Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Республика Дракон by Ребекка Куанг, R.F. Kuang

460 reviews

pmaan0613's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

queensplay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

The beginning and the end of the book were really good, but the middle was slow. Its still a really good read regardless. 
I'm disappointed that Rin didn't have her powers until more then half-way. I was really looking forward to see her at her peak, and then she lost her powers. 
I also didn't like that she was under the command of someone. I guess I'm used to mcs being their own people, but it especially didn't feel right with her. The only good thing Vaisra did was get her off of the opium, but other then that, for the longest time I didn't know if he was good. And if he was, I was really hoping that Rin could trust someone other then Kitay. But Rin is her own person, she deserves her own command, deserves to do what she wants. I hope she gets that in the next book. 
But her and Kitay are amazing together. He is amazing. 
Ok. 
Let me tell you - since the first book, I have been ROOTING for Nezha and Rin. Like, full on kicking my feet whenever they smile at each other. I loved them so much, and I know they loved each other. There were so so many scenes of them in this book. I could read and reread and reread their scenes together. I'm a slowburn girl, and this hits. Perfectly. 

And thennnnn this fucking IDIOT goes and LITERALLY stabs her in the back. Like what?? You love her. Why would you do that? You were having a moment, you love each other. After everything you did? You called your god to save her, you protected her, and then you go and do this? 
I really want to be mad at him. I really do. But it also doesn't feel like him. Because after all he did for her, for him to go and ruin it, it seems like something else is at play. And he tried to warn Rin before, so I'm sure he knew that Vaisra was bad. So why would he do that? And THEN let them go?? Something isn't adding up.
Don't talk to me about Suni and Baji. Don't. Talk. To. Me. Damn it, Kaung, why would you do that???Why would you break my heart like that??
What hurts so much, is that Suni was the complete opposite of his god. His god was to be big, strong, powerful and break things, and then Suni is this quiet, kind guy. I feel like he always tried to be different from his god on purpose, because he didn't want people to think he lost control. That's what gets me - he tried so hard. He tried so hard to fight his god, so hard to be the opposite of his god, tried so hard so that when people looked at him, they saw him, not his god (I could be wrong, but that's how i interpreted it). And at the end, people only saw him for his god. And they killed him for it. Damn it damn it.
I just can't get over the paragraph: "Four staggered shots punctuated the air. Baji's body jerked from side to side in a horrible dance with each bullet..." That scene. That paragraph. I can't get it out of my head. And Rin had to watch. 
And then, like that wasn't enough, Kuang had to hit me with Ramsa. Like I wasn't already broken already. He sacrificed himself for Rin. He died for Rin. Because apparently Suni and Baji weren't enough.

There's a hashtag on tiktok that sums up this story perfectly: #rfkuangwillpayformytherapy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

fe_fifi_fofum's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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

5.0

THIS BOOK CRUSHED ME MORE THAN THE FIRST ONE.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

pbevans's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kp_reads_in_the_dark's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.5

The Dragon Republic moved a little quicker in terms of timeline and action, which helped with the pace of the story. I appreciated how the various characters interacted more and had chances to develop, especially Kitay, Chaghan, Qara, and Venka. The battles continue to be graphic and heartbreaking. I have to also say that diving more into the domestic and international politics and history of this world is becoming more and more interesting. It all feels messy and unfair, which is kinda the point of this whole series, I'm thinking.

Actually, maybe the whole thing can be summed up by the quote (omen) "nothing lasts," as it says on the Red Cliffs...

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

I really began to hope for Nezha but, in the end, he really was what he always was - a spoiled aristocrat. Man, fuck that guy. I was so pissed, lol. Maybe there's a redemption arc coming in the last book, but at this point I've given up hope. Kuang seems to have zero qualms about "killing her darlings," so just beware (if the first book didn't teach you that already). As much as I am exasperated with Rin, I feel like I'm right there with her on the overwhelm, rage, confusion, and daddy issues 😂😭 my heart broke when Suni and Baki died; they did not deserve that death. And I already miss Ramsa. I feel batteree, but committed to see this through. I'm taking a few days, and then I'll start The Burning God.

beingbeck's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

potatolord's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

gabicaldas'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

Que livro, meus amigos!! Novamente R F Kuang escreveu uma história incrível que me deixou em desespero praticamente o livro inteiro. Com MUITAS reviravoltas e perdas que não vou conseguir superar nem tão cedo, A República do Dragão consegue ser brutal, épica e realista ao mesmo tempo! Amei os paralelos com países e acontecimentos reais e a complexidade de uma guerra. A evolução do relacionamento de Rin consigo mesmas, com Altan e com Nezha pra mim foram os pontos altos do livro. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

wylanslcve'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

5.0

oh this was truly phenomenal. with the poppy war already being so strong in so many aspects, I was admittedly a tad bit apprehensive going into the dragon republic as is usually the case whenever I start a sequel - however, it only took a single page for all traces of apprehension I felt prior to starting this to dissipate pretty much instantaneously.

in many ways, the dragon republic is a significant improvement from the poppy war, taking what was already one of the greatest fantasy books I've ever read and somehow going beyond that. any pacing issues I'd had with the first book were practically nonexistent in this instalment, and somehow the characterisation managed to stay as hard-hitting and intricate as it was in the first book. rin is such a fantastic protagonist in, and kuang handles her development from the first book (for better or for worse is up to you to decide), as well as her complicated relationship with altan, with such meticulous care, and not a day has gone by without me thinking about the progression of kitay's arc throughout this book. I've always had a soft spot for him, but the way kuang handled his progression from the boy we see in the poppy war to the hardened, furious version of him in the dragon republic is so incredibly devastating but oh so incredible.

even though this took me literal months to get through, the dragon republic is a fantastic and gut-wrenching sequel that will certainly stick with me for a while. I don't think I'm ready for what might unfold in the burning god (I'm preparing myself for the worst, but I have a feeling that isn't going to help much given kuang's track record).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Vomit, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation

ringofkeyz's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Torture, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Miscarriage and Slavery