lokes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I may need five so eight business days to comprehend the atrocities Rin just committed wow
user8432's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pili87's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
War. Vengeance. Power. I love flawed characters and everyone in this book are incredibly human. The setting is unforgivingly cruel and every character reacts to the book's themes in their own way, making them heroes or monsters depending on who you ask.
Rin is HIGHLY flawed to the point you want to scream at her for being so reckless and naive but you just want her to succeed because war is terrible, you fear for everyone and you just want it to be over. No choice feels like the right one and there's a feeling of pessismism at all times.
And yet, you can't stop reading and hoping things will get better. The tone and plot for the next two books are set and I can't wait to see the world burn.
I loved this book: I loved the writting style and even though I have not fallen in love with any particular character, I cherish them all and suffer with them. The story is great, the dialogues are organic and the pacing almost always impeccable.
6/12/22: I now know what exactly has been nagging me about this book. The relationships between characters. They don't feel meaningful. They meet, learn a little about themselves and if someone dies, they grieve without any hint that they should. We are told about rivalries but behave like they have an amazing friendship. When did this happen?
2/1/23: Changing from 4.5 to 4 stars. Dragon Republic was just so good.
Rin is HIGHLY flawed to the point you want to scream at her for being so reckless and naive but you just want her to succeed because war is terrible, you fear for everyone and you just want it to be over. No choice feels like the right one and there's a feeling of pessismism at all times.
And yet, you can't stop reading and hoping things will get better. The tone and plot for the next two books are set and I can't wait to see the world burn.
I loved this book: I loved the writting style and even though I have not fallen in love with any particular character, I cherish them all and suffer with them. The story is great, the dialogues are organic and the pacing almost always impeccable.
6/12/22: I now know what exactly has been nagging me about this book. The relationships between characters. They don't feel meaningful. They meet, learn a little about themselves and if someone dies, they grieve without any hint that they should. We are told about rivalries but behave like they have an amazing friendship. When did this happen?
2/1/23: Changing from 4.5 to 4 stars. Dragon Republic was just so good.
bgkent6's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating this book felt very complicated for me. Did I enjoy reading this book? No. Did I like the MC? Not really. Did I feel compelled to keep going and couldn’t really put it down? Yes. Do I think it is important? Yes. Would I recommend it to the right person? Yes. Do I feel like I was deeply impacted by reading it? Yes.
The first half of this book really brought me in and I loved it. The second got dark, and when I didn’t think it could get darker, it did.
The trigger warnings are very real for this book. It is not for everyone.
The first half of this book really brought me in and I loved it. The second got dark, and when I didn’t think it could get darker, it did.
The trigger warnings are very real for this book. It is not for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Genocide, Addiction, War, Body horror, Drug use, Death, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Torture and Abandonment
andreeavis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
janoreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
brigitte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
kpopbabo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was an intense read. Throughout the book you can see where Kuang took inspiration from Chinese history.
Nikan= Chinese
Mugan= Japanese
Rin's time at Sinegard was much shorter the I was expecting. I think I would have picked the Medicine track if I were a student.
Rin is by far my least favorite character. I can only hope she starts to use her brain in book 2.
Nikan= Chinese
Mugan= Japanese
Rin's time at Sinegard was much shorter the I was expecting. I think I would have picked the Medicine track if I were a student.
Rin is by far my least favorite character. I can only hope she starts to use her brain in book 2.