Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

189 reviews

syddey_syd's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

BRUTAL. 

Kuang has the ability to keep me on my toes with this series. I never knew what was coming next, but I did always know it wouldn’t be good. 

Rin is a difficult character to like (in my opinion). Her decisions often baffle me, but they fit her character. The brutality of war is very manifest in this book; possibly a little less graphic than the first, but not by much. Racism, classicism, sexism—all of the isms are present. It made for a ponderous read, and I often had to take breaks because the subject matter was so heavy. 

In terms of moving along the series, this was a fitting sequel to the first book. Rin had some character development, Nikara politics thicken, and even more outside forces come into play. I’m very interested to see how Kuang ties up the series. Reading is like watching a train wreck—it’s terrible and messy, but I can’t seem to look away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Self harm, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Rape

acepiary's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Violence, Colonisation, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Grief, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Drug use, and Classism

pauliana93's review

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Rape, Violence, Colonisation, Sexism, Racism, and Xenophobia

cturn's review

adventurous dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Drug use, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Violence, Addiction, and War

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Alcohol, and Miscarriage

lifeinsilver's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An excellent sequel to the Poppy War. I loved to watch the characters become more complex and see more of the politics of the world evolve 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Child death, Addiction, Genocide, Drug use, Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, War, and Violence

queenkath32's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Death, War, Blood, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Rape, Violence, and Addiction

Moderate: Self harm, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Classism, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Cursing, Genocide, Sexual violence, Confinement, and Murder

10stormlight's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, War, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Grief, Drug abuse, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Animal death, Excrement, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Self harm, Colonisation, Gun violence, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Genocide, and Xenophobia

Minor: Abortion

sweetxsage's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

It's been such a difficult read to get through. I love love Zeller as a narrator, but their voice brings to life such terrible characters and listening while not being able to do anything is disheartening. Kuang is an amazing story teller, and this second book was perfect. If you can handle the heavy topics in the first book, you'll be able to get through this one as well. It's hard to say you enjoy something that is filled with such pain, but it reminds me of how complex humans can be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Genocide, War, Addiction, Xenophobia, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual assault

ginalucia's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Jumping back into the story with The Dragon Republic was a breeze. And what a story it is! Kuang delivers a gritty, realistic narrative that pulls no punches. 

The character development is tough, and while many of the characters are unlikeable, there's something strangely compelling about them.

From the get-go, I was fully invested. Kuang does a masterful job of making the main character unlikeable yet undeniably real, especially considering the harsh realities of war and the difficult decisions it forces people to make.

The Dragon Republic is not for the faint of heart. It's a brutal, uncomfortable read that keeps you on edge constantly. But that's also what makes it so good.

While the story maintains a relentless pace, it does drag a bit during some repetitive moments. However, this doesn't detract too much from the overall experience.

While it may not be perfect, The Dragon Republic is an excellent next step in this trilogy and I’m looking forward to the last. 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, and Addiction

Moderate: Blood, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Rape, Child death, Colonisation, and Grief

sxbui5's review

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Gun violence, Confinement, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Murder, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Rape, Physical abuse, Cursing, Classism, Mental illness, Genocide, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Torture, Sexism, and Blood