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Attempting to catch up on many stories that don't have reviews due to academic burnout. This is the first.

To start off, RF Kuang is incredible. The Poppy War is one of my favorite series ever, so when I found out this was a novella set in the same world, I had to read it.

The Nine Curves River is a story about the Dragon of Arlong, the god patron who gave Nezha his gifts as well as his curse. The Dragon wants, above all, to possess beautiful things. In exchange for rain, the dragon asks for perfection. In this story, perfection is a beautiful young girl.

This novella takes place entirely inside the headspace of the sacrifice's older sister, as she narrates the lifetime of apologies she owes to her perfect younger sister who is to be sacrificed to the Dragon at sunset.

The story pulled at my heartstrings, as RF always does, while giving us a wonderful glimpse into the everyday world of the Poppy War. I also enjoyed the second person format.

RF Kuang writes, always, with a purpose, and because of that, her work always sticks with me.