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3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Rating: 4/5
Pages: 544
Started: 27 March 2024
Finished: 4 April 2024
Summary:
Determined to escape poverty and forced labor for her drug-dealing foster parents in a poor province of Nikan, Rin studies for a near-impossible national exam--and passes with flying colors, winning a scholarship to the elite Sinegard Military Academy. Upon arriving at the school, though, Rin quickly realises that passing the exam was only the first step. Classes are difficult and the bullying and discrimination of her peers for her peasant background is worse. Yet through academic challenge, the looming war with the Federation, and Rin's complicated relationship with the power-giving gods of the spirit world, Rin is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
Thoughts:
The plot and pacing of this book make no sense, but Kuang is a ridiculously talented writer. Every scene is so strong and emotional; the descriptions of many of the horrors that occur are really impressive. It takes a lot for a book to evoke visceral reactions of horror, but this one did many times over. Rin is also a complete badass. Immoral, certainly, but her determination and competence and willingness to do anything to met her goals was very satisfying to read.
As for the pacing: the first half of the book (ch 1-10) seem like a YA dark academia fantasy. Rin takes a test, goes to school, deals with bullies, harms herself in order to do well. Then the war begins, and the book becomes a nauseatingly violent adult high fantasy war epic. I loved the start; I loved the second half less, especially since the escalation makes no sense. By the end of the book, Rin has literally committed genocide. She has ultimately ruined herself and her people; she is irredeemable, with even more violent revenge the only other option for moving forward. This would have made far more sense as the second book in a duology, the end to a violent villain arc rather than the first part of trilogy.
After having some friends explain the rest of the plot to me, I have decided that I feel no need to continue reading the series. I did really like this book; Rin's evil and single-minded determination are really fun to read, and I would have liked to read more of the series if her character was going to continue to grow and become more dynamic, but that is apparently not the case. Though I wish Kuang had had a harsher editor to even out the plot of her book (and more than that, her series) I am still very glad to have (re)read this book.