Free Audiobook : The Poppy War, by R. F. Kuang

Imagine a world where a single test could rewrite your fate. For Rin, a war orphan scraping by in a dusty corner of the Nikara Empire, the Keju exam is her ticket out of a life she refuses to accept. Against all odds, she aces it, earning a spot at Sinegard, the most elite military academy in the land. But stepping into this glittering capital means trading one battlefield for another, where her dark skin and southern roots make her a target from day one.

At Sinegard, Rin discovers something wild within her, a power tied to ancient gods and fueled by rage, a gift that could turn the tide of a looming war with the Federation of Mugen. The empire’s fragile peace is unraveling fast, and whispers of a third Poppy War grow louder. Caught between brutal training, rivalries that cut deep, and a teacher who’s as unhinged as he is brilliant, Rin’s journey is about to get a lot messier, and a lot more dangerous.

This isn’t just a story of magic or war, it’s a gut punch of a tale about what it costs to rise when the world wants you to fall. Inspired by the raw, bloody history of 20th-century China, R.F. Kuang’s debut pulls you into a realm where gods meddle, shamans burn, and one girl’s choices could save an empire, or torch it to ash. Buckle up for a ride that’s as haunting as it is thrilling.