly well into its second book, fleshing out two members of the ensemble who weren’t yet members of the team until the end of the first book and continuing to creatively play with the tripartite magic system. One character’s growth from an idealist noble teen into a naive king trying to rule from his heart, and the genuinely helpful lessons from the person teaching him to command respect, were so much fun to follow, and the protagonists’ romantic relationships grounded the continually widening scope of the plot.
However, the third book lost this momentum for me. The trope that all of the characters’ earlier actions were driven/orchestrated by the final villain took away from everyone’s agency and past accomplishments. Spreading the ensemble cast into four groups in multiple cities meant there were literally four plots to follow, and deprived the book of an emotional center. On the worldbuilding front, Sanderson explains in depth every single aspect of this world that he’d introduced in the first. While some of these were mysteries I was glad to resolve, many were minor details or were much grander questions for the characters than for the reader. I could feel the author’s excitement building as the story rumbled forward, yet I couldn’t match it.
While I disagree with many of Sanderson’s big choices here, all are written well, and it’s still a fun ride through the end of this trilogy. I won’t be picking up the sequel series though.
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The Dawn of Yangchen (Chronicles of the Avatar, Book 3)
By F. C. Yee
Book 1-2 Rating: 18/20 Series Rating: 15/20
For fans who have followed all Avatar: The Last Airbender content as it’s been released, Yangchen is the 7th Avatar we meet (each show and the previous books have one protagonist Avatar and one predecessor whose life is explored in-depth to guide the protagonist). This history created an immense challenge for the author to give us someone and something new. While Yee succeeds, this novel comes at the loss of the critical emotions of Avatar stories that fans are coming back for. Yangchen lacks friends and mentors, and the end of this chapter provides a tenuous plot resolution that neither satisfies nor makes me excited to learn more.
What works here are the bending scenes, combat and otherwise; and the clever introduction of an exciting side character from the original series. A few other unique ideas, namely Yangchen’s dissociative episodes with her past lives, are made flashy at the beginning but then stay undeveloped despite their narrative potential. Ultimately, The Dawn of Yangchen is enjoyable but unlikely to become anyone’s favorite.
