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 → Rin
Love → Altan
The Spell → Kitay
Burn → the Phoenix
Hang → Sister Petra
Sleep → Jiang
Insomnia → Riga
Freeze → Daji
Fall → 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: Rin
This song is creepy, haunting, and twisted; just like Rin. It stays with you for a long time. It’s sad*stic - 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 sad*stic 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: Altan
The 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 circ*mstances, 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 Phoenix
This 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 Petra
This 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: Jiang
This 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: Riga
This 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: Daji
The 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: Nezha
The 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 circ*mstances, 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
