The Poppy War

The Poppy War is a grimdark military fantasy debut in which Rin, a dark-skinned war orphan from the rural south, beats impossible odds to win a place at Sinegard, the Empire's most elite military academy.

Targeted for her poverty, color, and gender, Rin discovers a hidden aptitude for shamanism — the nearly-mythical art of channeling gods. Under the tutelage of an eccentric, opium-smoking master, she learns that the vengeful Phoenix god has chosen her, even as the Federation of Mugen prepares to invade and the world she fought to enter tears itself apart.

The acclaimed sequel to The Poppy War finds shaman and warrior Rin reeling from the devastating third Poppy War. Haunted by the atrocity she committed to save her people, Rin is on the run from her guilt, a gripping opium addiction, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god whose power she wields. Though she longs for death, Rin refuses to die until she avenges the treacherous Empress who betrayed her homeland. Her only path lies with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan and establish a new republic. Yet, as Rin plunges deeper into political intrigue, she discovers that neither the Empress nor the Warlord are as they appear. Rin fears her love for Nikan will compel her to unleash the Phoenix's deadly power once more, for there is nothing she won't sacrifice to save her country and exact her vengeance.

The Burning God concludes the Poppy War trilogy with Rin returning to her southern roots after betrayal by her allies, now wielding the masses themselves as her weapon in a brutal three-way conflict against the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and the remnants of the old empire.

As Rin's shamanic power and political influence grow into something terrifying, the novel confronts the darkest question of the series: will she have the humanity left to choose something other than total annihilation when the Phoenix demands the world burn?