Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

56 reviews

urastrologygf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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hanz's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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book_sense's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
I have zero sanity left after reading this.. this series. These characters. I have so much love for them. They are so real to me.. the ending. The fucking ending broke me. 

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fruitea's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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

i rarely cry when reading books but. i’m sitting here at a quarter past midnight and i’m sobbing and i can’t even explain why. i’m emotional but i understand why things ended the way they did. it was depressing and so fucking sad i went on a rollercoaster of emotions but it’s like the rollercoaster broke down before it got to hope or happiness or even the smallest bit of relief. 

the depiction of war and conflict is brutally blunt, i said this in my review of the dragon emperor as well. some books tend to… romanticise war, turn it into some dramatic love story where the characters are invincible and benevolent and altruistic. but there’s none of that bullshit in this book, because war isn’t pretty or glorious, the people who suffer the most during wars are innocent civilians, who starve so the soldiers can have their rations, whose towns are pillaged, who are mercilessly killed by the enemy soldiers, even if they’re defenceless. the book constantly reminds you of this fact. you can’t forget it or ignore it like the big important political people who sit on their thrones waiting for the army to win the war for them. 

i think what i appreciate most about the trilogy is the brutally realistic portrayal of the people. not their abilities, but the way they live their lives, how they react to things. sure, we like to think that we’re good and kind, but realistically, if we were in a war zone, starving and desperate and afraid, we would be utterly selfish. we wouldn’t share resources with the other innocents, wouldn’t jump in front of a blade to protect a stranger. regardless of who wins, a lot of people would accept the victors because they’d do whatever they had to to survive. 

yes, it’s disheartening, more so because we see it from the perspective of someone who is on the frontlines and has seen first hand the cruelty of the enemy. these poor kids, i know they’re a couple of years older than me and aren’t really kids by the end, but… they’re so traumatised. they suffered throughout their entire lives. they’re so young. the things they’ve experienced have shattered their minds, but that’s the bitter truth of any war - no one emerges unscathed. 

anyway i went on a. tangent. my brain is scrambled with the emotions i am feeling and also the fact that it is now 24 minutes to 1 am so i will end it here. 

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isabellaft's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.5


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caregorman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

4.0

UM SO IM NOT OKAY. Truly this series was just corruption v redemption v corruption again. Emotional turmoil being thrown into loving and hating every single character and there being no good outcomes. Also the amount of war and graphic scenes were mildly unbearable BUT shit got so wild I couldn’t stop. Objectively, really masterful world building and commentary. 

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fiveredhens's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

favorite quotes:

"Jinzha?" Jiang frowned, digging his little finger into his ear. "The older Yin brat?"

"Yes," Daji said.

"I think taught him at Sinegard. Utter asshole. Whatever happened to him?"

"He got plucky," Daji said. "I turned him to mincemeat and sent him back to Vaisra in a dumpling basket."

Jiang arched an eyebrow. "Darling, fucking what?"


"It's a bad guest that shows up
unannounced," Daji said.

"Not if a third guest is holding a knife to the host's throat," Rin said.

"This analogy has lost me," Jiang said.


How many chances, asked Altan, are you going to throw away?

At least one more, she thought, and ignored his jeering laughter.


Their eyes met. She felt a shock of horror. She recognized the way he was looking at her. It was how she'd once looked at Altan. It was the way she'd seen Daji look at Riga—that look of wretched, desperate, and reproachful loyalty. It said, Do it. Take what you want, it said. I'll hate you for it. But I'll love you forever. I can't help but love you. Ruin me, ruin us, and I'll let you.


good pacing, good exposition, and an end i can't tell if i loved or hated

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maddiebusick's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75


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totallyshelfaware's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.75


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plumpaperbacks's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

An immersive, clever, and heartbreaking conclusion to a brilliant series. I love Rin and Kitay. I can’t wait to see what Kuang does next.

Representation
  • amputee protagonist of color
  • side characters of color

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