Scan barcode
A review by ghulsona
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
An excellent read! I came straight to reading this after finishing the first book and I wasn't disappointed. It kept me at the edge of the seat, I had no idea who to trust with the rapidly shifting alliances and betrayals. I will say though, the military battles scenes take up a lot more of this book and were a bit hard to power through this time around.
Rin finally sees Altan for his flaws, which is what I was hoping for in this book, but she still has a lot of room for development. There were several scenes in the book where I wanted to pull out my hair from how stubborn and hotheaded she was being, but it's good to see a main character with such a glaring flaw. I am deeply fascinated with her mindset. Despite all her flaws, I still find myself rooting for her to overcome her obstacles.
I'm really glad that Kitay had a big presence - I think he's probably going to be my favorite character in this series. It was very interesting to witness how his mindset is getting darker and he's grown more jaded, but he still remains a kind of bright light in Rin's life. Venka having a bigger role in this book was greatly appreciated too, she made a great addition to the cast and I can't wait to see more with her. (Kind of a spoiler) That plot twist with Nezha in the end was brilliant! I had totally warmed up to him and did not see that coming at all, I am very curious as to how this will come into play in the later books. The gradual elimination of the Cike really devastated me more than any other deaths so far :( I really adored them and am going to miss them a lot.
Overall, I was satisfied with this book. It'll probably take a while before I pick up the next book because I am a bit exhausted from reading about so much fighting and death LOL, but I am excited to see how this conflict develops. Oh, and all white people are the devil - fuck the Hesperians!
Rin finally sees Altan for his flaws, which is what I was hoping for in this book, but she still has a lot of room for development. There were several scenes in the book where I wanted to pull out my hair from how stubborn and hotheaded she was being, but it's good to see a main character with such a glaring flaw. I am deeply fascinated with her mindset. Despite all her flaws, I still find myself rooting for her to overcome her obstacles.
I'm really glad that Kitay had a big presence - I think he's probably going to be my favorite character in this series. It was very interesting to witness how his mindset is getting darker and he's grown more jaded, but he still remains a kind of bright light in Rin's life. Venka having a bigger role in this book was greatly appreciated too, she made a great addition to the cast and I can't wait to see more with her. (Kind of a spoiler) That plot twist with Nezha in the end was brilliant! I had totally warmed up to him and did not see that coming at all, I am very curious as to how this will come into play in the later books.
Overall, I was satisfied with this book. It'll probably take a while before I pick up the next book because I am a bit exhausted from reading about so much fighting and death LOL, but I am excited to see how this conflict develops. Oh, and all white people are the devil - fuck the Hesperians!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Self harm, and Suicide