A review by lamijav
The Drowning Faith by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"She's the only divine thing he's ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes. in his loveliest dreams. he imagines she does.”

To call The Poppy War trilogy a romance would be a crime against humanity, but even though the plot is one of the most well done and realistic ones I've ever seen, I've always thought that it's the characters who really shine this series. 
I was never a person who was the most compelled by the novellas, often times I find them to be unnecessary but still a nice read. I expected that from The Drowning Faith. and oh boy how wrong I was. TDF, with it's 15 pages, did what some books can't do with hundreds of them-it explained Nezha's character perfectly.

 Nezha, even after all he did, was one of most interesting characters to me. Looking more into his POV really made me pity him and understand him — understand his and Rin's dynamic so much more. 15 pages, 22 annotations. Gorgeous quotes. My heart is broken:

“They can't say her name in his presence. He's never made this a rule. But for some reason, none of them dare."