Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

216 reviews

gerardthefrog420's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

If war tactics are your thing this book is for you! If grotesque battle scenes are your thing this book is for you! If you enjoy having your heart ripped out of your chest multiple times this book is for you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Classism

addr_07's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

they’re not the strongest force in the world…i am

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Vomit, and Abortion

superciliary's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Gore, Rape, and Religious bigotry

jomimary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.25

Fang runin in this book was clearly a sad girl, she was young and just needed a pillar. I’m glad in the end she finally caught up though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

cassidyehm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Rin’s path of destruction is unavoidable because of who she is. It’s like how Othello and Hamlet are doomed by the narrative because of their character traits, but would totally survive if they swapped stories. It’s a mark of a good writer where a protagonist can make judgements and choices that have me saying “girl WHAT are you DOING” without making me want to DNF the book. 

There are no heroes in this story (well, maybe Kitay). Only villains. I’m not sure if there’s a lesser of all the evils here. 

I do love how Rin is horrified when she sees her first Hesperian and immediately assumes they are monsters only to have someone more worldly than her say “girl no that is just what white people look like.” Might be the only funny part of what is otherwise a grim book. 

Oh, Fang Runin. What could you have grown into if you had a stable, peaceful upbringing? There’s only one more book in this series, it’s actually impossible that this will end well for her or anyone in her immediate vicinity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, War, and Classism

paulareadsstuff's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

this was not a world of men. it was a world of gods, a time of great powers. it was the era of divinity walking in man, of wind and water and fire. and in warfare, she who held the battle asymmetry was the inevitable victor 

i'm- I have no words
i said I wanted this book to destroy me and it didn't quite. but I did scream and shout a lot so I guess that counts.

this is everything that could follow the poppy war and more. and the characters!!! and the plot!!!! I've spent this entire book telling characters the methods they were using were not the right ones to get to their goal. BUT THEY PLAYED ME. THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
and then when I thought that by the end I had an idea of where it was going THEY HIT ME AGAIN. I wasn't ready (that bit did destroy me a little)

insanely realistic and with the same topics as the first one and even more. I never knew one could tap into so many so well at the same time and portray how awful they are in such a way that you feel them in you

chefs kiss. also I hate anyone who ever held power in this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Classism

britt_redalei's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

booksndogs9's review against another edition

adventurous dark

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bobbieshiann's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"A puppet until the very end". 

 

This review will be candid, and I must express my ongoing frustration with Rin, but my resentment towards the Hesperians runs much deeper and lingers longer. 

 

Rin embodies a paradox; while I find her exasperating, I grapple with whether I can truly empathize with her. The Dragon Republic feels like a relentless carousel, where no matter how hard you strive to move forward, you remain pinned against the wall. Throughout the narrative, Rin is trapped in that position, paying a steep price for it. “Yes, you are, you don’t even realize it. Your kind has been treated as slaves for so long that you’ve forgotten what it is like to be free. You’re easily angered, and you latch quickly onto things—opium, people, ideas—that soothe your pain, even temporarily. And that makes you terribly easy to manipulate.” 

 

The Dragon Republic thrusts us into the chaos of war, where manipulation, murder, sacrifice, anger, alliances, infiltration, and submission unfold. Rin is perpetually faced with choices that lead to inevitable losses—loss of power, friends, territory, and innocent lives. I must remind myself that Rin is essentially childlike, having been deprived of love and guidance for years. Even amidst the war, she is human first, with her needs long neglected. This does not mean those needs vanish; instead, she seeks acceptance and loyalty wherever she can find it, yet she is also quick to push others away. Her character development felt stagnant to me, which was disappointing, and I detest how she is treated as an experiment—just another tool for their purposes. 

 

Now, let me tell you, the colonizers ignited a fire of rage within me! I want to burn like Rin and rid ourselves of them. This reality is anything but pleasant. The Hesperians imposing their rules, ideologies, religion, and way of life is sheer folly. It is disheartening, disruptive, judgmental, and deeply emotional for me as a reader. Humanity possesses an insatiable desire to occupy spaces that do not belong to us. The wickedness lurks in the shadows, ready to unveil itself, and that wickedness is embodied by the Hesperians, though they are not alone in their actions. The Yin family is equally despicable. I felt not sorrow but relief at Jizhan’s demise; however, Vaisra, you have allowed the Hesperians to manipulate you, even as they exert control over you. Your wife’s treachery, conspiring against Shamans despite your own son’s power, represents a new low. How can you selectively ignore acts of violence while contemplating the sacrifices necessary for your gain? The Dragon Province is stained with blood, yet Daji the Empress was never the true adversary. 

 

“No one remembers who started the First Poppy War … One autumn day seventy years ago, a Hesperian admiral sailed up the Murui and blasted his way into Lusan. He pillaged the palace, razed it to the ground, poured oil over the wreckage, and danced in the ashes. By that evening the Autumn Palace had ceased to exist”. 

 

Entering the third book without the Cike and Qara presents a challenge. I had anticipated a deeper exploration of the Ketreyids, yet they too are corrupted, striving to suppress the Shamans while grappling with internal conflicts that lead to death and the revelation of the trifecta's truth. As we delve further into Daji's character, it will be intriguing to observe the shifting alliances. However, I foresee more violence and manipulation on the horizon, for once the Hesperians become involved, their belief in superiority will compel them to meddle in affairs that do not concern them, without ever retracting their hands. 

 

P.S. I am truly delighted to welcome you back, Venka. You have demonstrated resilience in numerous aspects. Kitay, your loyalty and friendship are commendable. The absence of Ramsa will undoubtedly diminish the humor within the narrative. Lastly, Nezha, FUCK YOU! Rin's assessment of you as a coward is accurate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism

cxgianetta's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brutal, but it is a rewarding sequel to The Poppy Wars. It is quite tragic and the overwhelming layering of history makes it feel reflective to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicide, and Suicide attempt