R. F. Kuang

The Burning God

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it? 

PLS GIVE THEM A WORLD WHERE NO WAR EVER EXISTED

sofia mae

because Rin and Kitay were bonded in a way that he could never understand, and there was no world where Rin died and Kitay remained alive

This was chaos, but chaos was where she thrived

History repeated itself, and she was only the latest iteration of the same scene in a tapestry that had been spun long before her birth.

can we talk about how bro lost his dad, his mom, his brother and his freedom all bcs of rin and now she’s playing the hero by leaving the mess to him and telling him to fix this??? what the fuck

yeah i know atlan was toxic and nezha wasn’t any better but RIN..!!? she was actually the villain all along (or maybe it’s the pheonix)

Luoyi

He knew exactly what choice she'd made and what she'd intended. And that made everything- -hating her, loving her, surviving her-so much harder. Fix this. He tilted his head back. His knees shook from a wave of exhaustion washing over his limbs, and he took a deep, rattling breath as he contemplated the monumental task before him. Fix this? Fix this? What did he have left to work with? She'd broken everything.

girl you have already broken him. fuck this i hate you rin. 

Take what you want, it said. I'll hate you for it. But I'l love you forever. I can't help but love you. Ruin me, ruin us, and I'll let you. She almost took that for permission. But if she did, if she broke through his soul and took everything she wanted..

Tearza should have killed the Red Emperor. Hanelai should have murdered Jiang when she'd had the chance. But they couldn't hrt the people they loved. But Rin could kill anything.

PROTECT KITAY AT ALL COST he’s been through so much he deserves so much better </3 

You've abandoned me, she thought as he wept with relief into her shoulder. You thought you could fool me, but I know your soul.. And if you're not with me, you'll burn, too.

bro i would’ve strangled her right there wtf is this brat trying to do. start another war???? like there’s ppl dying who tf is gonna fight for you. they’re all gonna starve to death or get killed bcs of you 

“I just need you behind me for this final stretch" "Fuck the Hesperians!" 

Another shout, a different voice. “Feed us first!”

"These are the forces that make up our world," said Rin. "They have no intent. They have no agenda, and they do not tend toward order. They want nothing more than to be what they are. And they don’t care.”

GIRL YOU DIDNT DO SHIT so stop trying to carry on this war HELLO

All she'd done was lie flat on her ass, scared out of her wits, of while Nezha and a Hesperian pilot fought a battle of lightning that she didn't understand. She'd meddled in forces she couldn't control. She'd nearly sunk the entire city, nearly drowned every person in this valley, all because she'd thought she could wake the Dragon and win.

someone give Jiang a hug I can’t do this 

He knew full well what he'd done. In that momnent he was complete and aware, reconciled with his past, and fully in control. And he'd chosen to save her.

I received both these scars from men I thought I loved,' Rin said. "One is dead now. One will be. I understand how humiliation feels. Keep your secrets if you want. But there's nothing you can say that will make me think any less of you."

famous words from the kid who turned into the great tortoise 

"General?" Again Dulin raised his hand. "With all due respect, could we stop fucking around and get started?"

Rin became so self obsessed as the story went on I actually started hating her

She'd never taken a moment to consider that unlike her, he hadn't satisfaction from it like she could, because for him, it wasn't the necessary price of a way out. For him, it was only torture. chosen his pain as tribute. He couldn't derive

"It's a suicide drive, then." Venka, to her great credit, did not sound the least bit afraid. She reached for her sword, as if that could do anything against the impending air assault. “I suppose this has to end sometime. It’s been fun, kids.”

"No, listen. Do you know what it was like to be the country idiot who everyone thought was barely literate because my tongue was flat, my skin was dark, and I didn't know that you're supposed to bow to the master at the end of every class?" “I’m not saying-“

"I thought there was something inherently wrong with me" she said. "That I was just born uglier, weaker, and less intelligent than everyone around me. I thought that, because that's what everyone told me. And you're arguing that means I had no right to defy.”

the ‘darling, fucking what’ is so funny to me i kinda love the two of them as a duo

"Jinzha?" Jiang frowned, digging his little finger into his ear. “The older Yin brat?" 

“Yes," Daji said. "I think I taught him at Sinegard. Utter asshole. Whatever happened to him?" 

"He got plucky," Daji said. "I turned him to mincemeat and sent him back to Vaisra in a dumpling basket" 

Jiang arched an eyebrow. "Darling, fucking what?"

 If only they reasoned and the book ended here.

Please, Rin. Come to reason. I need you at my side.

"At dawn," she said. "At dawn," he agreed. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. This was their standard way of parting, the way they said everything they never spoke out loud. Fight well. Keep us safe. I love you. Every goodbye had to be so much harder for Kitay, who wagered his life on hers every time she set foot on the battlefield.

Hannah Nugent

You were only ever fighting to survive, Gurubai. I was fighting to win. And history doesn't favor stability, it favors initiative. 

War didn’t end, not so cleanly-it just kept building up in little hurts that piled on one another until they exploded afresh into raw new wounds. 

Hate was a funny thing. lt gnawed at her insides like poison. It made every muscle in her body tense, made her veins boil so hot she thought her head might split in half, and yet it fueled every- thing she did. Hate was its own kind of fire and if you had nothing else, it kept you warm.

was it ever really there in the first place?🏃🏼‍♀️‍➡️

Stas

no the fuck it does NOT you psycho you JUST SAID you had lives to spare?????? AND followed it up w saying how people deserve to die bc of where they’re from????

Lili V Guba

The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang's acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect. After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn't given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much--the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges--and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix's intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

god. those last couple of pages were a grueling read, especially as a big, big kitay fan.

the finishing book to kuang’s TPW series delivered the blow in a way that made sense to me—not predictable, moreso along the lines of “yeah, a historical fantasy ridden with wars would end like this.”

rin is a rollercoaster of a character. you’d hate her for a couple of pages and start rooting for her the next. we all have our own interpretations, but i can’t understand the extent of all the vitriol nor the people who expected her to be some perfect general devoid of emotions. what is there to be confused about? there have been three thick books that serve as an explanation as to why she turned out the way she did. she was used, abused, betrayed; not to mention, a child for the bulk of it.

we can just chalk this up to her being a divisive figure.

back to the book itself: similar to how i felt about TDG, this was a tedious read. it dragged on and on and the tiny flickers of respite never really amounted to anything satisfactory. the appropriate mood and pacing for its genre, really.

already expressed my adoration for kitay (and venka, previously) but i don’t think i’ve ever mentioned jiang. didn’t realize how much i missed him.

rini

real ✰: 4.75

god. those last couple of pages were a grueling read, especially as a big, big kitay fan.

the finishing book to kuang’s TPW series delivered the blow in a way that made sense to me—not predictable, moreso along the lines of “yeah, a historical fantasy ridden with wars would end like this.”

rin is a rollercoaster of a character. you’d hate her for a couple of pages and start rooting for her the next. we all have our own interpretations, but i can’t understand the extent of all the vitriol nor the people who expected her to be some perfect general devoid of emotions. what is there to be confused about? there have been three thick books that serve as an explanation as to why she turned out the way she did. she was used, abused, betrayed; not to mention, a child for the bulk of it.

we can just chalk this up to her being a divisive figure.

back to the book itself: similar to how i felt about TDG, this was a tedious read. it dragged on and on and the tiny flickers of respite never really amounted to anything satisfactory. the appropriate mood and pacing for its genre, really.

already expressed my adoration for kitay (and venka, previously) but i don’t think i’ve ever mentioned jiang. didn’t realize how much i missed him.

jade shen

yin nezha they can never make me hate you

Let them think of us as dirt... 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.

Holy shit. This book, and this whole series, is a tough, exhausting, depressing read, I am not going to lie - but wow, what a story it is! Four stars feels like just the right place for this book, and I am going to say this is a four star series overall. There's absolutely no denying that R.F. Kuang is an amazing author, this trilogy is awe-inspiring and it will stick with me for years to come, but I also need to factor my own enjoyment into my rating, and the simple fact is that these books are hard to read - and not only because of the topics discussed. As I said in my previous review for The Dragon Republic a story about oppression, war and overall hardship is never going to be an easy read, it's something you need to steel yourself for and really sit with as the horror unfolds around you, and I truly believe this was a story that deserved to be told and was told well. But I just can't honestly say that I completely loved it and there's a number of factors that go into that.

Firstly, the pacing in this book was tedious. It was realistic for what was happening in the story though. I really felt like I was there alongside Rin and The Southern Army has they trudged over the Baolei mountain range, hiding in forests and journeying between villages and towns in their acts of liberation and reoccupation, and that was what made up a lot of this book. We travelled from one place to another over and over and it was tiring, not even the moments of action packed warfare could balance it out evenly. This is also a very political book, a large amount of it was made up of strategizing, whether that be war strategizing and referring back to Sunzi's books on how to wage war or finding ways to rebuild the country after all of the destruction or trying to talk Rin into reason, and it became quite a dry and often repetitive read after a while. I understand why some of this is important, it really gets you to connect with the desperation and hopelessness that the character's and populace were feeling, but my gosh, it was a slog to get through at times. I also found it interesting, that while I was really connected to those feelings this book evoked, I wasn't extremely connected to the characters. I felt quite detached from everyone in this story at an individual level except for Rin and Kitay (Kitay will forever remain my favourite character in this trilogy). We experienced a tonne of major character deaths in this book, and I just didn't feel like their deaths impacted me as much as I would think they would given how much of an emotional rollercoaster this book and series was. 

SPOILER>>> In particular the Trifecta and Venka's deaths, even Vaisra's death, I just didn't feel as upset or as gratified when these happened. The only deaths that truly made me said was Kitay - how I gaslit myself into thinking he would have a happy ending - and Pipaji - that poor girl, she terrified me just a bit, but my heart truly ached for her.

Rin and Kitay were bonded in a way that he could never understand, and there was no world where Rin died and Kitay remained alive. 

There were a lot of things I did enjoy about this book though. I feel like Rin's character arc improved immensely, in the previous books it felt like she flip flopped a lot between becoming a better person, learning to control her rage, making better decisions for the wellbeing of as many people as she could etc and falling back into bad habits, such as deferring to authority figures and letting her hatred and want for vengeance blind her - but in this book it was really clear, we were watching her steady descent into madness

SPOILER>>>and I knew from really early on that there would be no other option than for her to be taken out for things to improve, as Nezha said in his epilogue: "Rin was a monster, a murderer, a destroyer of worlds. Nothing but blood and ashes ever trailed in her wake. The world was a better, safer, and more peaceful place without her in it." there was truly no way around this.

I really loved all of the parts of this story that talked about Rin and Kitay's bond, how he made her a more careful person because she wanted to protect him, there were some really beautiful moments between these two, their love for each other, and their balance, the yin and the yang of their personalities, was what really stood out to me in this series.

“I am the force of creation... I am the end and the beginning. The world is a painting and I hold the brush. I am a god.”

Overall, this was a really good read and I absolutely recommend people should read it, but as I've said before, make sure you're in a good place mentally and know that the trigger warning list for this book is a mile long. I am really glad, and relieved, to have finished this series, glad in some ways that's it's over and that I won't have to subject myself to anymore torment, and glad that the ending was so a fitting and I felt like the storyline was really satisfyingly wrapped up, and also glad because this book feels a bit like a canon event that all fantasy readers must embark on at some point. I'm looking forward to diving into more of Kuang's works, and more than a little bit scared too, because... wow, she sure does know how to write a book that will have you sleepless at night, overthinking every little thing that happens in the world.

Genevieve 

Let them think of us as dirt... 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.

4 ⭐

Holy shit. This book, and this whole series, is a tough, exhausting, depressing read, I am not going to lie - but wow, what a story it is! Four stars feels like just the right place for this book, and I am going to say this is a four star series overall. There's absolutely no denying that R.F. Kuang is an amazing author, this trilogy is awe-inspiring and it will stick with me for years to come, but I also need to factor my own enjoyment into my rating, and the simple fact is that these books are hard to read - and not only because of the topics discussed. As I said in my previous review for The Dragon Republic a story about oppression, war and overall hardship is never going to be an easy read, it's something you need to steel yourself for and really sit with as the horror unfolds around you, and I truly believe this was a story that deserved to be told and was told well. But I just can't honestly say that I completely loved it and there's a number of factors that go into that.

Firstly, the pacing in this book was tedious. It was realistic for what was happening in the story though. I really felt like I was there alongside Rin and The Southern Army has they trudged over the Baolei mountain range, hiding in forests and journeying between villages and towns in their acts of liberation and reoccupation, and that was what made up a lot of this book. We travelled from one place to another over and over and it was tiring, not even the moments of action packed warfare could balance it out evenly. This is also a very political book, a large amount of it was made up of strategizing, whether that be war strategizing and referring back to Sunzi's books on how to wage war or finding ways to rebuild the country after all of the destruction or trying to talk Rin into reason, and it became quite a dry and often repetitive read after a while. I understand why some of this is important, it really gets you to connect with the desperation and hopelessness that the character's and populace were feeling, but my gosh, it was a slog to get through at times. I also found it interesting, that while I was really connected to those feelings this book evoked, I wasn't extremely connected to the characters. I felt quite detached from everyone in this story at an individual level except for Rin and Kitay (Kitay will forever remain my favourite character in this trilogy). We experienced a tonne of major character deaths in this book, and I just didn't feel like their deaths impacted me as much as I would think they would given how much of an emotional rollercoaster this book and series was. 
SPOILER>>> In particular the Trifecta and Venka's deaths, even Vaisra's death, I just didn't feel as upset or as gratified when these happened. The only deaths that truly made me said was Kitay - how I gaslit myself into thinking he would have a happy ending - and Pipaji - that poor girl, she terrified me just a bit, but my heart truly ached for her.

Rin and Kitay were bonded in a way that he could never understand, and there was no world where Rin died and Kitay remained alive. 
END SPOILER<<<

There were a lot of things I did enjoy about this book though. I feel like Rin's character arc improved immensely, in the previous books it felt like she flip flopped a lot between becoming a better person, learning to control her rage, making better decisions for the wellbeing of as many people as she could etc and falling back into bad habits, such as deferring to authority figures and letting her hatred and want for vengeance blind her - but in this book it was really clear, we were watching her steady descent into madness
SPOILER>>>and I knew from really early on that there would be no other option than for her to be taken out for things to improve, as Nezha said in his epilogue: "Rin was a monster, a murderer, a destroyer of worlds. Nothing but blood and ashes ever trailed in her wake. The world was a better, safer, and more peaceful place without her in it." there was truly no way around this.
END SPOILER<<<
I really loved all of the parts of this story that talked about Rin and Kitay's bond, how he made her a more careful person because she wanted to protect him, there were some really beautiful moments between these two, their love for each other, and their balance, the yin and the yang of their personalities, was what really stood out to me in this series.

“I am the force of creation... I am the end and the beginning. The world is a painting and I hold the brush. I am a god.”

Overall, this was a really good read and I absolutely recommend people should read it, but as I've said before, make sure you're in a good place mentally and know that the trigger warning list for this book is a mile long. I am really glad, and relieved, to have finished this series, glad in some ways that's it's over and that I won't have to subject myself to anymore torment, and glad that the ending was so a fitting and I felt like the storyline was really satisfyingly wrapped up, and also glad because this book feels a bit like a canon event that all fantasy readers must embark on at some point. I'm looking forward to diving into more of Kuang's works, and more than a little bit scared too, because... wow, she sure does know how to write a book that will have you sleepless at night, overthinking every little thing that happens in the world.

Caroline Piephoff

The exciting end to the Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang's acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect. After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn't given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much--the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges--and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix's intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

I feel like this needs at least two more books I’m addicted 

angel

this is literally attack on titan set in modern china you cannot tell me otherwise. 

Kirsty and Rin at the end KILL ME PLEASE, I have no words right now, I hate that it had to end 😔 NEZHA

amelia <3

khush

Better than the last two, messier than the last two.

A lot happens way too fast. Midway through certain developments felt like they appeared only to disappear, with no real consequence that made any sense. Toward the end, the final few chapters, things spun out wildly and weirdly, until they stabilised into the expected ending. Even until now, the struggle with aesthetic and imagery is real - few are the characters that I could visually describe for you. 

But a few key characters carry the book. Rin, Kitay, Nezha. At the end of the day this is what this book, and this series, is all about. Three vivid personable characters, the readers love for them excusing all else beside. If you love them, you will love the book, and if you do not, you will not. The blessing and the curse of this book, and this series.

I liked Kitay, and I think this explains all my ratings and reviews so far.

Omar 

Better than the last two, messier than the last two.

A lot happens way too fast. Midway through certain developments felt like they appeared only to disappear, with no real consequence that made any sense. Toward the end, the final few chapters, things spun out wildly and weirdly, until they stabilised into the expected ending. Even until now, the struggle with aesthetic and imagery is real - few are the characters that I could visually describe for you. 

But a few key characters carry the book. Rin, Kitay, Nezha. At the end of the day this is what this book, and this series, is all about. Three vivid personable characters, the readers love for them excusing all else beside. If you love them, you will love the book, and if you do not, you will not. The blessing and the curse of this book, and this series.

I liked Kitay, and I think this explains all my ratings and reviews so far.

i did not know i had this much heartache in me

felicity hu

Betrayed and left for dead . . . 

Rin has returned to her roots, to the southern provinces and the village that is her home. Her new allies are sly, but Rin knows that true power lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic and the colonizing Hesperians. But, as her power and influence grows, will she be able to resist the voice of the Phoenix, urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

Svetlana 

the ending itself brought this down 0.5 stars, I think this whole series overuses tropes and would really benefit from picking something and running with it, instead of the jumbled mess it is now. ALSO PICK A GENRE PLEASE

mickey

Haley

** spoiler alert **
           So much pain i can’t breathe

a heartbreaking end to the trilogy but def the one that gives it some justice (the dragon republic hurt me more)

The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect. After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

ploral

My heart is shattered. It was all so obvious from the beginning and yet it hurts so much. I don't have the faintest clue on how I'm going to get over this series.

if i were to reread this entire series, i would stop at the first book, that part where they're still at sinegard, and forget that everything else happened. 

in this book though, the first part was just really slow for me. it feels like so much and nothing was happening at the same time. but that ending. i am in utter shock. that was probably the most fcked up ending i've ever read. but also i couldn't think of any ending more suitable than that. i also can't find any other solution. is this what happened to china before? i really have mixed feeling with this. 

i don't exactly know what to say. this series was a freaking rollercoaster ride, and it made me realize a lot of things. for one; the answer of the question i've been asking for a long time. in this book, hisperia's religion is supposed to represent catholic or Christianity. we cannot deny the fact the this religion and its belief has been forced upon us. there are also evidences that death had been given to those who would not embrace this religion. and knowing all this, why do we still believe or embrace these beliefs? rin said that because of its peacefulness it brought. the thought that after death, we'll return to this place where there is no chaos, and that really puts us at ease. i also realized this but it's also because believing that someone, Him, is with us, through ups and downs, makes us feel that we're not alone. it kinda made me question so many things (what's the purpose of this belief, if there's any? does this mean that some believed cause of the peace that it brings? i can't really articulate this well with words:( )

also, that your life is not important when it comes to war. you'd just have to suck it up or pray that the damage wouldn't be too big. it's like you're just a pawn in the war politics and higher ups would likely sacrifice you if it's for the good of all. the hardest part is you couldn't really blame them.

what i really love the most in this series was the gods, the pantheon. they are the most interesting in my opinion. i loved reading them so much. 

i actually didn't cry throughout the book because of grief. frustration yes, but grief? i feel like kuang's writing wouldn't let me grieve a bit. instead, there's emptiness. there's so much happening you would only realize a character dies after you turn the next page (i am talking about the cike, esp ramsa)

i wanna talk about this book's colonialism but i don't really have enough knowledge for this. might do some research.

if i were to reread this entire series, i would stop at the first book, that part where they're still at sinegard, and forget that everything else happened. 

in this book though, the first part was just really slow for me. it feels like so much and nothing was happening at the same time. but that ending. i am in utter shock. that was probably the most fcked up ending i've ever read. but also i couldn't think of any ending more suitable than that. i also can't find any other solution. is this what happened to china before? i really have mixed feeling with this. 

i don't exactly know what to say. this series was a freaking rollercoaster ride, and it made me realize a lot of things. for one; the answer of the question i've been asking for a long time. in this book, hisperia's religion is supposed to represent catholic or Christianity. we cannot deny the fact the this religion and its belief has been forced upon us. there are also evidences that death had been given to those who would not embrace this religion. and knowing all this, why do we still believe or embrace these beliefs? rin said that because of its peacefulness it brought. the thought that after death, we'll return to this place where there is no chaos, and that really puts us at ease. i also realized this but it's also because believing that someone, Him, is with us, through ups and downs, makes us feel that we're not alone. it kinda made me question so many things (what's the purpose of this belief, if there's any? does this mean that some believed cause of the peace that it brings? i can't really articulate this well with words:( )

also, that your life is not important when it comes to war. you'd just have to suck it up or pray that the damage wouldn't be too big. it's like you're just a pawn in the war politics and higher ups would likely sacrifice you if it's for the good of all. the hardest part is you couldn't really blame them.

what i really love the most in this series was the gods, the pantheon. they are the most interesting in my opinion. i loved reading them so much. 

i actually didn't cry throughout the book because of grief. frustration yes, but grief? i feel like kuang's writing wouldn't let me grieve a bit. instead, there's emptiness. there's so much happening you would only realize a character dies after you turn the next page (i am talking about the cike, esp ramsa)

i wanna talk about this book's colonialism but i don't really have enough knowledge for this. might do some research.

raia – inactive

sarah

don’t evn know how to consolidate my thoughts bc I have so many 😭😭😭 overall just so impressed w how rf kuang was able to craft such a digestible story that is so thematically rich and intricate 😩 more than just the emotional roller coaster this had me on, I feel like I learned so much 🥲 consuming this trilogy made me question themes I’d previously just taken at face value, and this has definitely prompted a desire to learn more about the Asian history that i have close ties to, but never had the opportunity to properly dissect. 

and as much as the ending left me in shambles, i 100% think it was the most meaningful way to conclude such a complex story ❤️‍🩹🥲

anya

Greer Andersson

5⭐️

EDIT: this was even more painful the second time around.

I cannot even put into words how deeply this series impacted me. The Burning God was such a powerful and fitting ending to the series and the only reaction i’m feeling right now upon finishing it is “screaming. crying. throwing up”.

God this series is just so beyond beautiful. RF Kuang is an absolute mastermind and she wrote this series from 19-23?!?! Absolutely incredible. 

As flawed as she is, Fang Runin will always be my favourite girl. I am so so sad that I won’t be able to read more of her.

The Burning God

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