Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

149 reviews

lydiasturges's review against another edition

adventurous 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

5.0

I’m wrecked. 

Seeing Rin’s downward spiral was so heartbreaking. Clearly she wanted what was best for the Nitara, but didn’t know how to do it without turning to cruelty like the Trifecta. That ending of her almost turning on Kitaly??? Gut wrenching.

 I never stopped loving Nekah. He was in a shitty situation just trying to make the best of it. Hearing his perspective at the very end, and seeing just how much he loved Rin, ruined me. They both genuinely thought they were doing the best for their country. I just wish they could have been true allies.

The last pages of Rin’s perspective and those last pages in Nekah’s perspective were perfection and absolutely tragic.

I am emotionally exhausted after this series. It feels like nothing can go right for Rin. But I genuinely can’t wait to reread these and get even more from it the second time. What an amazing commentary Kuang makes! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Cannibalism and Xenophobia

anispaperbacks's review

adventurous dark 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

I think I'm still in shock of finishing the trilogy.. 
 Watching Rin and the decisions she made throughout The Burning God was so fascinating. You know she's making choices that a morally sound person would not really be making but you can't help but enjoy it with some kind of sick satisfaction.

Speaking of such, the times in the book where she seemed to just have incredible divine power and influence, specifically at the Anvil and Mount Tianshen, were just SO satisfying to read. In general, it was great to see Rin once again fall into a devote-myself-to-this-superior-force-because-they-tell-me-how-crucial-i-am-to-the-cause-but-then-the-second-im-not-anymore-im-instantly-betrayed-and-discarded situation and then just go fuck this im doing my own thing now

Spoiler for both this book and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes lmao:

In chapter 33 I couldn't help but draw a comparison to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The character, determined for things to end how they will it, spiralling severely into paranoia, which then violently turns them against the person they were closest to (although Coriolanus was a bit more of a straight up horrible person and did not have any even slightly redeeming qualities lol). 

Anyway, this isn't much of a review yet, more just me sharing some thoughts I had. So: 

Overall, this was a great last novel in the trilogy. Despite the fact that I do feel a little unsatisfied and jarred at the ending, its the way things should have probably gone. I didn't enjoy (if enjoy is the right word for The Horrors experienced) The Burning God as much as I did The Dragon Republic, which is still by far my favourite in the trilogy, but this still rakes up 4 stars. I just feel like a lot of the book, I wasn't as invested in what was going on? I guess it just felt like there was a fair bit of reading to get to the bits which were just a bit more interesting to read, which IS fair for the topic of the book and understanding the gravity of everything going on, you can't have a book about war without large amounts of chapters on the military movements and engagements. It didn't diminish the book for me but The Burning God just wasn't quite what The Dragon Republic was to me. 

I'm never going to forgive R.F Kuang for what she has done to me. In my review of TDR, I'm pretty sure I said I would kill myself if anything happened to Rin and Kitay so I better get onto that then. /lhj The trilogy was devastating and the characters are just so believable and complex. I adore how R.F Kuang writes and I'm not sure what to do with myself now that I've finished all the books. These books just amazingly well show the absolute horrors and brutality of war. The absolute devastation it leaves in its wake. How it changes people and what it drives them to do. The Poppy War trilogy has got to be one of my favourite fantasy series I have read, they are so well done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Murder, War, Xenophobia, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Vomit, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Grief, and Racial slurs

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, Bullying, and Excrement

annabel_winter's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Gore, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Xenophobia, Suicide, Torture, and Rape

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I had a really hard time with this book, the last in the Poppy War trilogy. I loved the first, did not like the second, and was overwhelmed and exhausted by the third. Every time I put it down, it was harder to pick it up again. It’s rarely taken me so long to finish a book but I refused to give up. 

The good part was that Rin was powerful again, not whiny and miserable as she’d been in the second book. The battle scenes were gripping, and the strategy sessions were fascinating. But the periods in between battles felt like slogs. 

As a whole, the trilogy is incredible. It amazes me that the author wrote these books between ages 19-23. Her skill at research and writing is unparalleled. You feel the mud and the rain, you smell the filth of the army, you know that weariness and hunger. But after 1600 pages,  I, for one, didn’t want to be there. 

I hope Kuang keeps writing - she’s just astonishing. These last two books were just too difficult for me to experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Gore, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, War, Grief, Violence, Mental illness, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Torture

ladynocturnal's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

A book that is famed for having an unhinged, violent, and badass female character. This is what drew me to the series. Rin is not a good person. She is cruel, egotisical, and her anger controls nearly all her actions. She is in dire need of some more character development. She constantly makes foolish decisions that had me screaming at her since book one. I understand that her anger is a major flaw that sabotages her, but she never learns from her mistakes. I can recommend this book if you enjoy military and grimdark fantasy and can tolerate a stagnant main character. This book does not shy away from the horrors of war and how there are truly no "good guys" to be found. There are very poignant points on colonialism and the reality of war. Another flaw in R.F. Kuang's writing is that everything is spelled out for you. There were many times when lines, concepts, and major themes were drilled into your head out of fear that the reader might miss the point. This was hard to ignore. While I enjoyed this series I can't ignore the fact that this final book was a bit of a letdown.

The way the Trifecta was killed off was so anti-climatic

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Murder, Violence, War, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping and Genocide

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Torture

icy_queen's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Classism, Torture, Addiction, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Religious bigotry, Violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Child abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma

Minor: Abortion and Infertility

ghost_rider's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

I feel unwell. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Grief, Death, Genocide, Violence, Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Self harm, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Torture, Confinement, War, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

nithyuh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Crying

I feel like I saw some part of the ending coming, but not to this extent. 

R.F. Kuang’s writing and The Poppy War is forever ingrained in my brain. I’ll miss all these characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, and War

Moderate: Colonisation, Gore, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Racism, Animal cruelty, and Xenophobia

Minor: Torture and Trafficking

potion96's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Classism, Murder, War, Cannibalism, Addiction, Child death, Colonisation, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Genocide, and Blood

flamesocks's review against another edition

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: Classism, Gore, Physical abuse, Addiction, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Blood, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Rape, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Genocide, Kidnapping, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Child death, Colonisation, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Grief, and Mental illness