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A review by sgbrux
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
5.0
"The world is already ending. You see, the Hundred Clans know that time moves in a circle. There are never any new stories, just old ones told again and again as the universe moves through its cycles of civilization and crumbles into despair. We are on the brink of an age of chaos again, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."
What a tragic end to this story. But then again, there was never any other way it could have ended. Somberness, disappointment, senselessness—these are the different emotions I felt after finishing Rin's arc. The irreparable cost of war and the corruption of power—how these things together can corrode one's soul—are real and ugly and take too much, and their aftermath manipulates generations upon generations to come.
I waffled back and forth between 3.5 and 4.5 for The Burning God, ultimately landing on the latter (rounding up, as I do). My problems with this book mirror the issues I had with The Dragon Republic in that the themes of war and destruction and violence are hit on almost excessively, and like the second book, there seemed to be a lot of time spent waiting around in villages or traveling, and talking tactics and how best to leverage the gods.
Rin, again, made me want to pull my hair out and slap some sense into her, but I think that was kind of the point. The rage and insanity of her chosen path ensnared her very quickly. Oh, how I wanted a better life for her so badly, but she was always too far gone. And I really have no idea whether it happened before or after Sinegard. Sad, either way.
I don't feel that the extra content from Nezha's POV was necessary, but it did confirm some of the suspicions I had all along. I just wanted Rin to let someone love her. The girl needed a big hug.
All in all, TBG was a fitting conclusion to The Poppy War trilogy. Very glad I finally read this one. Though sad, it was well worth the read. Can't wait for whatever Kuang writes next.
"I am the force of creation. I am the end and the beginning. The world is a painting and I hold the brush. I am a god."
What a tragic end to this story. But then again, there was never any other way it could have ended. Somberness, disappointment, senselessness—these are the different emotions I felt after finishing Rin's arc. The irreparable cost of war and the corruption of power—how these things together can corrode one's soul—are real and ugly and take too much, and their aftermath manipulates generations upon generations to come.
I waffled back and forth between 3.5 and 4.5 for The Burning God, ultimately landing on the latter (rounding up, as I do). My problems with this book mirror the issues I had with The Dragon Republic in that the themes of war and destruction and violence are hit on almost excessively, and like the second book, there seemed to be a lot of time spent waiting around in villages or traveling, and talking tactics and how best to leverage the gods.
Rin, again, made me want to pull my hair out and slap some sense into her, but I think that was kind of the point. The rage and insanity of her chosen path ensnared her very quickly. Oh, how I wanted a better life for her so badly, but she was always too far gone. And I really have no idea whether it happened before or after Sinegard. Sad, either way.
I don't feel that the extra content from Nezha's POV was necessary, but it did confirm some of the suspicions I had all along. I just wanted Rin to let someone love her. The girl needed a big hug.
All in all, TBG was a fitting conclusion to The Poppy War trilogy. Very glad I finally read this one. Though sad, it was well worth the read. Can't wait for whatever Kuang writes next.
"I am the force of creation. I am the end and the beginning. The world is a painting and I hold the brush. I am a god."