bloop 's review for:

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

4.75

fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Tiger's tits. I was blown away by the ending to this amazing trilogy, so much so that I had to sit with the ending for over a week before I write this review. Out of all three books, I have to say that I still think the first one is the best in terms of pacing and storyline, but The Burning God is a close second. I loved how we got to see more of Su Daji and Jiang Ziya; their backstories make me understand their motives more and empathize with their struggles. Daji doesn't seem as untouchable as she once was in this book. I also liked how Kuang further explored the relationship between the Nikara and the Hesperians and how *shocker* regardless of what the Nikara do or how civil they act, they will never be seen as peers to Hesperians just by the inherent nature of their ethnicity. R.F. Kuang writes with intention and it shows.  

Now, I do want to say that while most of the plot elements seem carefully planned out, I am annoyed about the timing of some things.

For example, the Trifecta are OP, and the way they were randomly destroyed was just major plot armor for Rin because there's no fuckin way she could beat any of them lmao. Also, the shamans she created happened way too late in the book and we barely got to see any of them. When we did, they were mainly there for plot convenience. Would've loved to see a deeper dive into this

Those are my main concerns that keep this book from being a 5 star read, but it's very close to perfect. The ending was absolutely heartbreaking but necessary. R.F. Kuang I love you! Can't wait to read Yellowface next.