Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

69 reviews

zahraa_aj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

This only made me cry thanks

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and War

jacinderr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.75

For the first 60% I found myself dragging a bit to get through it and the naval warfare specifically, I guess I don’t care abt boats ???compared to the first book but the extra buildup made the payoff oh so so much more worth it!!! The political intrigue stepped the fuck UP!!! The themes started clicking into place!!! I would let RF Kuang to stab me in the heart if I met her and I would be full of glee

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Racism, and Addiction

Moderate: Rape and Medical trauma

Minor: Child abuse

The sexual assault aspects are not nearly as graphic as they were in the first book and largely happen “off screen” but it’s still present so be aware

fruitea's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

very gritty. the descriptions of battles etc. are very straight to the point, like there’s no sugar coating to make things seem less horrific. we see how the characters become desensitised to atrocities. they’re not invincible. they’re scared and angry and desperate and tormented. nothing about war is romanticised, which is a refreshing change from a lot of the other books about war i’ve read. it makes you think, “if i were in that situation, i’d never do something like that,” at first. then it makes you question your own principles, just as the characters do. it’s war. it’s horrifying and traumatising, people are unsympathetic and selfish, which is understandable because they’re terrified for their own lives, so to have to worry about thousands of others in the same situation would destroy their minds completely. i could go on about this book aaaaaaaaa the characters are so complex and interesting also i cried a lot reading this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, War, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

goochiema's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

This book and this series are PHENOMENAL!! Out of the 100's of books I have read only two have made me cry. This book is one of them. It is so captivating from start to finish. I never know what these characters will do. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Self harm, and Drug abuse

bookbaristeas's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Violence

alexiconic's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is so great. I love it.

I love how we see Rin develop as a character, confronting her emotions and vulnerability instead of staying comfortably in a haze of anger and hatred. I love seeing her genuinely bond with people she initially struggles with and learning to trust herself.

The plot is fast-paced, written in a clear and vivid style. The twists and turns in this story caught me by surprise continuously, without seeming overwhelming or too much. And even though I generally dislike swearing in books (it just seems like a cheap way to liven up the dialogue too often), in this book, I never minded. 

I can't wait for part 3!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Violence, Self harm, Racism, Medical trauma, Murder, Grief, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Abortion, and Xenophobia

Minor: Genocide, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

andromeda_1998's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked the poppy war and even though I loved this book as well there is a reason the Dragon Republic get 4 stars instead of 5. 

As the people who read my review of the poppy war will know, I love the character and worldbuilding in this series. R.F. Kuang shows us the brutality of war in a really graphic way. And I believe this is the only way to make people see the history of humankind.  A lot of readers have problems with the gruesome depictions of war in this series but this is how war looks like. The most horrendous things have been done in wartime’s and we have to acknowledge the fact that humanity could have been spared a lot of horrors if we would just accept each other. R.F Kuang says it best: “They believe in a singular and all-powerful deity, which means they cannot accept the truth of other gods. And when nations start to believe that other beliefs lead to damnation, violence becomes inevitable.” 

Why did I give this amazing book 4 stars instead of five? The start of this book is slow. At around a hundred pages the story picks up but around 300 pages it falls flat  and I had to fight till around 500 pages in for the plot to pick up again. 

This book could have been better and I feel one of the reasons that this happens is because there isn’t a lot happening between the characters. We don’t really get scenes where they get to know each other. This book focuses on the war talk and the strategy behind fights and sometimes you head just needs a break and some human interaction between characters could do the trick. 

I would still recommend this series though! The books are amazing but before you start reading them check the triggerwarnings! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Trafficking

fantastickath's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-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

3.5

Very good book, and a great sequel, but I think this series delights in pain and suffering in a way I don’t enjoy, personally. The addiction narrative was very effective though, and I’m invested enough to read the third book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

fiveredhens's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

favorite quote:

"Our dead don't leave us," said the Sorqan Sira. "They'll haunt you as long as you let them. That boy is a disease on your mind. Forget him."

"I can't." She pressed her face into her hands. "He was brilliant. He was different. You'd have never met anyone like him."

"You would be stunned." The Sorqan Sira looked very sad. "You have no idea how many men are like Altan Trengsin."

better than the first in the most brutal way possible

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Excrement, Grief, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Vomit

redthistle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is a good continuation of Rin's story from the Poppy War.
Overall I enjoyed it, although I admit there were sections which dragged pretty hard for me and I struggled to want to continue reading, which isn't surprising given the books 650+ pages.
I struggled particularly because

I hate the 'hero losing their powers' trope

and a good section of this book this occurs which left me feeling frustrated and bored.

The story continues to be a brutal depiction of a country ravaged by war, young people thrust into positions of unimaginable power the consequences of which they do not fully grasp or allow themselves to consider (mainly Rin but others as well), and the ultimate reminder that those in power are willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to gain and keep what they desire.

While the narrative does show a window into Rin's mind as she tries to deal with what she had done and continues to do in the name of winning a war, I did feel that she lacked much actual development. She never really changes. Whether that is because of the nature of the pheonix and it's rage or because its the only way she can live with what she's done I'm not sure. I admit I had hoped for some sort of develop or growth from her which I personally did not see.

One thing I loved and kept me reading was the development between characters and their relationships. I have gotten much more attached to many of the ensemble characters than I had in the Poppy War and loved to see their friendships grow.
Thoughts on individual characters have spoilers:

I got particularly attached to Nezha and his betrayal was honestly awful. I loved his friendship with Rin and I really wish he had been strong enough to break from his family's grasp and stand on his own two feet. I hope that maybe in the next book he will. I want to believe that he did what he did because he thought he was protecting Rin and not that he fully sold her out.

I was so glad that Venka got to be in this story and that her and Rin have become allies. It warms my heart that Rin supported her and helped to to fight and I'm excited to see their relationship developed in the next book.

I loved the development of Kitay and Rin's friendship. I was getting pretty bored of the story before they became Anchored and that's when it turned back around for me. I've always loved their friendship and that he loved and accepted her from the very beginning of her story at the Academy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Vomit