A review by amirahazhar
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

  • 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

5.0

I put off finishing this book because it's the last one, and I simply did not want this story to wrap up. I'm always hungry for more of Rin's antics, more warfare, more shamanism. 

Alas, all good things come to an end.

And thus is the conclusion to The Poppy War trilogy - if you can even call it that (I simply do not want to accept reality now).

To begin with, the entire Trifecta storyline reeled me in completely even from the first book. Rebecca Kuang built it up so beautifully... only to send it spiralling down in The Burning God. I found that part so anticlimactic. I felt like they could have wreaked more havoc, especially onto the Hesperians before they ceased to exist. 

The depictions of warfare weren't as great as the first two books, but it's understandable because they seemed very realistic. I liked Souji's small scale tactics and how much Rin learned from him (he also received a very deserving and ruthless end).

Rarely, in military warfare do you succeed repeatedly. I appreciated that Rin and her troops went through more downs than ups, and I enjoyed seeing their resilience when things went awry. And things went awry all the time. It's just like the saying, it's not about the cards you're dealt, it's how you play the hand. 

Also, with regards to Rin.. No matter how many times she's fucked up, no matter how many war crimes she's committed, I will ALWAYS be invested. I've seen some reviews where people are wary of her POV, but I truly cannot get enough of her. She may just be one of my favourite book characters of all time, just because she's so realistic. The war broke out when she was just 16 (if I'm not wrong) and in this book, she's only 21. What adolescent would have made pragmatic decisions? She's so messy, impulsive, driven by hatred and rage. She's the perfect embodiment of a girl descended from a line of warriors who worshipped the Phoenix and who calls on the Phoenix for total annihilation. God, I wish her story didn't have to end. 

And that's why I was crushed with debilitating disappointment when her life ended the way it did. Of course it wasn't in battle. Of course it was something she decided for herself. But WHY? I can't exactly say it was rushed because this book has 640 pages, but there was literally no build-up to that. I didn't see it coming at all. If anything, I imagined her death being actually as tragic as the deaths of Altan, Hanelai and Tearza. At least give her a massive exit. But this... it really missed the mark for me. I genuinely am still taken aback.

Despite my grievances, I still applaud Rebecca Kuang. What a massive achievement to have embarked on writing a stunning trilogy at the age of 19. I was nowhere close to her level of intellect at 19 - we're the same age, too. She's just on a whole different plane of existence. I have so much reverence for her. She depicted the scramble for power brilliantly, and how the collateral damage of war is brutal, and subjects people to civil strife, famine, and all sorts of abuses. 

So, out of utter biasness, I'm still rating this a 5 because I loved it too much. The journey Rebecca Kuang took us on to lead us to this last book, her excellent writing, the emotions she invoked within me, the world(s) she created. 

What a truly magnificent feat.