Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Republika smoka

somehow i was hooked the entire time but also so annoyed by Rin’s attitude throughout this book, it’s like she never grew up, always a little girl searching for everybody’s approval but standing up for herself once in a while
i honestly couldn’t stand her, everybody treated her like a stupid child and she didn’t contradict them
but i was never bored and always wanted to keep reading

what the fuck is up with Nezha ???
first he loves Rin, then he betrays her ??
also i loved that she finally realized she was being used and decided to escape, but hated that the ooonly eay she could’ve escaped was by killing Ramsa, Baji and Suni, the only likeable characters :/

but the WORST thing by FAR is the religious BULLSHIT the Hesperians say to justify using shaman’s as guinea pigs, saying they aren’t “natural” and that their god Chaos “rules over them” and they need to be “cleansed”
like wtf live and let live idiots, and RIN DOESNT DEFEND HERSELF FROM THEM AT ALLLLLLLLL

AND WHEN VENKA WAS RAPED AND SHE WANTED TO ABORT HER RAPIST’s BABY AND NEZHA’s MOTHER CURSED HER BECAUSE OF IT AND WOULDN’t LET HER WTFFF

1000000 people died and that was what enerved me the most

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brandedexplorer44's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.0

This is the second book in the series and it definitely packs a gut punch or two. I had to take a few breaks while reading to consume something a bit more cheerful as it’s very dark at times, but despite the descriptions being hard to read at times, it is important to read a fantasy that doesn’t treat war like a fun game.

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getlitwithamy_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

R.F. Kuang’s sequel to the profoundly thought provoking POPPY WAR adds even more tension and impact when it comes to the effects of war.

The story starts right where THE POPPY WAR ends. Rin is coming to terms with the events that occurred at the end of the previous book, and Kuang doesn’t hesitate to show her struggling with this.

She also shows Rin’s deep drug addled state where her reliance on opium interferes with her psyche.

As THE DRAGON REPUBLIC continues, readers see how important political alliances are in terms of war. Kuang does a great job at showing how ugly the behind the scenes discussions can be.

This book dodged the second book syndrome. It was even more captivating than its predecessor, and it holds THE BURNING GOD to a high standard since Kuang provides so much buildup in the end. Much praise for her and this book!

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