madisonbell_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: War, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Child death, Drug use, Injury/injury detail, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Classism, Death, Blood, Child abuse, Sexism, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, and Misogyny
amethystofblackrose's review
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Classism, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Genocide, Torture, and Gore
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
lovelymisanthrope'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
5.0
"The Burning God" begins where "The Dragon Republic" left off: with Rin ready to do anything and everything in her power to win this war and protect the southern providences. She has overcome betrayal, hardship, death, and destruction, and she will not let the Dragon Republic be victorious. Will Rin be able to win the war without using the power of the phoenix to destroy the entire world in the process?
Spoiler
I am so glad I read this book, and I am even more glad I did some research afterwards, because going into this book I was not a huge fan of Rin. I felt like her character progressed really negatively throughout "The Dragon Republic" and I was disappointed to see her become what I felt was corrupted by power. I am sure that anyone would struggle with gaining such immense power as she did, but she really became so consumed with the need to win that she made unnecessary sacrifices. For example, at the beginning of "The Burning God" she decides to burn an entire temple down despite the fact that there were innocent hostages inside. She has lost her humanity throughout this process and sees the death of a few as acceptable because it is for the greater good. Rin really has a redemption arc in my mind with this final installment and I feel like she is finally able to see that she is not the leader everyone needs.Upon finishing this novel I watched some discussions of this story on YouTube, and my eyes were completely opened to the fact that though this is a work of fiction, these conversations about war and colonization are rooted in history. More often than not generals and other higher ups in military forces are so great at what they do because they have a strategic war mind. They are able to be ruthless and lead a team to victory at any cost, which is great and important. However, this mindset and leadership is not what people need after the war ends. This mindset is too extreme and idealist to properly lead a country through recovery post war. The characteristics I did not enjoy about Rin execute this point perfectly, and I have a newfound love and appreciation for her character development because it sparks an important conversation about war leaders.
R.F. Kuang is an immensely talented author, and I am so glad I gave her books a chance. This story is thought-provoking, eloquently written with beautiful prose, and provides important insight into a side of war rarely talked about.
Spoiler
I look forward to reading more from R.F. Kuang in the future because she has rapidly become a favorite author of mine!
Graphic: Colonisation, War, Drug use, Death, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Toxic relationship
tori_mccausland's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Suicide, War, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Self harm, Abortion, Rape, Sexual violence, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Gore, and Physical abuse
moooooshell's review against another edition
- 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: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Murder, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, War, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Animal death, Cannibalism, and Racism
daisy11'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
4.5
Graphic: Rape, War, Violence, Racism, Murder, Injury/injury detail, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abortion, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship
arisaenz'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
Graphic: Addiction, Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, Toxic friendship, War, Racism, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Drug use and Gaslighting
Minor: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
pearlbird's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/injury detail, Gore, Drug use, War, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Torture and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
natnat_7's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, War, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Slavery, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abortion and Miscarriage