ARC Review: The Burning God

Title: The Burning God
Author: R.F Kuang
Publication Date: November 17th 2020
Genre: Fantasy
Format: eARC
Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis

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?

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Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Edelweiss for review. Thank you Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this before the release! This in no way shape or form affects my thoughts about the book.

As always I want to provide trigger and content warnings:

Cannibalism – Rape – Torture – Drug Abuse – War – Death – Violence – Human Experimentation – Genocide

Also there will be spoilers for the previous two books, The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic.

Happy release day to one of my favorite books of the year!!!!

When I saw I got approved for an ARC of this book I shed a few tears no joke. I had request the ARC a while ago and had lost hope that I would ever be accepted but then one fine Saturday morning, I got an email that I had received the ARC. I think I screamed. I then proceeded to spend the whole day reading.

Characters

Fang Runin or Rin has been a character I can’t help but love even though she has done many questionable things and made many questionable choices. Rin goes through so much in this book. She’s just been betrayed by someone she thought she could trust and now she’s hellbent on destroying him. I think Rin has the best character arc in this book. It really is a culmination of the past two books and the ending just leaves you emotionally torn and wanting more.

Rin and Nezha’s relationship throughout this book absolutely destroyed me. The whole will they kill each other or will they not? There are so many chef’s kiss quotes about Rin and Nezha in this book and I want to get them all tattooed on my body.

I also want to talk about Kitay and Rin. Another amazing relationship that made me tear up. Kitay and Rin’s devotion to one another was such an amazing aspect of the book. They make me want to cry on a daily basis.

Plot/Story

Kuang’s worldbuilding is my absolute favorite. I think she did a wonderful job of blending history with fantastical elements. I was sucked into the world and found it very believable. There were many times where I related to the experience Rin was going through and could see myself in her. \This book is about Rin realizing a lot of things and it’s about her journey to becoming the person that Nikara needed. There were many times where I felt a deep stab of pain in my heart because I could tell what was coming for the ending and even though I didn’t want it to happen I knew it was coming.

Writing

I freaking love RF Kuang’s writing. It drew me right in and I couldn’t put the book down no matter how hard I tried. I basically read the whole thing in 6 hours with a few breaks in between. The pace of the writing was great. There was always something happening and I couldn’t help but keep reading.

Overall Thoughts

This was an amazing ending to what has become one of my favorite series of all time. I’m going to look at these books on my shelves and fondly remember the pain Kuang put me through while I was reading. I think everyone should read this book and I don’t want to ever see any hate on it. I need to surround myself with good vibes only about The Poppy War. This book is definitely worth reading and I can’t wait to see what else Ms. Kuang has in store for us.

Review: The Poppy War

Title: The Poppy War
Author: R.F Kuang
Publication Date: May 1st 2018
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Rating: ★★★

Synopsis

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

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This book is a whirlwind of emotions that left me feeling all types of ways. I read this book back in May and I still think about it sometimes. Don’t be alarmed by the fact that I gave it three stars. Three stars for me still means that I enjoyed it. I think this book was a great primer into adult fantasy for me and I can’t wait to continue exploring the genre.

Before I start my review, I do want to say that this book has a lot of trigger and content warnings.

Self-harm – Suicide – Violent rape – Sexual assault – Murder – Massacres – Brutalization – Mutilation – Torture – Substance abuse – Abuse – Emotional abuse – Physical abuse – Relationship abuse – Human experimentation – Chemical warfare – Genocide

This is a very dark book and if that is something you can’t read about then maybe don’t pick up this book.