Inspired by the history of China's 19th and early 20th century, R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War tells the story of a dark-skinned peasant girl named Rin, who, to the surprise of everyone, aces the empire-wide test to find the most talented young people to study at the national academies and quickly learns that fitting in at her new school won't be easy — until she discovers an aptitude for shamanism, that is.