A review by an_cat_dubh
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think the third book in The Poppy Wars trilogy is my favorite. You can definitely see the improvement in story telling from the first. Rin was definitely being consumed by her own paranoia whether it was due to her god or PTSD remains unclear. It definitely resulted in her making some very questionable decisions. The fact that in order to achieve an armistice she’d basically have to cage her phoenix and deny her belief system seems par for the course historically speaking with imperialists. I’m not a fan of the fact that they’ll basically have to surrender their country to the invaders doesn’t make for a satisfying conclusion but it is a true reflection of the reality of war. Her decision in the end was definitely true to her character and I was only sad that Kitay suffered too. I’m not sure how I feel about Nezha. It’s complicated. He definitely set himself up for it though. 

I’d be interested to know what further parallels there are between Chinese history and the events that played out (e.g. the Long March). Kitay should’ve been in charge, those gods just cloud everyone’s decision making skills.