cbrigs99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
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? Yes
5.0
This series is so far everything I could ever want in a story - from the epic battles to the friendships, relationships, and the moral grayness of all the characters. I fail to have words to describe the feelings this series has invoked in me thus far, it’s given me chills and nearly brought me to tears. Most spectacular at all is Rin’s character growth throughout - from starting the novel as somebody wishing to be removed from her responsibilities over others to finally answering to herself. Though she is not perfect by any means, you realize just how young she is when making life altering decisions, and you essentially grow up with her as a reader. It is baffling how well Kuang shows her growth and development. This book threw me for a loop, and I loved that you’re coming to all these realizations about who the ‘bad guys’ are along with Rin. The enemy flips at least 6 times in this book, and throughout it all R.F Kuang shows you why they are the way they are and how history has led to this situation. This author is a master, and I love her mind. Excited is a loose term for what I know will inevitably be a soul crushing conclusion for the third book, but I can’t wait to see what Kuang does next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Death, and Self harm
livbread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Rape, War, Sexual assault, and Murder
btrz7's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Classism, Genocide, Grief, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Rape and Religious bigotry
Minor: Abortion
thebookaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Wow. Like... Holy SHIT WOW!!
I started this a few days ago with the expectation of it taking at least a week or two to finish due to it's length and complexity, but I just finished it in my third sitting by reading 440 pages straight to the end because I didn't want to put it down (and also I was blessed with a day free of any and all responsibilities but still).
I did read the first 50 or so pages a few months ago and dnf'd it because I found it incredible hard to read at the time as I wasn't in the mood for how dark it was. But I picked it back up and found that although that first bit was genuinely hard to read due to the sheer intensity of heavy themes, particularly, I felt more prepared for it this time and found that on the other side of that first section, while the heavy themes continued (and how RF Kuang handles them is one of the reasons this book is so incredible) the cast of characters and plot picked up in a way that had me constantly needing to know where the story would go next. It went to places I didn't expect, many places that were hard to read about, and many places that I absolutely loved including the relationships these characters develop both with themselves, and with others; shoutout to .
I am the opposite of a history buff, and in particular I am woefully uneducated on history outside of North America and Europe (thanks capitalistic white-centered education) so my knowledge of 20th century China is essentially non-existent. Due to that, there is a huge element of this book that I don't feel I can truly speak on, but I do want to mention that the perspective used and the way that historical elements are woven into this fantasy setting, and the unapologeticness in talking about the realities of war, class relations, race relations, geo-politics, and many other topics that are shied away from is incredibly commendable and I thank her for it because honestly, I probably wouldn't know a lot of this if it wasn't set out to me in this way as a starting point.
Overall, this book is simply an absolutely incredible adult fantasy and if you're interested in getting into something dark, gritty, and wholly complex from plot to characters to religion and other ever-unanswered questions, I highly recommend The Dragon Republic and I for one, cannot wait to read The Burning God to see where this story ends up.
I started this a few days ago with the expectation of it taking at least a week or two to finish due to it's length and complexity, but I just finished it in my third sitting by reading 440 pages straight to the end because I didn't want to put it down (and also I was blessed with a day free of any and all responsibilities but still).
I did read the first 50 or so pages a few months ago and dnf'd it because I found it incredible hard to read at the time as I wasn't in the mood for how dark it was. But I picked it back up and found that although that first bit was genuinely hard to read due to the sheer intensity of heavy themes, particularly
Spoiler
Rin's opium addictionSpoiler
Rin & Kitay's renewed and grown friendship and ANCHOR BONDI am the opposite of a history buff, and in particular I am woefully uneducated on history outside of North America and Europe (thanks capitalistic white-centered education) so my knowledge of 20th century China is essentially non-existent. Due to that, there is a huge element of this book that I don't feel I can truly speak on, but I do want to mention that the perspective used and the way that historical elements are woven into this fantasy setting, and the unapologeticness in talking about the realities of war, class relations, race relations, geo-politics, and many other topics that are shied away from is incredibly commendable and I thank her for it because honestly, I probably wouldn't know a lot of this if it wasn't set out to me in this way as a starting point.
Overall, this book is simply an absolutely incredible adult fantasy and if you're interested in getting into something dark, gritty, and wholly complex from plot to characters to religion and other ever-unanswered questions, I highly recommend The Dragon Republic and I for one, cannot wait to read The Burning God to see where this story ends up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, War, Blood, and Classism
pamnesty's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Rape, and Sexual assault
malwa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Racial slurs, Blood, and Abortion
ashlislibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Genocide, War, Drug abuse, and Drug use
rrio's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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 rushed through the last 150 pages at 2 am unable to put this book away and now i feel like i just ran a marathon i need to go for a walk i need to scream
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Body horror, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, War, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Sexual assault
janalg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Drug use, Sexual violence, Torture, Gore, and Murder
r_snail52's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
no one prepared me for the plot twist at the end WTF - what can i say this is so amazing please read it- you could tell it was a middle book in a series sometimes it felt a little same-y but that’s not to say i didn’t have a fantastic time reading this tho :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Addiction, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence