Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

63 reviews

ginalucia's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

 I gotta say, this book doesn't hold back - it's brutally honest and dark, making it kinda tough to fully connect with the main character, Rin.

As our main protagonist and antihero (the whole book is pretty much from her perspective), she’s hard to love. I know this was intentional. Her purpose isn’t to make us love her, it’s to teach us something about war.

While it achieves this, it does get stuck in a loop. Rin seems to be going over the same struggles and thoughts without much progress, which can feel a bit repetitive after a while. At times, I felt my brain drifting off as she came to the same conclusion over and over again.

The power dynamics in the story constantly shift, which adds to the complexity - but it can also feel messy and overwhelming at times. 

And when it comes to the big climactic moments? I gotta admit, I felt kinda detached. Like, I was expecting this big emotional punch, but it just didn't hit me the way I thought it would. But maybe that was the point - to show how you can become desensitised to war. In which case, nice work R.F. Kuang.

The Burning God, and The Poppy War series is a challenging read. It's not always easy to digest, but the honesty and depth of the storytelling are absolutely worth it. While this last book didn’t quite hit like the first two for me, I’m absolutely happy I took the time to get through it.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, Genocide, Death, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Suicide, and Hate crime

Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Vomit, Classism, Xenophobia, Animal death, Toxic friendship, and Forced institutionalization

xveronica_fx's review against another edition

dark 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Genocide, Murder, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Violence, Mental illness, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse

bookishedi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, and War

Moderate: Abortion, Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Cannibalism

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark emotional 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 am so incredibly sad right now. Thank you R.F. kuang for creating one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. There is so much to be learned from these books, both of history, today, and tomorrow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Grief, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Gore, Miscarriage, Racism, War, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Kidnapping, Rape, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

missmaddie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

Following Rin’s choices, even the wrong ones, invested me in her story and how the nation would resolve with her 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, and Violence

Moderate: Colonisation and Death

Minor: Drug use and Toxic relationship

nataaaliya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Addiction, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Dementia, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism and Cursing

itsjustgrumpy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

Ended the only way it could. In tears.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Death, Blood, Colonisation, Torture, Animal death, Grief, Murder, Child death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Violence, and War

Moderate: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Kidnapping, Slavery, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cursing

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

laura_with_a_u's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

*cue incoherent screaming then falling silent and staring at a wall silently for an hour*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Toxic relationship, War, and Violence

Moderate: Religious bigotry

loup's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Cannibalism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Torture, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, War, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Gore, Excrement, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Slavery