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A review by lydiasturges
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
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
5.0
Oh my god. Oh my god. Nezah’s betrayal???? I was hoping Rin would have just the tiniest bit of happiness. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Viasra, but I didn’t expect him to go that far. I’m distraught that Rin and Kitaly will have to go directly against Nezah who I LOVED getting to know this book. Ramsa and the rest of the Cike?? I’m unwell. Rin thinking about allying with the Empress??
The constant changing relationships and alliances should have been exhausting to keep track of, but it was such a compelling plot to see how things developed. I genuinely enjoyed this book more than the first book. There was more focus on Rin’s relationships which made the story more enjoyable to me. I never knew where the story because the politics/strategies of war are above me, but I enjoyed always feeling on edge. I felt like this book had more stakes because I was genuinely concerned about whether or not they would succeed multiple times throughout the story.
The author is just brutal to Rin and what she’s going through. But all of her suffering isn’t gratuitous. It clearly is designed to push her into a dynamic and complex FMC that you can’t help but root for.
The constant changing relationships and alliances should have been exhausting to keep track of, but it was such a compelling plot to see how things developed. I genuinely enjoyed this book more than the first book. There was more focus on Rin’s relationships which made the story more enjoyable to me. I never knew where the story because the politics/strategies of war are above me, but I enjoyed always feeling on edge. I felt like this book had more stakes because I was genuinely concerned about whether or not they would succeed multiple times throughout the story.
The author is just brutal to Rin and what she’s going through. But all of her suffering isn’t gratuitous. It clearly is designed to push her into a dynamic and complex FMC that you can’t help but root for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, and Religious bigotry