“There are never any new stories, just old ones told again and again as the universe moves through its cycle of civilization and crumbles in despair. We are on the brink of chaos again, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

As I sit here trying to write a proper reflection of “The Burning God,” I find myself struggling to find the words, and nothing will stick in my brain. Having already read the first two, I thought I was prepared for the violence and the slaughter, but it turns out I wasn’t. It was an unsettling read and Kuang again gives us an unflinching look at war and what one person will do in the name of justice.

But whose justice? And who has the right to say their justice is even the one that will ultimately strike the balance and create harmony? And if that is what you seek, are you willing to go as far as your enemy, because inevitably they will push you to do so. The lines of what is right are blurred and it’s clear at least to all those around her, that our “hero,” Rin, has a hard time seeing straight. But she will blindly go forward because it is what she feels is right. I read an interview by Kuang where she states that this series is ultimately a “question of what could make a dictator like Mao [Zedong] commit the sort of atrocities that he did. What has to happen to you to turn into someone that could do those things? Some sociopathy yes, but that’s too easy. What experiences and ideologies would have to shape you?” (Publishers Weekly)

Kuang is not interested in neat ideologies wrapped in a bow, she demands the reader acknowledge that war is rife with nuance and ideological purity can be dangerous, no matter which way it swings. Ending this trilogy I have more questions than answers. I didn’t even touch on the colonization themes of this book in my reflection because I don’t want to ruin it and honestly I don’t know how to feel about it. I’m sure I’ll be wrestling those themes for a long time. But just go read this trilogy, you won’t regret it. And if you have read this. Feel free to DM me your thoughts. Lol.

CW: rape, graphic depictions of violence, child abuse, drug addiction

“Eventually you’ll have to ask yourself precisely what you’re fighting for. And you’ll have to find a reason to live past vengeance……”

Welp, in RF Kuang I trust because the second installment in this series blew me away. The world expands here in a way that makes for a perfect fantasy read. I really appreciated the pacing in this book, sometimes writers fail to let scenes percolate and keep things at a breakneck pace, but not Kuang. When the dust settles on the battlefield she takes her time with her characters and setting, letting us truly get to know them while still surprising us at every turn. That’s not to say there isn’t action, there is a ton here. But it’s not there to entertain us to make us feel giddy, instead we are scared and filled with tension. We feel the exhaustion of the characters as they fight and it is bone deep. This is world building, plot execution, and character driven writing at its very finest.

I won’t go into too much detail but I loved this one. I loved it because it shows us what fantasy writing should do. It holds a mirror up to our own world asking us to reflect on the status quo. It touches on heavy themes and issues surrounding colonialism and religion, trauma and revenge. As the reader we question every characters’ motives. At times it was unsettling, but again there is no sugar coating here. No rose colored glasses to help make the reader more comfortable. I honestly feel like this trilogy will become a masterpiece of our time. Maybe it’s hyperbolic, but I don’t think so. I’ve read enough fantasy that I feel like as of now, this trilogy stands alone because of its unique voice and what it has to say about our past, present, and future.

CW: Rape, additcion, grief, PTSD, graphic detais about battle wounds and deaths. #bookstagram #booklover#fantasybooks #thedragonrepublic #alwaysreading #diversefantasybooks #addictedtoreading #readersofinstagram #ilovereading #bookaholic #readmorefantasy #readbooksbywomen #readwomenauthors #libraryglaredontcare