The Burning God audiobook

I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleoARC provided by the publisher—Harper Voyager—in exchange for an honest review.Bursting with violence, devastation, death, and profound emotions. The Burning God is by far the best book R.F. Kuang has written in her career so far.“Here’s a prophecy for you, she’d said. One will die. One will rule. And one will sleep for eternity.” My claim might sound like hyperbole to you, but I can’t help it, I’m genuinely astounded by how far Kuang has improved in her craft as a storyteller. Do not misconstrue my statement, though, I loved both The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic, but The Burning God blew them out of the water; it’s simply on a higher level of quality. “Hate was a funny thing. It 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 everything she did. Hate was its own kind of fire and if you had nothing else, it kept you warm.” I won’t mention any specifics regarding the story in this review. I have contemplated discussing the source of the inspiration behind the conflict in this final installment, mainly Mao Zedong’s response to Western imperialism, but I feel that it would be too spoilery for those who don’t know; I prefer to refrain from ruining your experience. If you don’t know about Mao Zedong’s tyranny, though, I suggest reading about them; before or after you’ve finished The Burning God, it’s up to you. That being said, If you do know about Mao Zedong’s story, you probably already know the general direction of Rin’s story, but rest assured that Kuang has more than enough ammunition in store to surprise, enthrall, and bleed your heart dry. I had a notion of the fate of the main characters, but I totally didn’t expect to be enraptured as much as I did. The narrative was thoroughly merciless, full of brutal actions, gripping, and unputdownable. I’m not kidding; I read the last 200 pages in one sitting. The final 200 pages of this grim novel were truly Kuang at her best; I have so many praises for what she achieved within the last few chapters, and yet I’m rendered speechless right now. Honestly, I doubt there’s an option for a more fitting ending for this trilogy than what’s written here; everything just clicked. “The best plans were a secret until their execution. The hidden knife cuts the deepest.” Rin has come a long way from where her story started in The Poppy War; she has fought, raged, sacrificed, and lose a LOT of important companions for the duration of her bloody—an understatement—wars against the Mugenese, the Hesperian, and the gods. I totally understand that Rin may not be a likable heroine; I don’t think she was ever intended to be one anyway, especially considering that her character is based on one of the cruelest tyrants in our history. To me, though, she’s one of the most memorable anti-heroines in fantasy. It’s not often I find myself compelled and invested in an unlikeable main character, but that’s how I felt with Rin. She has so much fury and hatred vested inside her soul towards her enemies, and she’s willing to risk everything—even when it hurts her deeply—to bring total obliteration to her enemies. “Once I was your screaming victim, begging for your mercy. And now you cower before me.” And it’s worth knowing that my investment in the characters didn’t go exclusively to Rin; the side characters were equally compelling, and some were definitely more likable than Rin. Their complex relationship with Rin serves as one of the things that made reading this trilogy so compulsive. Additionally, we also get to witness the background of the Trifecta in more detail here. It’s splendid, really. Kuang isn’t afraid to torture and pushes all of her characters to the brink of insanity. The number of difficult choices with pivotal results that the characters have to make was terrifying, and I couldn’t help but find myself glued to observe the tempestuous events their decisions bring. “We all lost our parents early on, before they could tell us what provinces we were from. Perhaps that’s why we were so bent on unification. We were from nowhere, so we wanted to rule everywhere.” One of the standout components of The Poppy War Trilogy has always been the ruthless action sequences that combined the best and worst of both humanity and the gods. I personally think that the actions and combat sequences in The Burning God are the best in the series. The lethal destructions inflicted on each other, and the damage—physically and mentally—they caused were inhumanly powerful and harrowing. As Rin wielded incredible control over the blazing crimson flame that ravages everything in her path, there are also other characters with their own respective capabilities to unleash cataclysmic maelstrom, deadly soul-leeching, and groundbreaking (literally) magic. The Burning God encapsulates what happened when mortal avatars with access to divine powers clash with each other. Glinting swords were raised, the Hesperian’s super-advanced technologies were launched; the gods are cruel, and their elegy of death was unstoppable. “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.” As much as I enjoyed reading the constant trading of divine strengths in this blood-soaked concluding installment, it was actually the military tactics and psychological warfare that Kuang implemented into her narrative that signified the biggest improvement in her writing skills. I’ve always thought of the series as a grimdark/military fantasy series, and Kuang once more incarnated these classifications with amazing precision. The war tactics employed were smartly written; environment, power, weapons were all considered before each battle waged. Most importantly, I can’t praise the psychological warfare engaged highly enough here. It’s purely remarkable how the most intense moments of the entire series were not when a clash of swords and magic were displayed, but it was the psychological battles fought. I honestly felt the dread and extreme paranoia that the characters experienced; the bleakness of the atmosphere and the feeling of helplessness were scorched into my soul, and once again, I couldn’t put the book down when this entire section of the heartbreaking story unraveled. “Ideological purity is a battle cry, it’s not the stable foundation for a unified country. A nation means nothing if it can’t provide for the people in it. You have to act for their sake.” I still have a myriad of things to praise, but I must put a stop here; I risk writing a novella if I don’t force myself to stop now. In my review of The Poppy War, I said: “This is the beginning for a new queen of fantasy and you should consider yourself damn lucky to have the chance to witness it.” Not only this statement stands true up this day, but it screams stronger now. I am incredibly fortunate that I get to witness Kuang’s journey as an SFF author from the beginning; the trail of stories she left here is inspiring, and I foresee the flames she’ll ignite in her future novels will be as brilliant. It has been an extraordinary honor to have read The Poppy War Trilogy, an Asian-inspired fantasy trilogy I cherished since its pre-debut in 2018. Tempered with tremendously well-polished deftness in storytelling, every scene in this book was painted vividly, and every range of emotions was tangibly delivered to the readers. It might not do enough justice to Kuang to say that The Burning God is one of the best grimdark fantasy novels that I’ve ever read, but this is the highest form of praises I can bestow to this novel. The Burning God is indisputably one of my favorite books of all time, and more than ever now, the completion of The Burning God earn R.F. Kuang her rightful crown and throne as one of the queens of modern fantasy. “For it was wonderful to remember that this land could still be so breathtakingly beautiful, that there was more sewn into the heart of the Twelve Provinces than blood and steel and dirt. That centuries of warfare later, this country was still a canvas for the gods; that their celestial essence still seeped through the cracks between worlds.” Series review: The Poppy War: 5/5 stars The Dragon Republic: 4.5/5 stars The Burning God: 5/5 stars The Poppy War Trilogy: 14.5/15 stars P.S:To future readers of this book, get a bucket—preferably two—because your tears will flow. In The Burning God, Kuang threatens to rip out the hearts of her readers, and this is what we’ll say to her: “Do it. Take what you want... 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.” Official release date: 26th November 2020 (UK) and 17th November 2020 (US)You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel NotionsSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.

This was amazing.Too often, I find the last book in a series is the weakest. Not enough answers, too short... I'm happy to announce with this one you finally get a good ending to an Adult Fantasy series!I loved the world building, the magic system, the morally grey main character...If you haven't read The Poppy War series you need to!

I worked harder than I ever have before to pull off the ending. I'm heartbroken to say goodbye. I'm so proud of how far I've come in my storytelling abilities–I really do believe TBG is the best thing I've ever written, and I hope you think so too. I can't wait to share this book with you all in November.

Moja ulubiona seria jaką czytałam w całym życiu. Rin, my girl, i love you

i don't think i'll ever recover from this.this was perfect. this was so fucking perfect.oh fuck i'm crying again

This book broke me. I’m not sure how I can possibly encompass all the emotions this made me feel. All I can do is try. The Burning God felt like coming home. Not that it was wholesome or sweet or comfortable—definitely not. But it felt like coming home in that it was absolutely everything I could want in a book. After all this time spent searching, I have finally found another series that I can whole-heartedly love and recommend. After the events of The Dragon Republic, Rin joins the Southern Coalition in an effort to stop the Dragon Republic from taking over Nikan. She’s broken, emotionally and physically. She was betrayed and barely escaped with her life, and now she wants revenge. This book is beautiful and haunting and painful. This is definitely the most hard-hitting series I’ve ever read. Rin is so power-hungry, but this raises the question of what she will do once she has all the power she wants. Does she actually deserve it? Is she the villain or the heroine? Is she actually trying to do a good thing, or is she just obsessed with gaining power? I love the way this book makes me think. And oh, the characters were utter perfection. They were written so carefully. They’re bloodthirsty and merciless and yet…In the end, they’re just kids.No matter how much Rin lashes out, she’s still just a frightened girl thrust into a terrifying world. Kitay always seems so strong, but he is hurting on the inside, bound to Rin because he loves her. And Nezha—Nezha the unshakeable—is just a shell of his former self. War has changed them, shaped them. They are no longer petty, spoiled Sinegard students. They’ve been hardened, broken, and molded—brought together by a shared pain.My heart breaks for them.I love how vulnerable they all are, especially Kitay. He’s a good person at heart (probably the only one in this series), but he was forced to do terrible things and undergo traumatic events because this world is cruel.Kuang made a very smart decision when she wrote this book in third person through mostly Rin’s perspective. Rin’s biases and fears are shown very well. When she got paranoid, I felt scared as well. When she felt bloodthirsty, it was almost like I was there with her, screaming at the sky. The chapters not from her perspective were so shocking to me (especially The Drowning Faith), because it was disconcerting to see what other people thought of Rin. I was so caught up in what she thought of everyone else. This was a really clever way to write the book and it built such a deep connection between me and Rin, even though she’s an unstable, dangerous psychopath who has committed genocide. It really takes skill to make me sympathize with someone so messed up. Also, someone/some people died. Thank you. Thank you, R.F. Kuang, for actually keeping characters dead and not doing a random resurrection arc at the end. The Burning God has everything I want in a fantasy book. Pain, pain, and more pain. I recently discovered this perfect album called The Spell by Cellar Darling. It reminded me so much of The Poppy War series that I just had to dedicate a whole section of this review to the similarities between them. The album is exquisite. It’s atmospheric, haunting, and full of pain. While I was listening to it, I had the sudden thought that these songs sound like they were made especially for this series. Every song is linked to a character, and I included in-depth explanations below.Pain → Venka Death → RinLove → AltanThe Spell → Kitay Burn → the PhoenixHang → Sister Petra Sleep → JiangInsomnia → Riga Freeze → DajiFall → Vaisra Drown → Nezha Explanations: 🚨Some of these connections will be spoilers for the series in general and for this book. I will mark spoilers for TPW and TDR along with TBG. Mild spoilers are marked with a yellow heart (💛); moderate spoilers with an orange heart (🧡); major spoilers with a red heart (❤️). Quotes in italics are lyrics from the respective songs.🚨Pain: Venka This song is full of agony, as the title suggests. It’s dark, heavy, and wild. It reminds me of Venka’s personality and history.🧡 Day in, day out / They abuse Venka was brutally assaulted in Golyn Niis and remains traumatized from that event. 🧡 Born to absorb all the pain in the world / Like a voodoo doll of mankind / How did I become the eye for an eye? / Fearful of your unruly wrath Towards the end of The Burning God, Venka is accused of treachery by a paranoid Rin, who takes her anger and frustration out on Venka (“fearful of your unruly wrath”).In The Dragon Republic, she is scorned by her family and rejected (“born to absorb all the pain in the world”). Death: RinThis song is creepy, haunting, and twisted; just like Rin. It stays with you for a long time. It’s sadistic - rather like Rin - and catchy in a really aberrant way.🧡 Who are you to decide since it all comes down to me? Rin gains ultimate power at the end of The Burning God. She ignores protest from Kitay and does what she wants, to terrible ends. 💛 Here I am, I've come for you / Look me in the eyes and tell me your name Rin is sadistic and takes great joy in torturing and emotionally manipulating her captives. The slightly mocking “Here I am, I’ve come for you” reminds me of how she plays with her victims before destroying them. ❤️ You and I, at the end of time Kitay and Rin are bonded, their lives linked forever (“the end of time”). In the end, they die together.Love: AltanThe title of this song might not remind you of Altan, but the melody and the darkness behind it might. To me, this song represents Altan’s relationship with Speer, his hatred, and the Phoenix. 💛 When in love, when in love with the darkness / All is lost to a bitter embrace / When in love, when in love with the darkness / All that's left of you will fade Altan is consumed by burning rage and hatred, and he begins to lose himself along the way. He is also addicted to opium, which makes him fade away into a shell of his former self. The “darkness” mentioned in these lyrics could represent his hatred or opium. 💛 Purge me with your violence until we are as one / Ceasing to exist I'm forever bound to you This is reminiscent of Altan’s relationship with the Phoenix - he’s so closely linked to the god that he is hardly himself anymore. “Purge me with your violence” is reminiscent of Altan’s relationship with the hatred he has for the world. He practically bathes in it.❤️ And finally, death do us part / From the world silence in the dark / Silently rid me of pain Altan dies at the end of The Poppy War, ending his pain once and for all. The words “and finally” bring to mind a voice filled with agony, someone looking forward to death, just like Altan.The Spell: Kitay This song really captures who Kitay is. It’s conflicted and pained, but resigned. Kitay is a good person thrust into horrible circumstances, and he made the best of it. 🧡 Loathsome spell, which cast I do covertly / Gruesome spell, so tenderly forged just for you Kitay and Rin are bonded. Kitay would never sacrifice so much for anyone but Rin (thus the line “tenderly forged just for you”), but he still resents the bond (“loathsome” and “gruesome” show his dislike). 🧡 Eternal life will haunt you / Eternal pain Bonded to Rin, Kitay will have a longer lifespan if he doesn’t get killed. But he will also be doomed to a life of eternal pain, channeling the Phoenix for Rin.🧡 You, you are the chosen one / For you, you'll never see me again Exhausted from Rin’s constant use of her fire, Kitay begins to fade away. But he knows that Rin is the special one, or the “chosen one.” He knows he isn’t as important as she is.Burn: the PhoenixThis song is intense, heavy, and almost enraged. It reminds me a lot of the Phoenix, especially with all the fire metaphors. It’s also slightly uplifting at times, reminding us that fire isn’t all bad - it brings warmth and light as well as pain and death.💛 Smoke and the cinder ash / Kindred ties of mine The Phoenix is the god of fire and delights in destruction, thus the “smoke and cinder ash.” 💛 Feeding the fire / Reaching for the smoke ascending The Phoenix feeds the fire by building up the hatred in his hosts. The fire often bursts out of Rin, reaching higher and higher. 💛 Hold still the flaming child / Feeding on this pain of mine / Cradled by ashen hands The Phoenix carefully cultivated Rin for the role of his host. “Feeding on this pain of mine” could represent both Rin’s pain and the Phoenix’s pain. The “ashen hands” that cradle Rin, the “flaming child,” are those of the Phoenix. Hang: Sister PetraThis song has a more cheerful feel to it, but if you read the lyrics, you will be disturbed. 💛 Breathe silently, make the ghostly voice surrender Sister Petra is obsessed with making Chaos surrender, hence the “ghostly voice” that isn’t quite physically present.💛 Breathe silently, make the voices die forever… / Leave violently, make it all be for the better Again, Sister Petra’s goal is to make the voice of Chaos die forever. She uses morally questionable methods to do so (second line). Sleep: JiangThis song is slow, calm, almost peaceful. But if you listen carefully to the lyrics, you will find a much darker theme. This reminds me a lot of Jiang.🧡 If it was that easy / I'd fall asleep and not wake Jiang, as a member of the Trifecta, is terrified of Riga. He’s also tired of living. But it’s not that easy, as the song says.💛 Sweet and bitter substance / Unconscious but alive The “sweet and bitter substance” represents opium. Jiang spends his later life teetering on the edge of sanity. The word “unconscious” here represents the unconsciousness of his alter persona, the former member of the Trifecta. 🧡 Only I now lie awake / Numb and barely there Jiang is in a state of near-death when Rin takes him to Riga. Insomnia: RigaThis song is haunting, almost horror-like. The vocalist enters with an unstable and obsessed-sounding voice, much like Riga himself.🧡 One, two, three, forever / I will not sleep, never / Five, six, seven, hate, lover / I will wait forever Riga is locked inside the mountain, waiting for someone to release him. The repeated negative “never” in the second line emphasizes how determined he is to break free. 🧡 Close to freedom now / Douse me with sound Riga senses that he is close to freedom when Rin comes to him, and he rejoices in that fact. He specifically requests to be doused with sound, making it sound like he is looking forward to it.💛 I cannot dream anymore / Of you and your absence so haunting / I won't sleep, I won't dream anymore Riga is left alone. Daji and Jiang are gone. The word “haunting” isn’t entirely pleasant, bringing to mind his bittersweet, conflicted feelings on the Trifecta. 💛 One, two, three, forsaken / Insanity awakens / Five, six, seven, fate shaken / Sanity forsaken From the little we see of Riga, we can come to the conclusion that he is insane. He’s obsessed with power and he’s incredibly dangerous. Freeze: DajiThe tone of this song is pained, eerie, and regretful. It’s an accurate representation of Daji herself. She’s filled with regret. She wants to forget.🧡 Am I dead? Am I dead? / Not yet, not yet Daji, as one-third of the Trifecta, has lived for an extremely long time. And yet she’s tired of life (“Am I dead?”). But she keeps living.💛 I'm not dead, yet stone-cold, filled with regret The heavy regret Daji feels is evident in all her actions. She has done terrible things in the past, and it clearly weighs on her. 🧡 I ascend these heights in search of an end / In my head only you / As I roam this cave in search of a friend / Of whom I require “These heights” represent the mountain Riga is entombed in. Daji ascended the mountain and entered “this cave” where Riga slept. Riga was an old friend, like in the lyrics. And she required him. 💛 You, who I wanna forget / You, who I wanna forget Daji longs to forget the Trifecta, but they still haunt her.Fall: Vaisra This song is euphoric, almost heavenly. It seems at odds with Vaisra’s personality, but the lyrics match and if you know Vaisra’s fate, you can definitely see some connections. ❤️ Falling through the clouds / Blankets of fog don't catch me when I fall Vaisra fell out of a dirigible in The Burning God, and then he was killed by Rin. He was let down by his forces when he needed them the most.Drown: NezhaThe title of this song is perfect for Nezha. If you know, you know. All the lyrics remind me so strongly of him, as well as the song’s conflicted vocals and pained melody.❤️ Safe from harm / I'm swaying back and forth / Cradling me / The arms of halcyon seas When Nezha is around the river god, he is protected and virtually invincible. However, he’s not comfortable with his powers (“I’m swaying back and forth”). 💛 And it feels like I'm stranded / And I feel so lost These two lines remind me of The Drowning Faith, where we see another side of Nezha. He’s conflicted, lost, and confused. He doesn’t know what’s right and what’s wrong.❤️ A new beginning awaits Nezha is the only one standing at the end. He’s left in control of Nikan. The Burning God ends on a hopeful note. A new beginning is possible.❤️ How would it feel down under the waves / Smothering air I've breathed, so alive / Drowning Nezha is a shaman and controls the water. He has fantasized before about drowning, but he knows that it’s impossible for him. 🧡 Do you feel lost at sea? Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but this reminds me of Rin and Nezha’s relationship. They care about each other, but they can’t be friends. Water and fire cancel each other out. Due to unavoidable circumstances, they are thrust apart. That might be why Rin always feels so lost when she’s with Nezha.❤️ In deepest waters / Baptized so forcibly Nezha was tricked into meeting the river god and his powers were forced on him.🧡 Why am I alive? Nezha is haunted by the death of his little brother and wonders why he didn’t die instead.This must be a next-level obsession. 5 stars

4,5Nie mogłam sobie wymarzyć lepszego zakończenia.

Fuck this.I knew there was no fixing things but seriously? *breathes in a bag* I’m not really happy with that ending but it probably makes sense in the grand scheme of things (not) 😬Rare photo of Rin talking to Kitay in this book:I have been dreading to write this review because I’m still conflicted about my feelings on this book. On one side I really liked it, on the other I was disappointed. I’ll try to put my jumbled thoughts in an order than makes sense.It pains me to say this, but I was bored. I found my brain drifting somewhere else when Rin and the army were traveling back and forth. I was tired of reading about them moving to places without a little intrigue or dialogue between characters I love. The writing was slow, it focused a lot on the obstacles they had to get through, but it didn’t really show them. At the same time it glossed over some parts I would have loved to read more about and that would have made me infinitely less bored. Let’s be real, there wasn’t enough Kitay or Nezha (and no Cike), they were the ones supposed to make the narrative flow better. At least that’s what I observed in the previous installments. (view spoiler)[However I’m super glad Jiang came back and took their place for a while. He was a normal human being for like 50 pages (progress lol) and now I kind of have a crush on him...........He was perfect with Daji, I ship them so hard. His “darling, fucking what?” reaction to Daji saying she sent Jinzha to Vaisra as meat in dumplings will forever be Iconic. He was the highlight of the book honestly. (hide spoiler)] The great empires of the waking world were driven so mad by what they had forgotten that they decided to slaughter the only people who could still dream. I think the grimdark came out full force in this book more than in the others. The brutality, man. It was on a whole other level. My jaw is still on the floor after the Souji scene.Plus can we talk about Rin? The rest of the morally grey characters ever written have left the chat. I loved that Rin was basically insane; usually you praise the character development in a book series but here I am praising her realistic descent into madness. Oops.In summary my expectations were probably way too high for a third and last book in a series when I know for a fact that I tend to like less the last book in comparison to the first and second ones. I just had a lot of faith in Rebecca. Which wasn’t misplaced at all! But with books like The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic, The Burning God can’t absolutely withstand the competition. My whole being is too in love with those two perfect works that my brain won’t let me love TBG as much. And that ending didn't help at all, what was the point? :((view spoiler)[ Kitay had been the first to reach out with his fingers, and then all three of them were holding hands, Nezha and Rin on either side of Kitay, and it felt and looked absolutely, terribly wrong and still Rin never wanted to let go. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

i do NOT recommend reading the last 20 pages of this book with the great war by taylor swift on loop because i almost died from grief yesterday

The Burning God (The Poppy War,#3) by R.F. KuangA phenomenal and a tear-jerking conclusion of the series with more action-packed. The way Kuang reconciled Chinese mythology and fact history of Sino-Japanese War in the whole series was enthralling. Amazing character crafting as any may feel the characters' emotion, guilt, anxiety, triumph, rage. Besides dealing with humanity, eagerness to achieve power and the horrible aftermath of the war made the story so realistic. Profoundly unpredictable, the tale was!!! It was an incredible finale to this series. Dying was easy. Living was so much harder—that was the most important lesson. Remarkable.

‘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.’ rin has bled across the gradient from morally grey to the most vicious black. i knew the conclusion to this series would be unforgiving. it takes even the strongest characters and breaks them. it takes their hope for a better world and extinguishes it. and as i found myself reaching the final chapters, realising how this story would unfold in its ending, i couldnt help but think ‘what was even the point?’and i will tell you the point - war is deadly. war is a thief. war is all consuming and ever-changing. seeing rin become a young military student in order to escape her impoverished life, to engaging in local battles as a soldier fighting the enslavement by an enemy, to completely decimating those who stood in her way, to losing herself to a destructive god because she has no one else to trust, thats the point. her development in this series is the point. and this ending did her entire story arc the most brutal amount of justice, one that completely destroyed me in the process.↠ 4.5 stars

Guys, this was the happiest book ever!! Happy ending! Happy characters! Happy everything! Kuang couldn't have written it better! Everyone's happy, safe... I dont know why people are saying this is heartbreaking? If anything, it's heartwarming!My heart totally didn't feel like it was being ripped out of my chest and thrown into a shredder! I totally did not go to sleep crying and wake up again crying! I totally don't feel like I need someone to pay for my therapy bills!No, not at all.I'm completely fine.yea no, I feel like I'm dying. I am dying. This pain should be illegal. What is happiness? This is so depressing. And me, the masochist, keeps going back to the last two chapters *sobs* what am I doing to myself?Please end me.Funny how I said that reading Clockwork Princess, The Hero of Ages (etc) were the most I've ever cried -- HA I lied. No book like The Burning God's ending has ever made me sob this much. I am dead. It's to the point where every single time I close my eyes, I picture the ending and that is not okay. Kuang, what have you done to me???There's no peace, only pain. This has quite literally left a scar on my heart and soul forever. Not only did Kuang bury the knife deep into my heart, but she twisted it causing me excruciating pain.I actually can't think about this book without crying, so this review is basically me as an emotional wreck. Sorry but not really in advance.(Also, there are no spoilers in this review until the end when I give out the warning!!)═════ °• ♔ •° ═════ “The point of revenge wasn’t to heal. The point was that the exhilaration, however temporary, drowned out the hurt.” This whole journey has been full of trust, love, hatred, revenge, pain... I've never before seen such a story have so many complex issues. It's astounds me. Rin's character has developed so much. I can't believe this all started with poor 14 year old Rin who just wanted to get out of marriage by studying to enroll in Sinegard... to this. It breaks my heart when I see how much she's gone through.And it's not just Rin. Kitay, Venka, Nezha, Altan, the Cike... they've all suffered so much throughout the whole series. Kuang is a demon with her characters. There's literally nobody in this trilogy who hasn't suffered. Of course, some had it coming and deserved it, but others... *sobs* no, no, they definitely didn't deserve that.I swear, it brought me so much joy seeing Rin finally accept who she was and where she came from, and be proud of it. These last two books, she'd constantly be insulted because of her dark-skin and having come from Tikany, a poor village in Rooster Province. Because of this, she hated herself and thought the others to be superior, trying to cut all ties with her former village.However, here Rin learned to embrace it all. She accepted everything that she was and most importantly, she did not bow to anyone. Rin's now chooses to be in command. No longer would she be the submissive fool she once was. although she still makes some pretty dumb mistakes She leads. She gives the orders. She deals out the punishments. I literally love this girl.And after the ending of The Dragon Republic, I was so looking forward to retribution. I am not completely satisfied, but satisfied enough. The pain she dealt to certain people was amazing. My only complaint was that it wasn't dragged out longer for a certain person :' ( “It doesn’t go away. It never will. But when it hurts, lean into it. It’s so much harder to stay alive. That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to live. It means you’re brave.” Please, Kitay actually deserves everything. While I had conflicted feelings throughout this series about Rin, Nezha, and others -- my love for Kitay was the only constant. When I say not one moment did I hate him, I mean not one moment. From the moment I met this cinnamon roll in The Poppy War, I fell in love and automatically knew he had to be protected at all costs.Literally their friendship was so heartbreaking and beautiful. Watching them argue over and over again, but then come back still loving the other so much ohmygod-This. THIS is literally a perfect example on how platonic love can be just as amazing, actually even better , than a romantic one. I love it. I love it. I love it so much.Kitay was the anchor to Rin's sanity. He'd always try preventing her from making rash and stupid decisions. He's her moral conscience. Can I just please go back to the first book? I thought TPW was horrifying and depressing, AHAHA what a joke, TPW is heaven compared to the rest of the series. I want my children to stay happy together at Sinegard *sobs* this torture. Erase everything that's happened after that moment. I want a Kitay. My baby-Also it was amazing learning so much more about the Trifecta. Their history, the missions they made, each and every one of them and how they acted... all I have to say is damn. (view spoiler)[And I can't believe how much my opinion has changed after TPW, but it hurt seeing both Jiang and Daji die. Rija deserved to die though. As soon as he treated Rin like that, I NEEDED him to die and thankfully it happened, but at the cost of Daji and Jiang *cries* (hide spoiler)]═════ °• ♔ •° ═════(🛑MAJOR SPOILERS for the end of TBG start here!! Skip to the bottom if you don't want to be spoiled🛑)═════ °• ♔ •° ═════ "Dying was easy. Living was so much harder—that was the most important lesson Altan had ever taught her." So you're telling me, all that hard work, all that pain, torture, and suffering, all those years of war....ONLY for Kitay and Rin to die like that???They beat the Hesperians in battle, but in the end, it was because of the famine and damage Nikan took, that the Hesperians ended up winning and I am forever destroyed. BUT IT MAKES SENSE AND THATS WHAT HURTS THE MOST.But all those memories they had together in the span of those 5 years -- some good, mostly bad, BUT STILL. they were memories of them suffering together and I am not okay.And the fact that Kitay and Rin's last moments together were of them fighting breaks every part of me beyond recognition. IT HURTS. Rin thinking Kitay betrayed her ohmygod PLEASE STOP THIS PAIN. And the fact that Kitay's last words in this world were "You're hurting me" to Rin absolutely destroys me and I am sobbing. The way I can imagine Kitay's pained expression so clearly I SWEAR ITS KILLING ME. PLEASE OMG. And can I just say -- Rin literally chose death over surrendering to the Hesperians/cooperating with them. The way she knew that this fighting would never end if she lived and never surrendered. It honestly would've been so wrong if she'd given up to them, but she really went ahead and said "I'd rather die than bow down to these bastards." She literally sacrificed herself in hopes for a better world, knowing she wouldn't be the one to do it. AND I RESPECT THAT SO MUCH, BUT IT HURTS. She died on Speerly, and I died with her.AND I CAN'T BELIEVE OUT OF ALL OF THEM, ONLY NEZHA SURVIVED. (Although I honestly shouldn't be surprised) Venka my baby, also died and it was so heartbreaking that she died Rin thinking she was a traitor like hell no WHY?! Venka didn't deserve that, Kitay didn't deserve that, what the hell. While Rin got out of bowing to the Hesperians, Nezha's going to have to so honestly, nevermind, that's torture itself. I could never.It actually broke me even before the deaths started. They were all so so depressed at the end, suffered so so much, and I hate this so much, but it was so realistic. They've all come a long way from the children they once were.═════ °• ♔ •° ═════🛑SPOILERS HAVE ENDED🛑═════ °• ♔ •° ═════ “You never want to hurt them. But you have to. You have to put them through hell, because that’s the only way anyone else will survive.” Oh no, I'm quite certain Kuang wanted to hurt us. We were put through hell and none of us survived, but still... this author has my heart.I swear, if I was rating the ending itself I'd 100% give this 5 stars, but unfortunately I'm not and I have to say that some parts in the book dragged out a lot, especially during the many marches. Don't get me wrong, they were interesting, but my mind drifted a lot.However, despite me giving this 4.5 stars, this is most definitely an all-time-favourite because that ending broke my heart into more pieces than I could've possibly imagined. It was a sob-fest. And I even knew how this was going to end so I prepared myself but that didn't work at all. Kuang is both a genius and a monster.I hate that I can never read more about these fleshed out and glorious characters. I hate that even if I re-read, it'll never be the same. I hate this so much, because I do not want to part with them.But you know what, even thinking all of that I regret nothing. If anything, I regret not reading this series sooner. I will forever be grateful for the pain beautiful story Kuang has created and I know that whatever series she's going to make next will be just as painful beautiful.Go ahead and ruin me, Kuang. “Do it. Take what you want... 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.” (4.5⭐)Honourable mention: I'm forever grateful to the best demon out there Mashie for being there for me while I screamed, raged, laughed, and cried. You truly made this book even more amazing than I could've imagined. Thank you so much🥺 I couldn't have possibly survived the aftermath of the ending if it weren't for you.💙═════ °• ♔ •° ═════ Pre-read Review: At long last, I am reading this.kuang, please don't kill me haha what a joke═════ °• ♔ •° ═════Reviews:The Poppy War: ★★★★.5The Dragon Republic: ★★★★★The Burning God: ★★★★.5["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Kuang is a ruthless Queen. Are you expecting closure? *evil laugh*There are too many things to discuss and I am emotionally unstable.You know what, I feel like I've said all I need to say for this series in my The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic reviews. Read those if you feel so inclined and still need a push to read this series or the other reviews because I need... err.. space.— overall thoughts: 4.5 —Admittedly, I had some problematic parts with the build up in the middle and how the Trifecta storyline was handled, but I'll look over that because of the character dynamics and execution of the the ideas that went into the series. Kuang achieved what she wanted to achieve.----------------I haven’t finished it yet but you know what we should be talking about: THE PLATONIC LOVE CONTENT 😭💖 there’s a conversation that could be told discussing if it really is selfless love from Rin’s perspective or if it’s just because of the power she gains from it. Which either way, is so compelling to read and analyze.Most of the negative reviews I see about this series is always talking about how they don’t like Rin but I mean— you’re not supposed to?? A well-written character does not always have to be morally pure and good. I think it takes skill to be able to write a dislikable main character but still have people want to read about them.----------------welcome back to another edition of: *closes my eyes while running away to an isolated island to avoid spoilers*

jeszcze nie wiem

I don’t think we could’ve asked for a better conclusion to this phenomenal series. Yes this was ruthless, and yes, it messes with your emotional stability, but this was so profound and intelligently crafted. It manages to take you by surprise right until the very end.There was betrayal and vengeance, brutality and gruesomeness, angst and violence, and what not! Kuang does not fail to amaze with this finale. Can’t help but feel sad this is over, since I’d actually come to love so many of the characters.