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A review by aforestofbooks
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Okay but what the actual fuck just happened!!!!
This review will contain spoilers and will probably make zero sense. So much happens in this damn book, my brain will probably never be able to process it completely unless I do a reread. And I already want to reread it, even though I just finished.
The ending???!! I did kind of get spoiled for Nezha's betrayal because I was googling something completely unrelated and it popped up out of nowhere. But I didn't actually get spoiled for how exactly he betrayed Rin, so while I was on high alert and stressed out of my mind, I was still not expecting what ended up happening.
This book has so much death *cue smashing tables and breaking chairs* I was not expecting to lose so many of my favourite side characters. No one warned me (I am glad they didn't, but still). We lose two members of the Cike off the bat, which was sad at first, but THE ENDING??? Baji and Suni??? AND THEN RAMSA?? Like what is even going to happen in book 3, I don't want to know. Ramsa was one of my favourite characters. Just a leetle bebe blowing things up. I loved him so much. And with Baji and Suni, they really provided the much needed comedic relief and camaraderie I needed in this book. And this is completely ignoring what happened to Qara, who I also loved.
I think as the reader, we feel more connected to these side character deaths than Rin does. Rin brushes over the death of her friends very easily, and moves on quickly–probably as a trauma response in order to cope with what needs to be done. And while I do really enjoy Rin as a character, and am pretty invested in what happens to her and the story, I don't know if I "love" her character like I would other characters who have better access to their emotions and feelings, besides just anger and revenge and hatred. I do understand why she is the way she is, and I kind of like reading a book with a character like this because it's refreshing and different, but it is at the same time, very weird. Rin spends so much of this book trying to humanize herself and her people for the Hesperians, but sometimes I wonder if she's forgetting to actually be human herself and experience her grief and pain, rather than just play a role for others.
The character development in this book was incredible though. We see so many light bulb moments for Rin (FINALLY) and things finally click together. As a reader, reading this in 2024, I am in awe at the parallels between what is happening in this book and our life right now. The realization that it's always the white man behind the world's problems. It's the white man whispering enticing words in the ears of the people they want to manipulate and colonize, telling them what to do and how to do it, getting them to enact the wars they want, only for the white man to swoop in at the end as a "saviour" with their ships and guns, ready to stay and build their military bases, spread their religious propaganda, and exploit the natural resources.
This quote especially had me pause mid-frantic reading:
<blockquote>"We live in the most beautiful country in the world. We have more manpower than the Hesperians. We have more natural resources. The whole world wants what we have, and for the first time in our history we're going to be able to use it."</blockquote>
How true is this quote for so many countries around the world, except they never get to actualize this statement and live the life they deserve to live because of foreign powers like the US and Britain and Canada and Europe.
My favourite character in this book is Kitay and I already know bad stuff is going to happen to him in the next book and I already want to burn the entire world down to protect him, BUT ANYWAY. I LOVE HIM. My precious baby scholar, just trying to do some accounting and reading, but realizing he has to kind of save the world and help Rin. Kitay is me. I am Kitay. I think if a character were to summarize how I've been feeling the last 10 months, it would be him.
<blockquote>“Kitay wanted vengeance and blood. Under that frail veneer of control was an ongoing scream of rage that originated in confusion and culminated in an overwhelming urge for destruction, if only so he could tear the world down and rebuild it in a way that made sense.”</blockquote>
His dark sense of humour and sarcasm honestly made me laugh out loud so many times, just ask Gretal because she had to deal with me laughing randomly during our Mooby lives. I love him so much I just want to squish him. And his bond with Rin is so precious and perfect. He balances out her rashness with his calm intellect. They are literally two sides of the same coin. Both want revenge, but both need each other. AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO KITAY. The poor kid was being dismissed left right and center throughout most of this book and he was right every time.
Venka surprised me in this book and I've grown from hating her to actually loving her. I'm so excited to see what happens in book three with her part of Rin and Kitay's group.
I'm still not over this ending though. Nezha's character arc took an interesting turn. But I think my favourite part of this book was when Rin realized (or more like put words to what she probably already knew) why she and Nezha never got along in the beginning and how the class difference between them in a way reflects the broader issue we see in this world between North and South Nikan. And how this leads her to finally accepting who she is and fighting for her people and the South. I think it was a very moving, powerful moment and wrapped this whole book up so perfectly.
I still want to personally murder the Hesperians, and Vaisra and his wife. And also Nezha deserves to be punched in the face a few times because wtf you selling out Rin to the evil white men for?? Rin gave as good as she got though and honestly Nezha deserved it even if he did sort of let them escape. I can't forgive him for what they did to Rin and the Cike, and what they would have done to Kitay too.
Anyway, this review doesn't make sense because it took me 3 days to write. I'm going to go read The Burning God now and hope I don't die.
This review will contain spoilers and will probably make zero sense. So much happens in this damn book, my brain will probably never be able to process it completely unless I do a reread. And I already want to reread it, even though I just finished.
The ending???!! I did kind of get spoiled for Nezha's betrayal because I was googling something completely unrelated and it popped up out of nowhere. But I didn't actually get spoiled for how exactly he betrayed Rin, so while I was on high alert and stressed out of my mind, I was still not expecting what ended up happening.
This book has so much death *cue smashing tables and breaking chairs* I was not expecting to lose so many of my favourite side characters. No one warned me (I am glad they didn't, but still). We lose two members of the Cike off the bat, which was sad at first, but THE ENDING??? Baji and Suni??? AND THEN RAMSA?? Like what is even going to happen in book 3, I don't want to know. Ramsa was one of my favourite characters. Just a leetle bebe blowing things up. I loved him so much. And with Baji and Suni, they really provided the much needed comedic relief and camaraderie I needed in this book. And this is completely ignoring what happened to Qara, who I also loved.
I think as the reader, we feel more connected to these side character deaths than Rin does. Rin brushes over the death of her friends very easily, and moves on quickly–probably as a trauma response in order to cope with what needs to be done. And while I do really enjoy Rin as a character, and am pretty invested in what happens to her and the story, I don't know if I "love" her character like I would other characters who have better access to their emotions and feelings, besides just anger and revenge and hatred. I do understand why she is the way she is, and I kind of like reading a book with a character like this because it's refreshing and different, but it is at the same time, very weird. Rin spends so much of this book trying to humanize herself and her people for the Hesperians, but sometimes I wonder if she's forgetting to actually be human herself and experience her grief and pain, rather than just play a role for others.
The character development in this book was incredible though. We see so many light bulb moments for Rin (FINALLY) and things finally click together. As a reader, reading this in 2024, I am in awe at the parallels between what is happening in this book and our life right now. The realization that it's always the white man behind the world's problems. It's the white man whispering enticing words in the ears of the people they want to manipulate and colonize, telling them what to do and how to do it, getting them to enact the wars they want, only for the white man to swoop in at the end as a "saviour" with their ships and guns, ready to stay and build their military bases, spread their religious propaganda, and exploit the natural resources.
This quote especially had me pause mid-frantic reading:
<blockquote>"We live in the most beautiful country in the world. We have more manpower than the Hesperians. We have more natural resources. The whole world wants what we have, and for the first time in our history we're going to be able to use it."</blockquote>
How true is this quote for so many countries around the world, except they never get to actualize this statement and live the life they deserve to live because of foreign powers like the US and Britain and Canada and Europe.
My favourite character in this book is Kitay and I already know bad stuff is going to happen to him in the next book and I already want to burn the entire world down to protect him, BUT ANYWAY. I LOVE HIM. My precious baby scholar, just trying to do some accounting and reading, but realizing he has to kind of save the world and help Rin. Kitay is me. I am Kitay. I think if a character were to summarize how I've been feeling the last 10 months, it would be him.
<blockquote>“Kitay wanted vengeance and blood. Under that frail veneer of control was an ongoing scream of rage that originated in confusion and culminated in an overwhelming urge for destruction, if only so he could tear the world down and rebuild it in a way that made sense.”</blockquote>
His dark sense of humour and sarcasm honestly made me laugh out loud so many times, just ask Gretal because she had to deal with me laughing randomly during our Mooby lives. I love him so much I just want to squish him. And his bond with Rin is so precious and perfect. He balances out her rashness with his calm intellect. They are literally two sides of the same coin. Both want revenge, but both need each other. AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO KITAY. The poor kid was being dismissed left right and center throughout most of this book and he was right every time.
Venka surprised me in this book and I've grown from hating her to actually loving her. I'm so excited to see what happens in book three with her part of Rin and Kitay's group.
I'm still not over this ending though. Nezha's character arc took an interesting turn. But I think my favourite part of this book was when Rin realized (or more like put words to what she probably already knew) why she and Nezha never got along in the beginning and how the class difference between them in a way reflects the broader issue we see in this world between North and South Nikan. And how this leads her to finally accepting who she is and fighting for her people and the South. I think it was a very moving, powerful moment and wrapped this whole book up so perfectly.
I still want to personally murder the Hesperians, and Vaisra and his wife. And also Nezha deserves to be punched in the face a few times because wtf you selling out Rin to the evil white men for?? Rin gave as good as she got though and honestly Nezha deserved it even if he did sort of let them escape. I can't forgive him for what they did to Rin and the Cike, and what they would have done to Kitay too.
Anyway, this review doesn't make sense because it took me 3 days to write. I'm going to go read The Burning God now and hope I don't die.