Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

79 reviews

ainhoah's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and War

Moderate: Miscarriage, Slavery, Abortion, and Genocide

emilineopines's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

A gut punch. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

cemeterygay's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Violence, Alcoholism, War, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Grief, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

Additional CW: Colorism and Implication of incestuous feelings

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I'm actually trying to form words to express my feelings, and probably because I'm now dead, it's hard.

The dedication in the front of the book kind of says it all (not really a spoiler but..):

"To my dear readers, who stayed with this series until the end, and came prepared with a bucket for their tears"

This whole series is devastating. Heartbreaking. Poignant. A true masterpiece. Honestly a new fantasy classic.

I think because of the sheer anticipation of it all ending, there were parts of this book that were slow to read. But as I said I think that's just because you are trying to mentally prepare yourself for the end, while also wanting it to kind of never end - because you're scared for the ending. Every interaction between Rin and Nezha you are holding your breath. The whole book is a rollercoaster of emotion.

Ending:

It's definitely very climactic! I knew how it had to end... but it doesn't make the last chapter/epilogue any less brutal to read. When Rin thinks Kitay has betrayed her, I was screaming. When she almost kills him, I was sobbing. When Nezha does what he must, I died. Literally my only qualm with the ending is that I wish Nezha's love was shown in a stolen kiss at the end. I was yearning for one moment of intimacy and pure love between them. If that had happen however I might actually have died of heartbreak.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Colonisation, Self harm, Racism, Child abuse, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

So much animal death, sacrifice, cruelty. SA/Rape is briefly mentioned more for context of character's pasts. Nothing graphic or on page. Famine/starvation and the results explicit.

tinybluepixel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Animal death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Addiction, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

thebookworm777's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I was a touch disappointed with the third installment in this trilogy. The book, like its predecessors, is divided into parts and each part I feel obligated to give its own rating because they were all so different. The first part immediately draws you back into the story and introduces new, interesting political dimensions to the trilogy. It felt a bit flat though in the department of character development and for this reason I would have to give it 4 stars. Part two, to me, is where the story really sags. Rin shows zero character development her, the Trifecta feels flat, and the callousness Rin displays towards her old master made her highly unlikeable to me. The overall driving plot of this section, felt to me, like pointless fluff with the same end objectives having the potential to be achieved in a more concise and logical manner. I almost abandoned the book while in this part and would have to give it 3 stars. The third part is the most exciting part where we see some original character growth for the first time since the second book. Except for the very end, I was once again in love with Kuang's writing. This section I would give a 4.5 Therefore, my overall score for the book is based on the average of these three. 

Overall, I felt this concluding installment failed to deliver in terms of character development and a satisfying ending.

It was obvious from the beginning of this book that Rin would die at the end. As I read, I felt as if I was simply waiting for her to finally die. Despite knowing this, I was disappointed with her death due to how poorly it was executed. Additionally, the climax of the book, the final showdown in Arlong, was so boring and quick I was shocked it was over.

Overall, the action of this book lacked the pizzaz present in the first two books. This, coupled with the stagnant characters, left me feeling like this book failed to neatly conclude the triology which is a shame since the first two are so strong. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, War, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

nishana's review against another edition

dark sad

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i'm going to be honest, i never wanted this book to end. i so badly dreaded the inevitable ending that i foresaw all the way in book one, yet at the same time, i was so curious to see how exactly rin would meet that end. and wow, it definitely blew me away.
 
rin's journey in this book ranged from thrilling to heartbreaking. she endures a range of ups and downs through this arduous war, as well as after. her relationship with kitay was definitely a highlight for me, and the precious moments showcasing their love for one another was one of the few comforts in a book that rarely shows its characters any mercy. their bond was one of soulmates

and that ending solidified it for me.

 
 

i really enjoyed seeing jiang again, even though his stay didn't last as long as i had wished. his interactions with rin were truly everything, and the exploration of rin's complicated emotions with him broke me more than anything else. 
 
 and finally, the conclusion. i knew rin was going to die, i had known it after the end of the first book. rin was irredeemable, and frankly, she was a horrible person, who caused so much suffering. 
 but it's not as simple as rin being a terrible person. it never is. rin herself was a survivor of genocide, and all the trauma she endured during her life only further pushed her down the path she went. it's the tragic, cruel reality of the neverending cycle of pain that war creates. 
 rin's death was deserved, yet that didn't make it any easier to endure as a reader. the epilogue from nezha's perspective was both so perfect yet tragic, as i felt so within him, experiencing the same emotions and heartbreak yet knowing that this was the only way for the world to heal.

 
 and now, onto some criticisms.
 this book was a near-perfect finale for me, however, there were a few things that i wish were tied up more neatly. these include:

- the trifecta's death was a bit disappointing for me. it felt too quick, and i wanted a greater emotional impact with jiang's death.
 - i wished there was more explanation as to how rin survived the speer genocide 
 - it would have been great to see a bit more of nezha's pov

 
 but overall, the burning god was incredible, as was the entire poppy war trilogy. rf kuang changed the waves of the fantasy genre, portraying war and genocide in a way that is nuanced and reflective of the hardships and trauma that the people of our own world still endure. 
 this is a series that will never ever leave me, and i'm so glad i read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Violence, War, and Murder

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicidal thoughts

livreads16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was a great series. The characters were great. Rin is a fucking masterpiece. The plot was amazing. The pace was good. 

I did not love the ending. I just really didn’t like how

bitch boy Nezha brought down the god that is Rin. It wasn’t fair. Like everyone fucking died??!? … I get it, it’s poetic: fire and water don’t mix, but like either have them end up together or have Rin kill Nezha. He deserved to die for stabbing her in the back (litterally). Also like then I have to read a chapter at the end from his POV about how much he loved her and how much it hurt him to destroy her like bitch?!? Then don’t do it ?!?! Wow if only there was an easy solution like ughhhh. Usually I’m a sucker for enemies to lover but this was not it.

this book really was amazing. Like my real only problem was the ending. Also I wanted more of the found family Cike thing. I absolutely loved that in the first book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Colonisation, Cannibalism, Death, Animal death, Sexual violence, Genocide, Xenophobia, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Torture, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Violence, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Classism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Infertility

samcapo's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Self harm, Murder, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Violence, Confinement, Death, War, Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Trafficking

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Animal cruelty, and Addiction