Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

334 reviews

btrz7's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

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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

Spoiler

Rin's opium addiction

, 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

Spoiler

Rin & Kitay's renewed and grown friendship and ANCHOR BOND

. 

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. 

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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

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

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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

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 :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Addiction, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

marinasjd's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

Moderate: Death, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Racism, Vomit, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Deportation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, War, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

jessicaludden's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

5.0

“So do not shirk from war, child. Do not flinch from suffering. When you hear screaming, run toward it.”

This book had me stressed the ENTIRE time. I’m still stressed. I never knew how Rin was gonna get out of any of those situations. I still don’t, but I am sooo pumped for the next book. This was so good. The war and politics, the power struggles, and the PAIN. Rin finally realized that Altan was no hero and effectively moved on from him. R.F. Kuang did an amazing job portraying Rin’s love and disdain for Altan as she let go of him and refused to let him have anymore power over her. The way this book ended had me screaming with excitement. Rin was betrayed. Again. But this time she’s taking matters into her own hands. She’s finally not taking orders from anyone else and I am SO here for it. Overall, this series continues to live up to expectations and I cannot wait for the finale.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Vomit, War, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Classism, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Miscarriage

lizziaha's review against another edition

dark

4.25

oh I feel sick to my stomach finishing this book. It’s an interesting and depressing and unfortunately accurate view of power and the things people do to acquire and keep power. I was happy that we got to see more of Venka in this one, although I understand that the overwhelming amount of male characters is a statement in and of itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, War, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Confinement, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Vomit

questionabletaste's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

The Poppy War series keeps getting better- this book is an unrelenting ride through the horrors of continued war and it's aftermath. The story is gripping, and I enjoyed diving back into the world with familiar characters. A great read for lovers of Game of Thrones. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Genocide, Death, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction and Rape

rebeccamcvicar's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Death, Alcohol, Child death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, and Colonisation

ealasaid_sch'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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Violence, Xenophobia, War, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Moderate: Vomit and Gore