The poppy war | R. F. Kuang

Rene realized that she had finally been freed from slavery and despair, after passing the Keijo test - which is considered the most important across the empire - and the grade she obtained was a shock to the test officials who thought she had cheated and manipulated somehow to get this result, even her parents - drug traders - who adopted her and later wanted to marry her off forcibly, did not believe she was at this level of intelligence. This success qualified her to enter the Singingard military school, which everyone aspires to reach, but this is only the beginning, many surprises await Rene! This is the first book of a historical military fantasy epic, inspired by the bloody history of China in the twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.