justlilah'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, War, Xenophobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexism, Self harm, Racial slurs, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Animal death, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Physical abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Body shaming, Injury/injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Genocide, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Hate crime, Colonisation, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I spent most of this book on an emotional rollercoaster. All... weird feelings, too. Angry and nervous, mostly. There were scenes that made me uncomfortable and when I wanted to throw the book across the room. It was really really good. I was fully engaged at all time. I'm still reeling, though. The Burning God is a unique take on a fantasy war story with intense, disturbing images and a not-exactly-happy ending. Read at your own risk.
That said, I can't recommend this trilogy and The Burning God enough. Absolutely astounding writing, strong characters, heart-wrenching scenes, and thrilling action. It's wonderful.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Suicide, War, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking, Genocide, Racism, Rape, and Addiction
The islanders of Speer and their descendants are dark-skinned.ashmo69'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
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Drug use, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Colonisation, Gore, War, Blood, Body horror, Genocide, Hate crime, Child death, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Infertility, Abortion, Chronic illness, Medical content, Vomit, Alcohol, and Cannibalism
raiynnn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Religious bigotry, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Blood, Animal death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, War, Cursing, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Xenophobia, Body horror, Medical trauma, and Gun violence
donatio's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Hate crime, Vomit, War, Death, Violence, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Racial slurs, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Self harm
lolaslalaland's review
2.0
Pros:
✅ historical parallels
✅ impactful themes of war and the crimes and brutality that follow it
✅ strong atmosphere of pain and suffering across an entire nation
Cons:
❌ very little character development. they mainly felt like chess pieces moved around or added to progress the war
❌ massive pacing issues... no down time! it's just war, war, war, war. no time to build any kind of connections
❌ magical elements were virutally useless and lead to nothing SPOILER:
Spoiler
So much hype for the Triad just for them to all get defeaeted at the top of a mountain byt eh same army their thought they could defeat with just the three of them... so incredibly disappointed and what a waste of time throughout the entire trilogy.❌ a well written unlikeable character but who is incredibly infuriating in her stupidity! She somehow always ends up in the same situation over and over and over again... I needed something new to happen at least once.
What I want to end this review with is that I am glad I read the trilogy because the themes it brings up are important and to have them in a "fantasy" setting lets the author explore them more deeply and with less limitations, but I also think this trilogy tried to do too much theme building and not enough story and character development. Perhaps R.F. Kuang is not the author for me. I will still read her standalone Babel though and find out!
Graphic: Addiction, Rape, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Gore, War, Torture, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Sexual assault, Racism, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Child death, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
ellenisntcool'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
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Body horror, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexism, Emotional abuse, War, Murder, Violence, Self harm, Xenophobia, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Colonisation, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Blood, War, Animal death, and Vomit
lanid's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Colonisation, Body horror, Cannibalism, Suicide, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Xenophobia, Drug use, and War
Minor: Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcohol, Excrement, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, and Rape
chaoticnostalgia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spoiler
I don't know where to begin. Kuang is an excellent writer and creator of characters. I fell in love with Chen Kitay and his bond with Rin was the most moving aspect of the story. Rin's ending felt fitting, inevitable, and unsettling. It feels so cruel that Nezha is the only surviving character out of the dozen or so we came to love. He was so well written, but I wish more was done with his character ultimately. The third installment felt so very rushed and frustrating at times. I'll be thinking about this for a while.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, War, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion
sunsetcity's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Animal death, Classism, Murder, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Rape, Vomit, War, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Drug use, Injury/injury detail, Sexual assault, Addiction, Cannibalism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Torture