I think I liked the second book more than the first. The story seemed more cohesive and not as disjointed as the first. It was interesting to see the consequences of Rin’s actions after the last book and Rin’s continued growth. It is obvious that she is very reactionary and doesn’t think of the long term consequences. I have read that Rin’s story is supposed to parallel Mao’s. It’ll be interesting to find out if that is true in Burning God. All in all I think Kuang is effectively writing a really good war story. I did enjoy the allusions to Chinese history and am intrigued enough that I’ll probably read more about the incidents mentioned.

I really hope she gets back at the Dragons and Hesperian in the third book. I have some very unkind words for them.