This militaristic political fantasy has run laps over my heart, giving it such pleasure with the rich description and detail of the story world, characters, and action, while also pummelling it to pieces because of said description, characters, and action. The Burning God is the third tier and the cherry on the top of the cake, making The Poppy War series one I will not forget.

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.  Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realises that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonising Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it? 

This will not be a surprise for those who have picked this series up, but the political fantasy and militaristic fantasy elements of The Burning God are incredibly strong, and for some readers it may be overpoweringly so. Both The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic I like it given that I find the layers of the story – its politics, history, wars, factions, characters motives, and so much more – immersive, entertaining and informative for my own fantasy writing. R.F. Kuang’s writing style is ruthless, or perhaps it is Rin’s perspective that is so raw and emotional and that leaves no room for anything but the deep, painful things she feels.

I have already harped on about how these characters – Rin, Kitay, and Nezha – are some of my favourites. If you haven’t seen my favourite character breakdowns, from the Fighters to the Simpletons and over to the Tortured Souls, then I suggest you go check them out. Rin and Nezha are on those lists, and Kitay holds a spot in my heart as he is a character that I don’t quite know how to describe. One thing I love about these characters is how passionate they are about the things they like, care about, or vehemently hate. The writing trues into pure gold when those situations arise, and it is all the better when they start conflicts among each other because of it.

The Burning God is an intense, fiery, and bloodthirsty end to a fantastic adult fantasy series. My emotions were all over the place when reading it, and I think I can attest for many when I say that ending broke my heart. Actually, scratch that – it shattered into pieces. The lead up emotionally is astounding, the character arcs are incredible, and the feeling in those last few chapters is what I aim to achieve in my own writing. I love it. I plan to reread it many times over in the years to come (when I have the emotional capacity to do so). I highly recommend The Poppy War trilogy to all, and if you are currently struggling through The Poppy War or The Dragon Republic, then I wish you all the momentum and interest in the world so you can get to the final book in what is one of my favourite series.