Content Warnings: rape, cannibalism, sexual assault, abuse (emotional, physical), war crimes, drug use and abuse, gore, violence, racism, colorism

I have one word: pain.

First of all, the ending was perfect for this trilogy. I honestly would not want any other ending (I still cannot believe the series I started in 2018 which really helped me with ~identity~ things has written its final line).

Second, I was a little sad that there was not as much snarky Kitay in The Burning God. I missed him a bit. I wonder if I would take more notes during a reread because this time around, I definitely feel like I was there for the ride. When I reread The Poppy War back in the summer, I realized and commented on so much more than I had the first time I read it in 2018. The same would probably happen if I reread The Dragon Republic and The Burning God in a few months.

Anyway, back to The Burning God review. It felt like reading two or three books in one because there was so much going on but with a pace that just worked. At the end of The Dragon Republic Rin was much more vulnerable than she had been, and the beginning of The Burning God sees her clawing to regain that power she craves again. But this Rin is also so different from the Rin at the very last lines of The Burning God. She has been through so much; I can barely remember her as the eager student out to prove that she could do it.

No surprise here because music is part of my brand name ("lyrical" was very appropriate on many different levels), but if I am going to put a song to this it would be Stray Kids' "Maze of Memories." There are so many different rhythms and emotions in this song, but this rollercoaster makes "Maze of Memories" that much more intriguing and fun to listen to. This is me with The Burning God. I was completely sucked into Kuang's world, and it was only after reflecting on what I had just read after finishing The Burning God that I was like, "wow, what a journey." It never occurred to me just how much happened in this book, but it felt like no time at all. That is a testament to Kuang's writing style (which is so stark and cuts straight to the point), her characters, the strength of her world-building, and the pacing of the narrative.

•RIN•

I remember reading The Poppy War and thinking how power hungry Rin is, and I still believe that but it also struck me in The Burning God how morally grey she is. Painting her only as "power hungry" erases how human she can be at the same time. Most of the time I am like "RIN" (see: setting things on fire), but then there are other moments when I sympathize with her and her anger (she has a guilty conscious sometimes). There were moments when I kept thinking, "Should I sympathize with her? Look at all the awful things she has done." But then there also is the fact: "Look at how terrible the world is to her; she exists in a world that does not want her to exist." It is not so much a justification than another perspective to a different understanding.

While Rin struggled to maintain power and seek out more, she was also at the same time so naively hopeful to believe that once she won the war that everything would be fixed. She never allows herself to think beyond the horizons of the war, I think, because then what was the point? I cannot believe I am saying this about Fang Runin, but, in a way, she is so desperately optimistic in the darkest way. Rin desires to change history, to erase others from the narrative just as others have tried to erase her and her people (the Speerlys). This time, she has the power to do so.

Also, side note, apparently I am Rin's age. She is 21-years-old, too, so that's fun.

•COMMENTARIES•

The Burning God continues The Dragon Republic's commentary on Western colonization (equivalent to the Hesperians of this world). There, of course, is also more on elitism, racism, and colorism. Technological advantages in warfare, however, is a new topic, and I found it intriguing to see how Rin and her army reacted and responded to this new threat. It was also interesting to see how this advantage and the path of the war impacted the characters' sense of identity.

Something that had struck me when reading The Poppy War was its musings on humanity. As a history major, I was also fascinated how these books contemplate humanity through the lens of history and consider whose stories are being told and who has been erased from the narrative. It is astonishing how simple it is to see another person as a human being and just as effortless to not. Rin often surprised herself about how easy it was to convince herself that the people she caught in her fire deserved to die once they stopped being humans in her eyes.

As The Burning God says, "Who decided who counted as human?"

•LAST THOUGHTS•

Reading The Burning God was an experience, to say the least. I was so caught up in the story itself that I did not write as many notes as I thought I had, but I do remember highlighting so many incredible paragraphs. Of the notes I did write, a fair amount of them were "oh f*ck" and "well" lol.

In this conclusion, Rin and company fight against forces larger than themselves, whether it be the gods, white superiority, or trying to rebuild a country with rotten foundations (I personally loved the parts about structural issues and running a nation). There are some...unexpected appearances, some which I was not a fan of at all (but in a good way). The characters in The Burning God also are surrounded by the barest of certainties; everything is up in the air.

If I were to make a literary moodboard for The Burning God, it would be something like this:

When the options are limited, make your own with what you have left.

"History moved in such vicious circles."

Accompanied by one of my last notes: "HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING"

And there you have it! The Burning God.

As I have mentioned before, The Poppy War trilogy is a series that tackles some incredibly heavy topics. So while I highly recommend the books for its commentary on history, colonization, humanity's power and the crave for a power beyond reach as well as western imperialism (among other things), this recommendation comes with a warning of caution.

I found this book to be mind-blowingly amazing. It took my breath away. It rocked me. It gave me goose-bumps. It made my heart hurt. It made me laugh. It left me stunned.

This is a series that takes the reader on a journey that spans years and crosses continents. I don't believe that I will ever be able to forget this book and Rin's story. It vastly surpassed any of my expectations and will always hold a special place in my heart..

I am devastated. Torn between praising this as the best book I've read this year and cussing out Kuang for being so brutal. Not for the faint of heart, not recommended for those who like their fantasy light and positive. But for those who can take it, you will find yourself rooting for people you probably should despise.

What a beautiful conclusion! RF Kuang is a goddess! How could she bring that entire chaotic ending of The Dragon republic to such an wonderful end?, I don’t know. That took black magic or something!

This was the descent into madness that I was looking for! This was a beautiful end to the trilogy and the ending that none of us wanted. It was heartbreaking but beautiful. My only complaint is that it took so long for me to finish, but I think some of that was due to my mental health at the time. Overall a beautiful book and I will read anything Rebecca puts out.

Wow! This stunning end to The Poppy War series took my breath away. RF Kuang truly outdid herself. This is incredible!!

It's hard to say much about the third book in a trilogy without giving the plot away but some things I can say are:

This book is complete and utter perfection. Probably one of my favorite endings of all time.

This book is completely unpredictable. I have never once in this entire series correctly predicted what was going to happen, but not in the way that everything came out of nowhere. When you finally do realize what's really happening, the signs were all there (or maybe I'm just dumb).

The writing is so immersive that you can feel the panic and the anxiety, like you yourself are trapped and unable to breathe or feel the heat on the battlefield.

After TPW and TDR, I was suspicious of every single character which made for an anxiety ridden reading experience but it is 1000% worth the pain.

Rating: 7/10

Murder, mayhem, tragedy and loss; the final instalment of the Poppy War Trilogy is packed with enough story-line and events for a trilogy, let alone a finale as devastating as this. It is a treat of epic proportions with a lot to live up to with the first two in the trilogy – which it certainly fought hard to do, with enough heartache and despair to last. With a final scene that replays constantly in my mind (the only thing I can now think about when I consider this trilogy) and also a middle that left me feeling somewhat … peeved? I think would be the right word. I have no idea how to effectively synthesise my mix of thoughts and feelings into a review that will do it justice. Preface: this is my mixed opinion and I’m going to try and explain without too many spoilers. There will be hints at the plot, so if you want to go into the third book completely fresh, don’t read on.

Rin, and her final descent into villainy, starts off hidden in bushes, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting, to continue a story of slaughter. She’s now part of the leadership in the Southern Coalition, and she’s out for revenge … out for blood still, in the shape and form of Nezha and the Hesparians.

There’s cruelty in good measures here, a Rin type of cruelty that we’ve grown accustomed to throughout the rest of the series, carefully, deftly written by Kuang’s masterful hand. A kind of well-spoken brutality that is so very raw. Rin uses her power to manipulate and outright kill her way into full command of the rebel forces, making a beeline for her beloved Tikany. One of the things I have enjoyed about the series proper is the morally questionable lead and it is still the same in this final book, which takes full-frontal control in the first part. It is there she meets the Vipress, now a withered husk of her former glory, and from here that we kick into – what I thought – was the main, final story thread. A quest to revive the Trifecta, and with it, the powerful and undeniable Dragon Emperor. At this, I was fully hooked. The fight scenes were fully imagined spectacles as always, the action: scripted, clear madness. The characters: desperate, gritty, relationships fraying.

From the middle of the book, where the story-line I loved is fully realised, then quickly binned off, destroyed, I was left reeling and not knowing what to make of the final part. Something that happens here just didn’t and hasn’t sat right with me … Kuang’s ability to keep us guessing, never knowing what is around the corner hit me hard in this book and, for once, it was not a surprise that I liked. To say I was devastated for this book at this point would be right.

The last half of the book left me moody, and I don’t think I got over the disappointment that I spoke about above. A red herring in its truest form. As a huge fan of the series, or any series, you always have some way you think it will go or end up and this was the first time that I was very wrong, to the credit of Kuang; in this respect, it is a very well-executed series.

And, that ending. Despite what happened between, it hit me hard. It hurt. It was not what I expected, but was wholly satisfying in the most despairing way. All in all, it was a great series, but has a lot of twists and turns that could turn out unsavoury depending on the preferences of the reader. It’s definitely a series that will stay in my mind for a long while.

this was a great way to end the trilogy, it had what I was looking for from the previous books. The characters were great and I enjoyed going through this read.

R. F. Kuang has, once again, emotionally destroyed me.

This gut punch of a book follows Rin as she is consumed with vengeance - not just her god's, but her own. Kuang has crafted such terribly flawed characters that you simultaneously are repulsed by and rooting for. This was a wonderful, miserable, fitting ending that will satisfy and outrage fans in equal measure.

I won't waste your time listing the reason's I didn't love it because I do not think this series was one for me,
This was an accidental request on my end, as I don't typically read adult fiction and had not read the first two books when approved. Out of the three, this is the one I enjoyed the most!

What I enjoyed:
The writing and world-building were really great!
The battle scenes were some of the best I've ever read!
I am in awe of how young R.F. Kuang was when she started writing this series!

What I didn't enjoy:
Mostly, I didn't love the MC. Because this is an adult book, it has much heavier themes than I am used to in my YA reads and took much longer for me to get through,

“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.”

The Poppy Wars series has finally come to an end. I rarely ever attempted reading a series, and this would be my second that I have ever completed. And what a journey this has been. This final installment, like its predecessors, was filled with violence, loss, torture, dead bodies, and endless sufferings – everything that you’d find in a war. And Rin was sick and tired of it all.

Rin was determined to win. She joined to Southern Coalition to fight the Republic led by her nemesis, Vaisra and his son, Nezha. She gathered her troops hoping it’d be big and strong enough to topple the Northern and Hesperian armies. She approached the Monkey Warlord for help only to be rejected by Gurubai, but was surprised when Souji and Zuden decided to help and join forces. Rin regained her confidence.

Her confidence dissipated almost as soon as it came when she saw her hometown Tikany, in Rooster Province being torn apart by the Muganese. There, a girl she found took her to Su Daji, who had been waiting for her arrival. Always a foe, never a friend, Daji somehow managed to convince Rin that she was on her side. But Kitay doubted Daji and he and Rin had a big fight over it. Before they could decide if they could trust Daji, they were attacked by Nezha and the Republic, and to Rin’s horror, Kitay couldn’t be found. Without her anchor by her side, she felt weaker and weaker with each passing moment.

Then out of the blue, the Monkey Warlord Gurubai appeared with the rest of his crew. Things took a sudden turn, and Rin and Daji were taken away on a dirigible to Chuluu Korikh where shamans were captured. Jiang, her master at Sinegard returned. With a turn of events, together with Daji, they’d fight the Republic. Will they succeed? Will this war ever end, and will Rin get what she fought so hard for?

What stuck out to me in ‘The Burning God’ was Rin and her relationship with everyone around her. When Rin lost Kitay, she realized how much he had meant to her and how much she relied on him for stability, strength, wisdom and power. She was rage, Kitay her reason. It was almost like she existed because of Kitay. Without him, the Phoenix could've burned her to death.

And then, her complicated relationship with Nezha – their love and hate for each other. Their loyalty towards their people pulled them apart and brought them back again. Nezha was always teasing her, playing her like a puppet, frustrating Rin to no end, yet when they met, they couldn’t and wouldn’t kill each other. I loved how Nezha's so-called 'point-of-view' was written; he was not too involved, that it'd turn this into a partial love story. That would've turn me off! LOL

Venka returned in this series. Theirs were the unlikeliest of friendship as they were as different as night and day, but war brought them together – both survivors, both marred and toughened by war. However, at one point, when Rin felt she was constantly watched, and she accused Venka of spying for Nezha.

The war consumed Rin. She was overcome with more paranoia, fear mixed with fury and vengeance, pushing her sometimes to the brink of madness. As she rose higher in power and rank, so did her mistrust. Who were her allies? Who weren’t? On their march to Mount Tianshan, she was warned by her master Jiang that she shouldn’t trust Daji. Was he right? Was it why Daji had never left his sight for fear of being exposed? Or was Jiang just hurt and delirious?

Many times, I got really frustrated with Rin. Yes, she was a brilliant soldier, tough, unafraid of death, and powerful. “She was capable of such cruelties, even without the Phoenix, and that both delighted and scared her.” But she was vulnerable and often too emotionally driven. Her trust misplaced, her anger always at the wrong person or time, her impatience often led her to mistakes, and her pride always put many lives at risk. If not for Kitay, I would’ve given up on her.

Kuang is a masterful storyteller. She did really well with The Burning God. She knew her characters and pace, she deftly set up and choreographed fight scenes, wrote interesting warfare strategies, painted war and post-war scenes, dug into complicated relationships, and showed the sufferings of the soldiers and victims of war, and yes, things can get really, really graphic – both visual and language. So, be warned.

I was a little disappointed though that there wasn’t more of Moag. She and her crew were such an interesting cast!

Oh, the ending. I didn’t expect it honestly. But it was one great satisfying ending. Sad but satisfying. But sad. Very sad. Am I giving too much away? LOL

The book explored racism, Chinese history and mythology, racism, colorism, and oppression, and Kuang didn’t romanticize anything. So this means, expect all kinds of TW.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced page-turner, this is it. But be prepared, it’s harsh, brutal and cruel. Well, what do you expect, it’s war. Just get ready for sleepless nights.

The conclusion of the Poppy War series, The Burning God is as astonishing as the shamans and gods of its story. Rin hasn't stopped fighting since she arrived at Sinegard. Having broken with the Dragon Republic, Rin begins the novel trying to remove the Mugenese from her country, growing from commander to leader of her own movement. Rin, however, is beginning the slide into madness that haunts members of Cike, while trying to protect her people from the cruelty of the Mugenese and from the hidden horrors brought by the Hesperians. Wrenching, beautiful, cynical, hopeful, Kuang's writing forces the reader to look at the cost of hero narratives and the hard, brutal truth of warfare. I can't wait to see what Kuang comes up with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me an eARC!

So the end is here. And it was 100% worth the journey to get here.

We reach the conclusion of Rin's saga and the end does justify the journey to get there and I'm happy I picked up this series.

This was by far better than Dragon Republic, and at least on the same level as Poppy War. Rin gets more growth, as does the world. We have more deaths and more realistic depictions of war.

It is basically everything we liked in the first two books, and it still feels satisfying to read. There are still SOME loose ends, but they're there for a reason and it is probably to show just how much is left unanswered after a war ends. I honestly don't have words because this was just a ride and it was so worth it. Definitely one of the most satisfying endings in a series.

* Thank you to the publisher for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review*

CW: Violence, death, gore, drugs, war, mutilation, murder

I’m reeling. I had to stay awake to finish and I feel hollowed out by this series. It’s a masterpiece. It’s easily one of my favorite adult fantasy series’s ever written and it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

The third installment of The Poppy War trilogy was just as brutal and hard hitting as the first two books. I can’t believe I started these books at the beginning of the year and I was blessed by an early arc. Each book is brutally perfect and this ending followed suit.

We watch as Rin grapples with her own decisions, journey, and ultimately what it means to have power. The book is fast paced and ties up the story perfectly. I was absolutely a wreck by the end and I’ll continue to recommend this series to literally any fantasy lover who will listen.

phew, i finished this a few days an am still working on my feelings. honestly, i feel that a re-read must happen before i can fully process the conclusion to this amazing trilogy. it is always hard for me with sequels to books i love because i always go in with certain expectations. of what you want to happen. well, even knowing the inspiration behind rin's arc, i still held some hope that things would end differently. from the beginning, this trilogy has been far from your average cookie cutter fantasy. it goes hard. it goes so fucking hard and the conclusion is no exception. it's one of those instances, where even though i KNEW how things would end, my brain still has been conditioned for a fantasy series to end a certain way. and since my brain did not necessarily get that i am having a difficult time processing it. all that i can say is that rf kuang accomplished exactly what she wanted to do with this trilogy and she did it well.

My review of this book is very similar to how I felt at the end of the previous book. I really enjoy the magic and the relationships between the different mages, and I like the world building of this series. Unfortunately I just never really have been able to connect with Rin, particularly as she has progressed through the story to just a very one-note grimdark character. I wish this book had 50% less complaining about how hard it is to be Rin, and 50% more conversations between her and other more interesting characters.

Overall, I think the author has a ton of potential for her career. I think this series started stronger than it finished, as this book never quite captured the band of misfits quality I enjoyed about the first book, or the different warring factions and intrigue of the second. But I hope the author continues onto additional series, will definitely be looking out for new work.

The Poppy War trilogy is truly once in a lifetime and this conclusion was honestly a work of art all itself. This series is a military epic fantasy that is ownvoices and inspired from the authors family history and the stories she learned from them. Heavy themes of war, colonization, racism, colorism, genocide, cycles of abuse, and so many different types of trauma are never shied away from. I’ve read and reviewed many books these last six years of my life, and I’m not sure a series has impacted me more than this one. Every sentence has meaning, every chapter is so well planned, every event conveys layers and layers of thoughts and feelings. History is truly created by the victors mostly with the most blood on their hands, and the stories that get told are mostly through a white and colonized lens. R.F. Kuang has done so much with these three books and they mean so much to so many Asian readers.

Okay, okay, let me try to give you a review now! Also, please check out my dear friend Petrik's review, because he is the reason I requested an ARC of The Poppy War back in early 2018. He is also a Chinese reviewer and his voice means a lot to me! Next, this review is going to be spoiler free for The Burning God, but not for The Poppy War or The Dragon Republic! Please use caution reading this review if you have not read the previous two installments in this series!

"She was capable of such cruelties, even without the Phoenix’s power, and that both delighted and scared her."

Rin and Kitay have had everything in their world turned upside down again at the start of this book, but they are both desperate to reclaim a country that has been taken from them repeatedly. They’ve also both been playing for the winning side for so long, they soon learn that tactics and strategy feel vastly different when you are now the underdogs. Rin has only known destruction for so long, but now she gets to know what it feels like to be a liberator instead of only a tool because of her god.

We really get to see many different sides of shamanism in this book, and I adored that aspect with my whole heart. I feel like I really can’t say a lot here, but the trifecta and the additions were amazing. I will say my only complaint for this book comes from the trifecta, but I still couldn’t get enough of all of the different types of shamanism in this book! Especially with a few new characters who easily made me feel very many emotions while this story progressed!

Speaking of different types of gods, I will say with utmost confidence that The Burning God has the best fight scenes I have ever read. Like, ever, in my whole life. Rin and Nezha just… the imagery, the banter, the emotions, their complicated actions, everything is another tier. Like, the pouring rain and the breathing of fire alone had me burning and drowning in the very same moment. Utter perfection in every combat scene and it was some of the most beautiful words I’ve ever seen strung together. Truly one of my favorite parts of this book, and not to lessen any of the important themes and values, but I don’t think I knew yearning until I read Nezha and Rin on different sides of a war neither want. The buildup of every encounter, every battle, every conversation, I was truly quaking.

"Hate was its own kind of fire and if you had nothing else, it kept you warm."

This book very much centers around trauma and the many different cycles and forms. We get to see so many different kinds of trauma from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, but we also get to constantly see the trauma from xenophobia and the impact of racism and colonization. We also get to see the way that many different characters within the book attempt to heal, live, and cope with their different traumas. And even though it is very heartbreaking, it’s very real, and very honest, and very important. I feel like The Burning God especially puts an emphasis on how abuse and trauma can be more easily hidden because of love, duty, and maybe even vengeance, too.

"You don’t fix hurts by pretending they never happened. You treat them like infected wounds. You dig deep with a burning knife and gouge out the rotten flesh and then, maybe, you have a chance to heal."

And Rin’s trauma is so deep. She always remembers what it felt like the be a war orphan who was looked down upon from the very start. She knows what it feels like to be considered a lesser student because of her skin color and because of where she is from. She is haunted by the betrayal she has endured by the people who she thought she loved. She will never forget all the things she has seen and the price of war. She is realizing all the shit she has been forced to internalize because of the environments she has had to survive in. Rin harness her hate and anger and desire for revenge and keeps it close to her at all times in this book.

"They want to erase us. It’s their divine mandate. They want to make us better, to improve us, by turning us into a mirror of themselves."

I feel like I could write an entire review on the colonization in this book alone. The reader gets to see the threat of this more and more in each book, but when Rin visits “New City” for the first time, it was harrowing in every sense of the word. Yes, this book is about a horrible and terrible civil war, but the Hesperians are the greatest evil of this whole book. How the Hesperians took over this city, took over the name, took over the foundation, took over the imports and exports, took over the military, all the while trying to convince everyone that it’s for the greater good, that it’s the right and better way, that it’s the only way. This might be the Filipino coming out extra hard, but white people love to colonize everything, but especially the people of the land they try to take, while always reminding them they are and never will be truly equal to them. All of the scenes that truly disturbed me were with the Hesperians, and they so horrifically depicted what has happened to so many countries over and over again, and what is still going on unapologetically in 2020. I could feel Rin’s helplessness with everything I am, and I hope people really process who the villain of this story truly is. Magical gods disguised as dragons, power hungry men, and internalized racism are terrifying, but there aren't words for people trying to rip the identity of your culture from you.

"There are never any new stories, just old ones told again and again as this universe moves through its cycles of civilization and crumbles into despair."

This book also emphasizes how the victors get to decide how the history is written. They get to create their own villains, their own heroes, their own story. History books are written by the same colonizers who are still trying to take absolutely everything and make it westernized, hence the fact most people (myself included) were not educated on what was going on in China pre WWII, and what happened when Japan marched on Nanjing.

"When you conquered as a totally and completely as he had, you could alter the course of everything. You could determine the stories that people told about you for generations."

I’ve had so many people in my DMs on goodreads and on insta asking about my feelings on how this last book concluded, and I never really know how to answer it, but the answer is heartbreaking perfection. I honestly cannot think of a better conclusion, yet I do think that it won’t be for everyone. But as the events in The Burning God unfold, it becomes more and more clear. And I really do think it is a perfect parallel(s) to how things in our world felt then and how they very much still feel now. Also, war is unspeakably hard, but when you’ve lived your life for battle after battle, trying to live after a war is over can be just as hard, just in a different kind of way.

"Take what you want, it said. I’ll hate you for it. But I’ll love you forever. I can’t help but love you. Ruin me, ruin us, and I’ll let you."

Overall, I’m going to be really honest. I cried while writing this review, and I’m very teary eyed right now with my final thoughts. This series just means so much to Asian readers and reviewers. It was such an honor to read these books, to feel haunted but seen by these themes, to fall in love with Fang Runin over and over again. What a blessing it was to see all three of these characters, walk alongside them, see them change and grow, because of their environments, because of expectations, and because of their damn selves. I truly don’t have the words. From Sinegard, to every battlefield, to the very end. I am rendered speechless. Not only do I think Rebecca is going to redefine so many parts of the book world with her writing (both with this trilogy and all her other endeavors to come), but I think she will inspire and help pave the way for so many Asian authors to come. She truly ended this trilogy perfectly, I’m just not ready to say goodbye, but I am so eternally honored for this series existence, and I truly will sing it’s praises forever.

This book is a tragedy in three acts and has left me thoroughly shattered. I kind of just want to quote the entirety of this book because I’m not quite sure how to do justice to how perfectly R.F. Kuang weaves all of these topics of war, abuse, colonisation, racism, colourism into this one book, this one series.

Rin has joined the Southern Coalition in their fight against the Republic led by Vaisra. She has to deal with her feelings of betrayal, the loss of her right hand and the phantom pains that come with that, and the leaders of the Southern Provinces still treating her as a weapon only. Rin seeks a greater power that could overthrow the Northern and Hesperian armies, to turn the tides for her and the South. She makes her way back to Rooster Province, making new alliances and betting on her own power to chase the occupying forces out of her home and make this country hers, at whatever cost.

In this book we can see Rin’s descent into a bloodlust that is her own and not her god’s. While the other books in the series have already shown what she is capable of, to what extent she is willing to go to win, and the trauma it brings with it, The Burning God shows Rin truly enjoying the act of killing. This war has gotten even more personal than it already was for her, she has nothing to lose, and she relishes in the power she holds on the battlefield, the sense of helplessness she feels in other situations leaving her just for a little bit.

Rin thrives on vengeance, on doing what she feels is right to rectify a history that has constantly put her and everything she represents down. She becomes the living embodiment of the South, of Speer, of their anger and resentment. It is a blood price to the people she belongs to, to reestablish an order where for once they wouldn’t be at the bottom. But she is also seeking revenge for herself; for the life she was handed, the cards she was dealt with, everything that was taken away from her time after time, for the friends she has lost, for her dreams that were crushed.


Rin believes in her righteous path, in the inexorability of a winning destiny for her and the South. She believes the gods of the Pantheon are on her side, if not out of will but with their power. She believes fire and earth will win over water and over technology. It’s a war that takes on bigger proportions than this one cycle of colonialism and oppression, she wants to rewrite a history where for the first time people who look like her will stop being degraded and treated as lesser. She wants to break the cycle, she doesn’t want history to repeat itself.

Rin wants to win because winners get to rewrite history, to erase the narratives that don’t fit in with whatever new world view prevails. History has for too long erased the narratives of her people, of the dark-skinned women associated with pale-skinned men. She is the new iteration of a cyclic pattern of oppression and erasure and maybe she can be the one to dismantle these power dynamics, to tip them in her favour.

In this battle of ideologies, colonisation also implies a complete erasure of the current culture. It’s something insidious where the Hesperians depict themselves as saviours by just wanting to “make things better”, establishing that their ways, and by extension themselves, are superior. This can be seen in the ways they present their religion as the only valid one, dismissing the Nikaran gods as idiotic superstitions, but also in the architecture they’re putting down to raise their own buildings, in the Western clothing style being slowly adopted by the people of Nikan. Colonisation doesn’t stop at having military forces established, it also fundamentally changes and reshapes the daily and cultural lives of the occupied people. More privileged Nikarans are the first ones to adopt this new culture, wanting to portray themselves more like the coloniser, distancing themselves from the rest of their own people. The thing is that they’ll still never be respected by the Hesperians, or be truly considered one of them when it comes down to it. All it does is establish a structured hierarchy where the Hesperians will always be on top.

Colourism is a topic people are uncomfortable talking about in any depth because they are uncomfortable checking their privilege, R.F. Kuang does not shy away from it. It is a quintessential part of this book series and Rin’s character. The treatment she’s received all her life has been anchored in colourism, the way she’s been seen as lesser, as automatically angrier, less intelligent and less competent. Arguing that the Hesperians are racially superior due to their technology advancements, as pointed out in one of the conversations, implies that everything Rin has been told about being lesser is also true. It’s the cascading effect of racism and colourism: the white Westerners are superior to the Nikarans, and in turn the pale-skinned Northerners are superior to the dark-skinned Southerners and Speerly. This book also showcases that privilege in light of the Hesperian occupation and how it only enhances this divide, how some features make a whole people more palatable to Westerners while others will only continue to suffer. It’s pretty heartbreaking to have publishing being so obviously colourist by pushing cover art with Rin as a light-skinned girl and ironic to see a whole community rallying up behind Rin while ignoring the racism and blatant colourism blatantly present in the bookish sphere. These issues are not fictional.

Another running theme present in this book is one of survival. The survival of a country at war and how that can come from collaboration. Rin struggles with this notion and can only look at others making themselves more subservients as traitors. She has always been the underdog and it’s against her very own nature to consider a path where bending the knee, or pretending to for a while, as worthy. It’s a slow journey to understanding but she starts seeing the impact her uncompromising decisions have on the country and civilians.


While the sheer repetition of the atrocities occurring make it easier to get used to them, to seem outwardly composed in the face of the agony of a country, Rin is still dealing with her trauma and her guilt, trying to lock away the horror and the memories that haunt her. As with the previous books in the series, we see the impact and trauma war brings on, and how it manifests itself differently with each person. In a powerful scene with Venka, Rin realises that they are linked by the trauma they both went through but that it is still different and their coping mechanisms are different too. They are all survivors, looking for some control, some power, and this is what Rin is looking for in new recruits, what the gods are looking for in their vessels.

This instalment explores the cycle of abuse Rin is stuck in; the abuse she has suffered from as well as the abuse she has inflicted on others. More than ever she comes to terms with the abuse she has suffered from people she loved but she also becomes aware of the abuse others are suffering or have suffered from. She understands the patterns better and is able to recognise them in the Trifecta’s dynamic, in other dynamics of people in her life and in history. She sees them all around her and correlates them more easily to her relationship with Altan. It all slowly builds up to her understanding she is perpetuating this cycle, she has become the abuser instead of the victim. It was so powerfully done as she reflects on her different actions, and while some of them can be passed off as necessary acts to win this war, others run deeper as they extend to the people she loves. It’s heartbreaking and one of the many layers of her character arc, another part of her willingness to do anything it takes.


Rin is finding new powers and is learning how to yield something that isn’t magical but is, in the bigger scheme of things, infinitely more useful. She is finally taking leadership and bigger political and military power, the power that has been denied to her time and time again by older men, even though she was their strongest weapon, all they could never bear to see someone they saw as lesser hold any power. She has become a figurehead for their side of the war and she leans on that to bolster her troops and strengthen her authority.


The relationship between Rin and Nezha is one that had me suffering endlessly. Theirs wasn’t a fight of ideologies necessarily but a fight between two people of extreme loyalty to their own people. And it was personal. The rage Rin feels towards Nezha is immense and yet, she still also feels that pull, that attraction, and finds it hard to want to kill him when she gets the opportunity. Their fight scenes in this book were exceptional as we finally see how fire and water fare against one another. It makes for breathtaking and cinematic scenes that are easy to visualise and be immersed in. Even when their shamanic powers become irrelevant, the shorter range fighting feels even more personal and intense. I think that their individual character arcs and how they impacted their relationship and dynamic were so well executed and I never doubted for one second that whatever happened to them would break my heart.

This instalment also lets us see some more from the Trifecta and their dynamic. The Trifecta are monsters and legends, and we see that aspect explored here, seeing them as weapons, as well as more of their vulnerabilities. The bond they share runs deep and intensely, not only from the magic but from the years they’ve spent together, and it all comes at a price. We see more of the abusive nature of their relationship and what brought on their downfall from power.

One of the things I couldn’t help noticing throughout the book was every instance of a person being buried alive and/or having that sensation. I truly didn’t know it was something I’d be sensitive to until this book and I had my eyes wide open to this recurring theme. While Shoutheners are constantly compared to dirt and linked to the earth and this definitely highlights the sheer power of numbers they have, I think this can also be seen as an allegory for oppression, of the burying of a country, a people, and a culture under colonisation.


One last much happier note: this doesn’t have to do with this book directly but r.f. Kuang has confirmed during a liveshow that Rin is bisexual and it makes my heart happy, and let’s be real the way Rin constantly talked about Su Daji makes all the sense in the world now :]

This series has easily become one of my favourite of all times. It is rare to find a book that explores war, racism, abuse, colourism and oppression so thoroughly and so blatantly. This book series makes you look at some of the fucked up shit that has happened in this world and keeps your gaze fixed on it, forces you to take it all in. It isn’t an easy read, it is visceral and all-encompassing, it doesn’t shy away from the hard topics, it isn’t scared to call out the trauma colonialism has brought to the world. This is a series I will reread without a doubt and seeing how much better rf kuang has gotten as an author within the course of these three books I can’t wait to see where she will take the rest of her writing career and I will await every book with a lot of excitement.

Absolutely PHENOMENAL. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly didn't really doubt Kuang's ability to wrap up this series, despite loving TPW & TDR so, so much (the pressure was ON), because I doubted anything could top TPW (sorryyyyy) and then Kuang blew me away with TDR. STILL, I find myself amazed, in awe, heartbroken, shocked, and just... a huge mix of emotions that seem contradictory. There were such funny moments in The Burning God, mixed right in with the sadness and horror and devastation of war.

I'm really struggling over how to say much about the book without spoilers. (And because everything about it is SO WOW that it's hard to know where to begin with the praise.) So, I'll keep everything in general terms. Rin's character arc? Totally perfect. KITAY? Remained one of my favorite characters in all of the fictionverse. I LOVE HIM SO SO MUCH. Nezha? Oh, Nezha. I love you (and hate you a little) and feel sad and just... wish. I wish so many things.

GAH, the THEMES. Imperialism, the feeling of not being good enough... oh my this book had me feeling teary. At some point Kitay had a question for Rin that just... shattered my heart into tiny little pieces. This series is the epitome of what do you do when all of the choices are horrible?

Okay, this was a terrible review that jumped all over the place, but there's just so much amazingness in the story and I can't encompass it in a few paragraphs AND I'm also really afraid to accidentally spoil you all. SO I'm just going to say: if you are on the fence about this series, DON'T BE! It's incredible and different from everything else out there and absolutely deserving of all the awards it's won! And I know some people had a tough time with the switch in TPW from school to war, but if you read on in the series, you'll see just why it was necessary. Everything in the series builds on what began at Sinegard, and the relationships that formed there. Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT!

I've said this many times on my bookstagram (@anovelescape), but I'll reiterate here that this series means so, so much to me. I grew up loving epic fantasy and never knew what kinds of worlds I was missing until more recently, when Chinese diaspora women (like myself) have finally started being given the chance to publish their books. So so so incredibly grateful for series like The Poppy War and the Greenbone Saga (book 1 is Jade City).

ALL THE STARS FOR THIS MASTERPIECE. (Also, highly recommend R.F. Kuang's appearance on V.E. Schwab's No Write Way -- you can watch the replay of Schwab interviewing Kuang on YouTube!)

Please note that as with TPW & TDR, this book is FULL of triggers of pretty much every kind. If you can think of it, it's probably in this series somewhere.

Huge huge HUGE thank you to Harper Voyager for a free advanced e-copy of the book via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.