awais_shafaq's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
akechi's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
griefslove's review
3.25
raqreads's review against another edition
2.0
1. The Poppy War | ★★★
2. The Dragon Republic | ★★★★
3. The Burning God | ★★
“This was chaos, but chaos was where she thrived. A world at peace, at stalemate, at cease-fire, had no use for her.”
After re-reading and completely loving The Dragon Republic just a couple of weeks ago, you can imagine how excited I was about reading the conclusion to this ownvoices Chinese-inspired military fantasy and grimdark trilogy. This had so much potential and I had so much hope. That is why it pains me to say that I was overall quite disappointed by this last instalment.
Without going into spoilers, The Burning God picks up a couple of months after the ending of the second book and starts off exploring the southern regions of Nikara. This is a book that raises the question whether putting a communist dictator in power is the right response to imperialism and colonialism. We have known the path Rin would end up following since The Poppy War, so that’s why I wasn’t surprised by the turn the story took in this instalment.
The first part of the book truly blew my mind and I honestly though this would be the epic conclusion I was hoping for. Unfortunately, I had issues with the execution of the plot from the second part onwards—an irregular pacing, the lack of explanation regarding some questionable strategic decisions and how convenient some situations were. This made me disconnect from the story to the point that, by the end of the book, I didn’t care anymore about the characters nor the plot. I just wanted the story to end and jump into another book.
“She considered that for a moment, and found herself in the curious position of determining a nation’s historical narrative.”
I really appreciate the fact that the entire trilogy is inspired by 20th century Chinese history and the way Kuang has implemented those events in a fantasy setting. That is definitely one of the strongest aspects of the The Poppy War trilogy for me. I love how she dissects humanity and how she makes the reader think about so many important themes such as imperialism, communism and war trauma. Seeing the characters going through all that definitely made an impact on me. But the way some decisions were handled and the lack of explanation regarding important plot devices just made me loss interest in the story.
I liked the ending, I found it very fitting. That being said, I think those last chapters were quite rushed, which made that narrative a little bit weak despise how interesting the concept was. I also wish we had more interactions between the characters. I had the feeling this last instalment sacrificed the relationships between the characters in order to be a plot-driven book. Which is a shame, since Rin’s arc comes from her experiences with other characters.
Summing up, reading The Burning Gid was a bittersweet experience. It started on such a high note for me, but then I started to be bored with the plot and its execution. I still think this is a powerful trilogy and I still love The Dragon Republic, but this last instalment ended up being a disappointment for me and, hands down, my least favourite book in the The Poppy War trilogy.
“You are the worst thing to happen to this country”, Gurubai said. His voice carried no anger or invective, just resignation. He wasn’t trying to hurt her. He was delivering his final testimony. “These people deserve better than you.”
P.S.: I’m not English, so I’m sorry if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes.
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megster's review
- 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
kaschi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
roocioo's review
4.0
hace mucho que no me afectaban así unos libros, pero después de esto no tengo ganas de leer otra cosa literal. estoy muy triste yo sabía que ninguno iba a poder tener su final feliz pero igual dolió mucho :(
se me rompe el corazón cuando pienso en kitay especialmente se merecía algo mejor, era tan buena persona pero fue forzado a hacer cosas horribles. también me impactó mucho ver a rin básicamente perder la cabeza hasta el punto de desconfiar hasta su otra mitad. es que al final del día eran sólo chicos que heredaron la responsabilidad de un país entero.
estoy triste. en mi mente rin kitay y nezha vivieron felices para siempre. chau
mbellig's review against another edition
4.0
emthedj's review
- 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
zeoabyss's review
- 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
4.5