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ringofkeyz 's review for:
The Burning God
by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Burning God was definitely the best book of the trilogy. Everything the first two books set up finally paid off. I especially liked the honesty of the near-ending. If everything in the Empire had been fixed as soon as Rin and her army overtook Arlong then it wouldn't have felt true. War decimates, regardless of who wins. Issues plaguing a nation don't disappear simply because the fighting ceases; the new power has to put in effort to fix that - famine, disease outbreaks, housing, etc - and often that leads to civil unrest. I felt as though the book captured that extremely well.
Equally as well done was the depiction of desperation during war time. Rin's descent into instability over the course of this book, whether through the power of the Phoenix or her own paranoia, was almost infectious. I couldn't help but continue reading, wanting to see if she would overcome her demons or succumb to them. And wondering, if she succumbed, would she bring Kitay down with her?
My main criticism of this trilogy (and the reason this book isn't 5 stars) is because of the temporal displacement the dialogue creates. This is a book that is HISTORICAL fiction. While the war draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War (thus the WW2 era), the setting is based on the Song Dynasty, which ended in the late 1200s. However, the dialogue always felt modern. I could walk outside and hear people talking in the same manner as Rin, Nezha, Kitay, and everyone else in the novel. That disconnect is my one major nitpick about this trilogy, and this book in particular because I loved pretty much everything else.
Shoutout Martina for recommending this trilogy to me. I'm in your debt.
Equally as well done was the depiction of desperation during war time. Rin's descent into instability over the course of this book, whether through the power of the Phoenix or her own paranoia, was almost infectious. I couldn't help but continue reading, wanting to see if she would overcome her demons or succumb to them. And wondering, if she succumbed, would she bring Kitay down with her?
My main criticism of this trilogy (and the reason this book isn't 5 stars) is because of the temporal displacement the dialogue creates. This is a book that is HISTORICAL fiction. While the war draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War (thus the WW2 era), the setting is based on the Song Dynasty, which ended in the late 1200s. However, the dialogue always felt modern. I could walk outside and hear people talking in the same manner as Rin, Nezha, Kitay, and everyone else in the novel. That disconnect is my one major nitpick about this trilogy, and this book in particular because I loved pretty much everything else.
Shoutout Martina for recommending this trilogy to me. I'm in your debt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, Classism
Minor: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Cannibalism