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

dark reflective sad 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

4.0

From the first chapter I knew I was going to like this book, because it starts with Nezha, and how could you not want to know more about his past, and why he's such a pretentious ass? The characters get new layers, new motivations, new experiences that push their relationships and their sanity to new limits.

I don't know how to write about a protagonist who I kind of hate but also love and feel really conflicted about empathizing with. The people around Rin are sometimes more exciting than Rin herself, but she's the lynchpin. There are characters who I don't believe are dead, and characters who I'm really sad to have seen die, and characters who I wish would go ahead and die already. This book kind of inures you to death, honestly. You start to wonder (and worry) if you could look at war as objectively as Rin and her classmates from Sinegard do.

The writing continues to be excellent, and the story is more complex, bringing more cultures and experiences into the narrative so that we have a full grounding in the world. It's an excellent continuation, and doesn't suffer from the second-book slump that so many trilogies fall prey to. I'm definitely going to read the third book--I just might take a break and read some lighter stuff first. Palette-cleansers are encouraged with this trilogy.
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