Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Burning God

This book is the culmination of a heartwrenching tale of a country ravaged by war told through the eyes of a desperate young girl. It’s morally grey and there’s no true right or wrong. The author creates a rich and complex world and while the countries are analogs of real world cultures, it’s not cliched or stereotypical or even a 1:1 comparison. It is depicts nuanced perspectives of xenophobia, racism, and imperialism. The plot is full of political maneuvering and military strategy, and it’s extremely grounded, gritty, and realistic even when dealing with topics like ancient gods and magic. There are no real winners here. I’d recommend this book to anyone who can deal with its brutal violence.

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chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I don't know where to begin. Kuang is an excellent writer and creator of characters. I fell in love with Chen Kitay and his bond with Rin was the most moving aspect of the story. Rin's ending felt fitting, inevitable, and unsettling. It feels so cruel that Nezha is the only surviving character out of the dozen or so we came to love. He was so well written, but I wish more was done with his character ultimately. The third installment felt so very rushed and frustrating at times. I'll be thinking about this for a while.

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albernikolauras's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I am glad I finished this series, but this was a jarring ending to a jarring series. The series conclusion picks up close to where the previous book left off, and Rin has a series of difficult decisions ahead of her as she prepares to confront her enemies.

I understand this series is watching Rin devolve into a villain and she is in situations where she doesn't have any good choices to make. But it is incredibly frustrating watching Rin ignore logic for paranoia and seem to forget the majority of her miltary training. And, just when you think the book should be over, you have 25% more of the book left to follow her further recede.

I think that there is a lot of amazing discussions and interesting uses of history, but the pacing of this book (and the series overall) has not worked for me and Rin's flashes of brilliance aren't enough to convince me that she should have made it as far as she did.

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