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euclids_5th's review against another edition
- 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
Second books in any series have the very difficult task of keeping the reader interested, especially after a well done first book (like the Poppy War). Especially in trilogies, they don’t have the excitement of beginning the story or the satisfaction of ending it. In my experience, most second books fail to deliver. The pacing is off, or it’s a shaky transition, or they re-open questions that were already answered.
The Dragon Republic is not like that. Kuang performs a seamless transition from one book to the next, making it almost difficult to believe that it’s a separate text. She maintains a consistently captivating narrative flow, one that kept my heart thudding the entire way through. Y’all I finished this book in the span of 12 hours. At the same time, Kuang manages to gracefully pivot to different thematic inquiries, interrogating different sides of the topics she discussed in the first book while simultaneously introducing new ones.
Read this book.
Graphic: Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Addiction, Animal death, Death, Violence, Vomit, War, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Classism
hailsatan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Child death, Gun violence, Incest, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Cursing, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting
ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The world building continues to amaze as R.F. Kuang weaves a politically and socially devastating tale of colonialism, war and peace.
Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Rape, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, War, Colonisation, Cursing, Self harm, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Abandonment, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Genocide, Abortion, and Excrement
Minor: Dysphoria, Deportation, and Ableism
marah's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Medical content, Addiction, Confinement, Gore, Murder, Violence, War, Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abortion, Self harm, Slavery, Vomit, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Child death, Police brutality, Bullying, Cursing, and Death of parent
I think that because of these topics, this book had potential to fall into trauma-porn territory but it definitely did not. R.F. Kuang writes about this material very well.lanid's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Colonisation, Confinement, Gore, Child death, Racism, Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Rape, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Self harm, Torture, Ableism, Physical abuse, and Abortion
cemeterygay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Self harm, Violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Torture, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Cannibalism
Additional CW: Scientific racism, Christian imperialism, and colorismainhoah's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Drug abuse, Abortion, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, War, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cannibalism
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Classism, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Rape, Vomit, War, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
The politics of this book are wonderfully complex. There are multiple different political factions, and they are all at odds with each other in different ways. Daji, Vaisra, and the Hesperians are a fascinating triad of competing villains. R. F. Kuang’s skill at depicting the horrors of war and of religious colonization is unmatched.
No scene in The Dragon Republic matches the utter horror of the massacre at Golyn Niis in The Poppy War, but this book simply never lets up on the way that it discusses and shows atrocities. You will not have a single moment while reading this book where you feel good about anything.
The pieces of the story didn’t fit together quite as well as in the first one. I think it’s just a second-book problem, but there were a few too many moving parts.
People who recommend this series for the “romance” are vile and irresponsible. The relationship between Rin and Nezha is tortured and complicated and deeply compelling. It is one of the most fascinatingly toxic relationships I’ve ever encountered. But it is less than a subplot, and if you go into these books expecting romance, you will be much worse than disappointed.
I’m probably going to need to wait another three months before I read book three.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Abortion, and Cannibalism
gioivb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Classism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Cannibalism, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, War, Confinement, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Child death, Chronic illness, and Cursing