A review by fareehareads
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I only knocked down half a star because some of my favs perished in this book, but rest assured, this is a 5 star book. This is a game of thrones level, politically complex, brutal, sprawling epic fantasy and I'm so glad I'm on this journey. Fang Runin has got to be one of the most compelling fantasy protagonists I've met in a long time. I disagree with so many of her conclusions, but I root for her cause anyway because I know what drove her there. The provinces and their complicated relationships, the difficult choices made to end the Empress' reign, all the stakes being so high and of course Rin's life is always in the middle of it all, it's beautifully done. I get her anger, I want her to burn the world, but I also feel terribly sympathetic for her. It crushes me how many times she was see as less than human (the line 'I am not a dog.' was said more than once) and how even her closest friends looked down. Even now I don't believe she has a single living ally that I trust 100% (minus Kitay, he's proven himself. kind of.) It's incredibly maddening but it furthers her cause to ultimately burn all of it to the ground and I for one can't wait to watch her do it. The next part of this review is all a spoiler. 
Okay now for the pain. wowowowow the deaths were harsh and I knew they were coming but they still hurttt. Nezha STABBING her at the very end was not okay and I should have seen it coming because I didn't trust the boy for one second during the entire book, but I know Rin did and THAT is what hurts. All of these men that she either looks up to, loves, or admires always let her down so profoundly that she has no choice but to be her own support system. Makes me want to hug her.
Jinzha's death was great, super satisfying.
Qara's death I could see coming from a mile away since she got lines for the first time the whole series, but I like the little moment where she told Rin that she wasn't overpowered by Chagan she was simply in the spiritual world, that was nice. Ramsa, Suni and Baji's deaths were just unfair. They should have gotten a watery end in battle instead of on a chopping block. It also felt a bit cheap to me since it was acknowledged earlier that if the Hesperians knew that they were shamans maybe they would have been spared (tortured for sure, but with potential of a jail break). But it looks like the whole Cike plotline is being burned as a part of Rin's past. Chagan being the last among them is still annoying to me. All the annoying men in this that keep not dying sucks so much.

Overall this book is such a painful and incredible journey. I highly recommend it. 
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