Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Płonący bóg

a very morally ambiguous main character that I loved/hated and I can't be mad at her for it
overall interesting plot
all characters had their complicated motives - no character seemed flat and all main characters developed well
pacing was okay, but the ending felt very rushed compared to the rest of the book
the parallel to colonization was clear and it made for a more emotional and intense narrative
I loved the shamanism concept. I liked that the gods are to be feared, especially as a conduit, allowing them to inflict their will on the world
I wish that we could have learned more about all 64 deities
Disabled representation is present, which cannot be said of many books
Rin raising an army of shamans makes a lot of sense for her character and the war - desperate times call for desperate measures
Rin's manic episode at the end was a fascinating character arc. at first, she refused to bend the knee, then realized her mistake, sacrificing herself and Kitay to Nezha for the greater good of her people. I found this arc so captivating because it illustrated the war-inflicted paranoia on Rin, especially after accusing Venka of being a traitor (but who knows, maybe she was... I enjoyed Rin and Venka's comradery though, so I hope not...)
wasn't too much of a fan of the dragon arc - it didn't make much sense to me why the dragon would attack the city rather than try to capture Nezha and Rin. I did like that the dragon was more powerful than the phoenix and that the dragon was unbeatable because I think that is "realistic".
the torture that both Rin and Nezha endured by the Hesperians was disgusting but was analogous to how colonizers treated those whom they were colonizing. it is an important narrative to show. similarly, I found the mindset that the Hesperians had towards the Nikara revolting. again, however, the mindset that a certain race is inherently better than another is one that people have had and have used to justify irreparable harm to those groups that they have decided are somehow lesser than.
I hope that those who read this series notice, appreciate, and internalize the historical parallels, as to me, the historical parallels are core to this series. R.F. Kuang has done something truly amazing with this series.

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wytherwytch's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

The twists and turns of this are exceptional

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laryisrrading's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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pagesihavenotyetread's review against another edition

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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

3.75

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skipstitch's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-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

4.0

Let them think of us as dirt, Rin thought. She was dirt. Her army was dirt. But dirt was common, ubiquitous, patient, and necessary. The soil gave life to the country. And the earth always reclaimed what it was owed.

I don't know what it is about Kuang's writing, but she makes books of 600+ pages just fly by. I had a really hard time putting this down, and it's not because it was particularly fast-paced. I just really love Kuang's writing that much, and I will honestly read anything she publishes in the future.

I'm going to structure this a bit differently, because there are a couple of specific things I want to talk about.

Rin & Kitay

She no longer fought from pure rage. She fought to protect him—and that, she had discovered, changed everything.

I already loved their dynamic in The Dragon Republic, but The Burning God was even better. Their friendship is everything. The love they have for each other, the way they care, the way Kitay is Rin's anchor in every sense of the word and not just to help her access the Phoenix.

"I don't mean to call you stupid, because I love you, but that plan is so stupid."

That moment towards the end, where she accuses him of turning on her, absolutely broke my heart. Nothing in this book is really okay, but I wanted this one thing to be the exception. As Rin loses her grip on her humanity more and more, Kitay staunchly continues to remind her of the difference between right and wrong. He refuses to compromise his principles, even when he knows he can't stop her, and that this will break them apart.

Nezha

"You can't do this for me," he said. "I won't let you."
"It's not for you. It's not a favor. It's the cruelest thing I could do."

What I was hoping for didn't happen, because this is R.F. Kuang, so of course it didn't, and what we did get makes a lot more sense anyway—the kind of betrayal that Nezha committed against Rin isn't something you just forgive and forget. Because everything is from Rin's perspective, Nezha's motivations remain opaque, which makes some of his contrary behaviour hard to understand. But it also adds a complexity to his relationship with Rin & Kitay—more than once, he says something that clearly expresses that he never wanted their trio to break the way it did. But even though he has a tactical mind, there's a naivety to his interactions with Rin, especially when they have a chance to actually talk. He expects (or rather, wishes) her to act in a way that doesn't align with who Rin is as a person. But I can't really blame him—I had naïve wishes going in, too.

The plot
The book spends a lot of time on armies travelling, political backstabbing, developing strategies, and, of course, the battles themselves. I thought it made for a cohesive story, but I can understand that people might be bored by the cycle Rin falls into. The Trifecta was definitely one of the more interesting parts, but I was disappointed by how that plotline ended because it felt too easy considering all the build-up.

That said, I thought the ending was absolutely perfect for the series, and it's exactly what I would expect from this author.

This was never going to end with the three of them once again on the same side. Rin was too far gone for that, and Nezha too resigned to an alliance with Hesperia. And with Rin acting the way she was, the only possible ending was for her to die, so that the world might live. I thought it made sense, considering her journey and who she is.

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kaylynnlock's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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isaaceelliot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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