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A review by squid_vicious
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
5.0
I’ll give it to R.F. Kuang: she keeps me on my toes. After reading “The Poppy War” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2399591844) and falling in love with her amazing world building and unique coming of age tale, I was very excited to get my hands on the follow up installment – and she did not disappoint.
Rin is still recovering from the events of the first book, grieving for Altan and trying to keep it together despite an increasingly severe addiction to opium. But she is not given much time to recover: the Dragon Warlord is preparing a coup to overthrow the Empress Su Daji, and Yin Vaisra wants her to join his army in the oncoming civil war. While this would be a perfect way for Rin to exact revenge on the Empress, there is a price: Vaisra relies on help from the Hesperians, who are interested in examining Rin to try and understand her power, but they have their own agenda.
It’s impossible to summarize the story further without spoiling it, but trust me, this book is incredibly action-packed, emotionally devastating and very impressive in scope. Kuang addresses all the ugly aspects of war: the physical suffering, but also the psychological trauma, the impact on civilian life, the fickleness of allegiances and the heartbreak of betrayal.
I don’t even really like Rin, but her story had me enthralled, and the world she lives in, a thinly disguised version of early twentieth century China, is built in impressive details. Kuang is not afraid to show all the brutality of combat, the ugliness of colonialism and the devastating effects of violence of the psyche of young people.
I’m already looking forward to the conclusion of this story - even if I know it will probably be heart-breaking. A unique fantasy series for readers who aren't faint of heart.
Rin is still recovering from the events of the first book, grieving for Altan and trying to keep it together despite an increasingly severe addiction to opium. But she is not given much time to recover: the Dragon Warlord is preparing a coup to overthrow the Empress Su Daji, and Yin Vaisra wants her to join his army in the oncoming civil war. While this would be a perfect way for Rin to exact revenge on the Empress, there is a price: Vaisra relies on help from the Hesperians, who are interested in examining Rin to try and understand her power, but they have their own agenda.
It’s impossible to summarize the story further without spoiling it, but trust me, this book is incredibly action-packed, emotionally devastating and very impressive in scope. Kuang addresses all the ugly aspects of war: the physical suffering, but also the psychological trauma, the impact on civilian life, the fickleness of allegiances and the heartbreak of betrayal.
I don’t even really like Rin, but her story had me enthralled, and the world she lives in, a thinly disguised version of early twentieth century China, is built in impressive details. Kuang is not afraid to show all the brutality of combat, the ugliness of colonialism and the devastating effects of violence of the psyche of young people.
I’m already looking forward to the conclusion of this story - even if I know it will probably be heart-breaking. A unique fantasy series for readers who aren't faint of heart.