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The Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang

"The conclusion to Kuang's The Poppy Wars series. We see what Rin will do to make her vision of conquest a reality. And frankly, her rage/paranoia/thirst for power and refusal to listen to others and be rational, just ruined the entire series. It's disappointing because I had high hopes, but in the end, I couldn't stand Rin as a character and I just wanted it all to be finished."

2 Stars

Pros: We learn more of the dynamics of the Trifecta (Dragon Emperor/Vipress/Gatekeeper) and what ultimately destroyed them/Kitay is an always gentle, understanding, intelligent, reasonable and kind character, one of the few in this entire series that I didn't want to end up throttling by the end. 

Cons: Rin as a whole, she's too blinded by her arrogance and power that by the end, I absolutely could not stand her/It's all about vengeance, fury, revenge, anger, rage, it all becomes repetitive and obnoxious/The fate of the Trifecta felt completely glossed over and let me wondering why Kuang had even put that into the novel in the first place.  

Full Review: 

Rin's been beaten, tortured, betrayed, mutilated and it's left its mark. She's Hell bent on getting revenge on anyone that's wronged her. And now, with most of the Southern warlords, rallying under her banner, she starts trying to make that vision a reliaty. She marches through the South, liberating city after city. But Nezha is always a looming threat. His fleet of Hersperians are more technologically advanced than anything Rin and her army can compete with. And though Rin can summon the Phoenix at will, Nezha can summon the Dragon, meaning he can control water. So, fire and water, any time they fight, it's a stand off. 

The books broken down into three parts. 

Part 1 is essentially Rin's exploits liberating the Southern provinces and moving higher up in position in the Southern Coalition army. None of the other officials respect her, thinking she's too impulsive and rash (which she is) but she doesn't care. Rin's entire plan is just to burn everyone and everything that gets in her way. Though one night, she finds a scroll in her tent and it's from Nezha, offering the chance at peace negotiations. She burns the evidence, so that no one will know. 

Once they reach Rooster Province and her old town of Tikany, she liberates it. But it all comes crashing down that night when Nezha bombs the entire town. He and Rin have and epic fight and Rin is seconds away from killing him, but she finds that she can't do it. So he gets away and flees. During the aftermath, the other Southern Warlords find out about Nezha's offer of peace negotiations and they turn on Rin. Su Daji, the Empress, of all people, shows up and brings Rin to the Chulhu Korikh, to immure her in stone for eternity. 

Of course, Daji has other plans. And those plans involve awakening Jiang, setting Rin free and together, setting off to Mount Tianshan, to awaken Riga, the Dragon Emperor and last part of the historic and mythical Trifecta that single-handedly pushed the Mugenese out of Nikan during the Second Poppy War. 

Part 2 is their long march to Mount Tianshan and their journey to awaken the Dragon Warlord, Riga. We learn more about the members of the Trifecta, Daji, Riga and Jiang, Rin's old Lore Master from Sinegard. The parallels between the Trifecta and Rin/Kitay/Nezha are glaringly obvious. I liked learning a bit more about the Trifecta and their history. Though not much information was given, it was still interesting to learn more about how they acted and what drove them during the Second Poppy War. 

Part 3 is Rin picking up the pieces and finally facing Nezha and his Dragon God. And then picking up the pieces again and trying to live in the aftermath of a Civil War and rule over a country that has essentially been destroyed. The Hesperians, the people from the West who believe in one true God and think the Nikara are inhuman, subservient, de-evolved trash and are determined to convert them to their religion, is an always looming threat. Rin is terrified that they'll come back and try to finish the job and bring in their new technology and new Faith and change Nikan forever. I can understand her terror but it reached ridiculous levels by the end. 

There was a small part of me that was hoping this book would end differently. But by the end of it all, Rin was so paranoid, angry and irrational that honestly, I just wanted the book to be done. I was sick and tired of listening to her rant and rave and accuse everyone of spying on her etc. She became such a volatile, paranoid brat that she destroyed everyone and everything around her. She became too obsessed with killing Nezha, with power, with vengeance that by the end of the book I just glad that it was finally over and I wouldn't have to listen to Rin anymore. 

The Poppy War was a great read, it was an amazing beginning to what could have been an amazing trilogy. But sadly, Rin and her obsession with power/vengeance/anger...essentially her one default drive was to "watch the world burn" got really old and it wasn't enough to carry the series. The first book was unforgettable, the rest of the series, sadly, was a disappointment. 

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