Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Burning God

I like what R.F. Kuang did with this series. She delves into a complex time in history—the Japanese invasion of China and the Chinese Civil War—through the lens of fantasy. We're given a hard to swallow but poignant story filled with moral dilemma, intense pain, and a deeply flawed and morally grey main character. I could see some not connecting to this series because Rin ends up doing some disgusting things, yet for me Kuang expertly navigated keeping me engaged with her story. Though I wouldn't have made the choices Ron did, Kuang lays the groundwork for why Rin gets to each objectionable decision such that you can't help but to feel empathy for her and see how she got there. That's a difficult balancing act for an author and why I think Kuang is one of our modern greats. Definitely check your content warnings if you are sensitive to the evils of war as this series does not topically glaze over them.

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izzywoo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-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

Let them think of us as dirt, Rin thought. She was dirt. Her army was dirt. But dirt was common, ubiquitous, patient, and necessary. The soil gave life to the country. And the earth always reclaimed what it was owed.

I don't know what it is about Kuang's writing, but she makes books of 600+ pages just fly by. I had a really hard time putting this down, and it's not because it was particularly fast-paced. I just really love Kuang's writing that much, and I will honestly read anything she publishes in the future.

I'm going to structure this a bit differently, because there are a couple of specific things I want to talk about.

Rin & Kitay

She no longer fought from pure rage. She fought to protect him—and that, she had discovered, changed everything.

I already loved their dynamic in The Dragon Republic, but The Burning God was even better. Their friendship is everything. The love they have for each other, the way they care, the way Kitay is Rin's anchor in every sense of the word and not just to help her access the Phoenix.

"I don't mean to call you stupid, because I love you, but that plan is so stupid."

That moment towards the end, where she accuses him of turning on her, absolutely broke my heart. Nothing in this book is really okay, but I wanted this one thing to be the exception. As Rin loses her grip on her humanity more and more, Kitay staunchly continues to remind her of the difference between right and wrong. He refuses to compromise his principles, even when he knows he can't stop her, and that this will break them apart.

Nezha

"You can't do this for me," he said. "I won't let you."
"It's not for you. It's not a favor. It's the cruelest thing I could do."

What I was hoping for didn't happen, because this is R.F. Kuang, so of course it didn't, and what we did get makes a lot more sense anyway—the kind of betrayal that Nezha committed against Rin isn't something you just forgive and forget. Because everything is from Rin's perspective, Nezha's motivations remain opaque, which makes some of his contrary behaviour hard to understand. But it also adds a complexity to his relationship with Rin & Kitay—more than once, he says something that clearly expresses that he never wanted their trio to break the way it did. But even though he has a tactical mind, there's a naivety to his interactions with Rin, especially when they have a chance to actually talk. He expects (or rather, wishes) her to act in a way that doesn't align with who Rin is as a person. But I can't really blame him—I had naïve wishes going in, too.

The plot
The book spends a lot of time on armies travelling, political backstabbing, developing strategies, and, of course, the battles themselves. I thought it made for a cohesive story, but I can understand that people might be bored by the cycle Rin falls into. The Trifecta was definitely one of the more interesting parts, but I was disappointed by how that plotline ended because it felt too easy considering all the build-up.

That said, I thought the ending was absolutely perfect for the series, and it's exactly what I would expect from this author.

This was never going to end with the three of them once again on the same side. Rin was too far gone for that, and Nezha too resigned to an alliance with Hesperia. And with Rin acting the way she was, the only possible ending was for her to die, so that the world might live. I thought it made sense, considering her journey and who she is.

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nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition

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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

4.5

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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dark

3.75

This final book in the poppy war trilogy tastes bitter. Rin’s ascent into godhood (because that’s what it is ultimately, the making of a legend, something bigger than life) twists her humanity. It’s a logical progression, an examination of how supernatural power twists the wielder’s humanity. The problem is that in her godhood, Rin is alone. Her power, her ambition, her trust and her betrayals, they’ve all warped her. Her superiority separates her, even her closest relationships become strained. She stops seeing people as human. It’s painfully realistic, and hard to read. It’s a point that needs to be made, and it’s sickening because you (the reader) stop seeing these people as human too. I couldn’t feel anything over the many deaths in this book because I was so stuck in Rin’s head. Characters pop in and out of her warpath so quickly that it’s impossible to connect with them, or even see Rin connect with them. Most of the time, she doesn’t even try. It’s horrifying to realize the conclusion that this book is spiraling towards, tighter and tighter until you feel suffocated by the weight of it. Vicious circles, indeed. Rin doesn’t, can’t, come to this conclusion until the end of the book, thinking, “history moved in such vicious circles.” And I’ll admit, it did take me a bit aback to recognize some of the parallels between Rin & co and the Trifecta. It’s a tough book to rate, because the very things that made me dislike it are the things that make it masterful.

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persephonefoxx's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

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emlyy_who's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

5.0

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