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Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Wow, what a wild ride. This was much faster paced than book 1, which I appreciated since it's quite a hefty book. I wasn't sure I would want to continue the series after this book, especially since the last book felt like quite a slog at times,
While the plot feels complex and well planned, the characters still feel a little flat, or at least inconsistently developed. I most feel this with Nezha and Vaisra. While we know they've been planning a very complex coup, their motivations behind their actions feel a little too simple/predictable. Obviously, I could be wrong and more will be revealed in the last book, but when Vaisra betrays Rin, I wasn't that surprised since she realizes fairly early on that she's simply a weapon to him and nothing else. I guess I was waiting to be surprised by a turn of events, but was a little underwhelmed when his using Rin and the Cike came to fruition. While saddened by the Cike's demise and untimely deaths of Ramsa, Suni, and Baji, again, I wasn't surprised based on Kuang's track record with not allowing any characters plot armor. I actually think casually killing off all the characters does the book a disservice, in a way, especially the way Kuang chooses to do it in this series. It felt much more impactful in Babel because
Kitay and Rin do feel relatively well developed, and I think that's because they both somewhat excel at strategy, and Kitay definitely does. On that note, I think Vaisra could've been a much more intriguing character if we had had more insight into his motives. Nezha isn't stupid, but he doesn't seem to think too much for himself and instead acts on his father's behalf. I think my affection for Rin and Kitay grew once they became bound for life. I hadn't realized that Qara and Chaghan weren't biologically twins, but the concept of being spiritual twins is kind of neat. Romance is hardly brought up in this book, and when it is, Rin is betrayed/abandoned. I wasn't sure if there would be some sort of love triangle going on between Kitay, Rin, and Nezha, and I really hope that's not a direction Kuang goes. I like that Kitay and Rin have a very deep connection that's not hinging on romance. The fact that they literally feel each other's pain and can communicate grotesquely through harming themselves when needed feels like a concrete manifestation of their trauma bond.
By the end of the book, I had to tally up which characters Rin could still ally with: Moag, Sarana, Chaghan (and his clan?), Kesegi(?), the southern provinces, Daji(?), Venka, Kitay, and the Monkey warlord. So, definitely a ragtime team. Unfortunately, Rin's found family in the Cike was completely destroyed, and that was an element of book 1 that I liked. I was really hoping Ramsa was going to get out alive. It's hard to tell if found family is going to be part of book 3 at all since everyone seems to have their own agendas and they're more forced to ally than choosing to. I think Venka and Kitay are maybe the only true friends Rin has at this point.
I still feel like the magic system of how the gods enact their desires through the shaman isn't explained very well. Again, I guess it feels a little too simple? The motives, the relationship the shamans have with their gods, etc. The history of how the Ketreyids gifted shamanism to the Nikara was an interesting tidbit of information. We learn more about Jiang's history and how he contributed to the corruption. It's clear Kuang's strength lies in weaving complex politics throughout stories, but the magic systems and characters are a little underdeveloped, in my opinion.
Welp, I guess we'll see what happens in book 3. I expect more doom, genocide, and heartbreak.
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Genocide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Death, Gore, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War
Minor: Cursing, Abortion
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Colonisation
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Xenophobia
I admit I spent most of this book frustrated at Rin’s decisions and horrified at the consequences of her actions…but that was the whole point. Kuang throws a flawed, traumatized, furious teenager into a broken world and then sprinkles some mind-shattering magic into the mix—of course there will be hard choices and even more horrific outcomes. Rin is blinded by everything, especially her own rage, but every step she takes makes sense.
It takes an incredible author to be this true to a character, and I applaud Kuang while demanding that she pay my therapy bills for the next few years (at least).
Can’t wait to read The Burning God!
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism