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A review by hanarama
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
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
5.0
The Good:
Powerful and natural character development.
Strong world building.
Lots of action.
The Bad:
Skips around a bit, some telling rather than showing.
Little chance to relax between emotional highs and lows.
You'll Like This Book If:
You like Daenerys' story in A Song of Ice and Fire.
If you like morally gray characters.
Stories about the horrors of war and the dangers of power.
The final book of the Poppy War trilogy is one emotional gut-punch after the next. Having broken away from the Republic, Rin is building up forces of her own and she is willing to do anything and everything to win this war for herself and the people of Nikan.
Through all of this she struggles against the allure of the Phoenix and its power. If she gives herself over to it, she will become a goddess of war and retribution, but she will lose humanity in the process. At times it is only Kitay keeping her anchored. With the war against the Republic and Hesperians dragging on and the number of betrayals increasing, Rin's sanity is fraying and it seems only a matter of time before she is lost to the Phoenix.
Powerful and natural character development.
Strong world building.
Lots of action.
The Bad:
Skips around a bit, some telling rather than showing.
Little chance to relax between emotional highs and lows.
You'll Like This Book If:
You like Daenerys' story in A Song of Ice and Fire.
If you like morally gray characters.
Stories about the horrors of war and the dangers of power.
The final book of the Poppy War trilogy is one emotional gut-punch after the next. Having broken away from the Republic, Rin is building up forces of her own and she is willing to do anything and everything to win this war for herself and the people of Nikan.
Through all of this she struggles against the allure of the Phoenix and its power. If she gives herself over to it, she will become a goddess of war and retribution, but she will lose humanity in the process. At times it is only Kitay keeping her anchored. With the war against the Republic and Hesperians dragging on and the number of betrayals increasing, Rin's sanity is fraying and it seems only a matter of time before she is lost to the Phoenix.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence