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Kalena ୨୧

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Kalena ୨୧ is Currently Reading

Kalena ୨୧ is currently reading

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying, #1)

by Ilona Andrews (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: anticipated-releases-2026, arcs-received, owned-books, currently-reading, 2026-read, adult-novels, book-lovers, urban-fantasy, fantasy

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7 hours, 16 min ago

Kalena ୨୧ is currently reading

The Floating World (The Floating World, #1)

by Axie Oh (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: anticipated-releases-2025, arcs-received, currently-reading, 2026-read, audiobook, diverse-reads, fairytales-or-retellings, fantasy, romance, young-adult

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19 hours, 2 min ago

Kalena ୨୧ is currently reading

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: owned-books, 2021-read, adult-novels, fantasy, favorites, diverse-reads, academia, magical-school, currently-reading, 2026-read

Reading for the 2nd time

read in July 2021

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Kalena ୨୧ said: " 5/5 stars, this was such a complicated and amazing story

There was not a single thing about this book I didn't love, and that's certainly saying something. I understand now why this is so many people's favorite series, but I can't believe how long I 5/5 stars, this was such a complicated and amazing story

There was not a single thing about this book I didn't love, and that's certainly saying something. I understand now why this is so many people's favorite series, but I can't believe how long I waited to read this!! Rin our main character tests into the best military academy in the empire, against all odds and her criminal family's wishes. She's overjoyed but being a dark-skinned peasant girl in Singeard isn't easy, especially when everyone else there is more equipped than you. As her time there goes on Rin discovers the gods she thought were dead are very much alive and twisted in her fate. Right, when she makes this discovery, a war begins brewing on the horizon (literally) and she has to discover more about herself and the god that chose her if she has any hope of saving her people.

That was a very long summary, but there is SO much packed into this one book, and I absolutely adored it. One of my favorite parts of this book is how diverse, and cultured this world is. The worldbuilding is so well done in this book I was astounded by how dense it was, in such an amazing way. There were some info-dumps that I know are not going to be for everyone, but I love info-dumps most of the time so I didn't mind at all. It features mad gods, truths that are heavy, gruesome battles, and quests set after revenge. The backdrop of this culturally rich and bloodthirsty world really let the entire book feel like an entire trilogy in one, and I cannot wait to see where it takes us next. This has one of the most unique and complex fantasy worlds and magic systems that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

There was not a second that I was not invested in the story, people have said there were parts of this that felt slow to them, and while that's fair I completely disagree. Every moment we spent in this world was another moment that Rin was learning something about it, about herself, or the war looming on the horizon. She was constantly learning and that meant as a reader, I was constantly learning as well. That being said, this book has many many trigger warnings and things that are not for the faint of heart. The battle depicted in this book was so dynamic and brutal, Kuang really didn't hold back in her descriptions, or what the characters had to go through. The tension that is thread throughout this story, is outstanding, as I kept reading and trying to decide what was good and bad I always felt it pressing down on me.

Part of this book is also based on real events that have happened within our world. The war between the Nikan and Mugen is based around the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s, and more specifically the Nanjing Massacre (aka Rape of Nanking). I remember learning about this horrific event in school, and being absolutely heartbroken, and reading it almost all over again was not any easier. It's sad that none of this is too far-fetched from reality, the gruesome bits did happen, and this book is a reminder of what has happened.

Rin's character is so unbelievably complex in a way that I couldn't help but become tangled in, and I truly felt that her arc was nothing short of astounding. She is a character that is impossibly human, she has extreme determination as she gradually grows up that comes from the carnage and anger of her own people. Her growth was forged from being constantly thrown from situation to situation, she understood the hurt and anger her people had experienced, and her anger was what ultimately drove her. I felt all her anger, disappointment, and pain as if it were my own, even if she was not an entirely easy character to love. She doesn't always make the "right" choices, and she doesn't always follow what everyone believes she should do. Once again, this is what makes her impossibly and wonderfully human, every moment she was on the page I grew even more attached to her.

Atlan was probably one of the other important characters, certainly in how he affected Rin's storyline. Just as Rin felt awe when she first saw him, I too was nothing short of interested in this star-studded student. As the story goes on you get more insight into his character, and how he has also experienced being thrown into situations over and over again, as though you were a pawn. Just like Rin, he lived with this anger in him from his people, and he guarded that with such fury and heart. I truly did love his character in the end, and I think he was incredibly well written.

There were so many side characters who felt just as important and amazing as Rin and Altan. Every person that Rin encountered in her journey was just as complex as she was. While the reader might not have gotten as much time with them, they felt totally real and human. I loved seeing how the war and the different classes in the empire had affected people growing up, especially those that were outcasts, the thirteenth division. Each of them were so unique, and it was hard seeing how some of them faced falling down into mindless despair. I really enjoyed all the side characters as well though.

Overall one of my absolute favorite reads of this year, everything about it was so unique and fascinating. I loved the world and the mythology spread throughout the story, and the plot always had me on my feet. Rin was quite a complicated main character but I fell in love with her journey so hard and so quickly, I have no doubts I will love the continuation in the series.

[TW: gore, mutilation, genocide, self-harm, drug use, substance addiction & abuse, animal cruelty, abuse, rape, death (graphic), starvation, child death, cannibalism] ...more "

progress:

(page 159 of 527)
"read some more for my reread with my boyfriend today <3 remembering how much i adore Kitay" — Feb 25, 2026 06:25PM

Jul 27, 2021 07:33PM · see review

Kalena ୨୧’s Quotes

“I don't like that word," Nina said, advancing. "Call me Grisha. Call me zowa. Call me death, if you like.”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars

tags: grishaverse, king-of-scars, nina-zenik

212 likes

“You are broken. But it is broken things that are the sharpest. The deadliest. It is broken things that are the most unexpected, and the most underestimated”
― Sabaa Tahir, A Sky Beyond the Storm

tags: a-sky-beyond-the-storm, avitas-harper, blood-shrike, harper, helene-aquilla

234 likes

“Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.”
― Marie Lu, Warcross

394 likes

“He didn't say that 'love is within' or 'love is all around you.' (...) love is a superpower we all have. But it's not always a superpower I'd be able to control, especially as I get older. Sometimes it'll go crazy and I shouldn't be scared if my power hits someone I'm not expecting it to.”
― Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End

tags: love

106 likes

“You’re better than waffles, Matthias Helvar.”
A small smile curled the Fjerdan’s lips. “Let’s not say things we don’t mean, my love.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

tags: matthias-helvar, nina-zenik, waffles

236 likes

More of Kalena ୨୧’s quotes…