The Poppy War

Hoo boy, this book.

Hated the first half. I don't like academy/school fiction. This book had most of the tropes (plain girl good at everything, abusive curriculum, shitty teachers, goofy guy best friend, and two gorgeous boys (a rich Malfoy and a dark stranger)—thank goodness there was no romance, etc). It was a slog and I nearly DNFd it, if not for the supposed promise of the significantly better second half...

Which. My goodness, the whiplash. 

The beginning of the second half is not for the faint of heart, from the (TW) Rape of Nanjing sequence to the descriptions of actual rape to full-on genocide. 

The supposedly elite military college got steamrolled. and everything following the infamous Nanjing sequence is a corny shonen anime, right down to obnoxious super powers and “power of friendship” escapades.

It's an... okay book, but Rin is so damn unlikeable. The surrounding cast are decent at their best, but Rin is so detestable that she drags them all down with her. The ending feels like she's gonna start a revolution or something, but I don't see anybody rallying behind her for any reason other than maybe fear.
I'll get to the sequel eventually. Maybe.