A review by helliepad
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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

4.75

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because Rin is still sane (by this world's standards at least, which is waaaaaay different from ours, considering it's a war-torn patriarchal society that is out to kill her AND she has PTSD + trust and anger issues + a literal Destruction God whispering in her ear all the time) by the end of this.

I want the tragedy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Genocide, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Colonisation