yaswill 's review for:

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
4.75
adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My goodness - as a follow up to Poppy Wars, well done R. F. Kuang! This book builds upon what made the first book great - moral complexity, a fast clip that keeps one engaged throughout, and engaging, if at times frustrating, characters that give one pause and make one think - and adds more.

The world-building is richer and the central conflict manages to be even more of a moral quagmire than the first book. Moreover, the emotionality of the book is stronger than the first one - I was brought to tears at times. The book also ends things to set up for a great conclusion in the third book.

A couple critiques come to mind - I like the moral complexity of the book, but the main character's internal conflict seems to ebb and flow so much that I got a bit of whiplash at times. Also,
I thought that the Hesperians weren't given much depth for the role they played in the story. In Poppy Wars, the Federation soldiers were treated similarly superficially, but I feel like that made more sense as they were always more of a looming, faceless threat, as opposed to the more involved role that the Hesperians played in this book.


One final thought - like the first book, this book is a page-turner, but can be tough to read - Kuang does not shy away from describing the harsh realities of war, so be prepared for some pretty gruesome and harrowing descriptions.

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