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A review by js_reading_journal
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
dark
slow-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
4.5
Listen. The book? Excellent. But do I feel vaguely sick while reading it? Yes. Saying ‘check the trigger warnings’ simply doesn’t feel like enough. But I also don’t have the adequate words to be able to properly encompass this book. The best I can do is you know sometimes (often) books are escapism? You project yourself into a different world, and especially with fantasy books (at least for myself), you feel like you could live there. You want to be in Rivendell,
you’d die to live in Prynthian, you’d kill to be a dragon rider, etc. Even a lot of fantasy books that deal with war, deal with it in a glamorous noble way. You’d weld a sword at helms deep, you’d battle foes with magic and bows and blades. But this book. Isn’t any of those books. You don’t want to be there. You don’t glamorize the war. Because it’s very real. It’s lived history for people in many places on our planet. Hell, it’s real reality for people. Genocide. Rape. Colonialism. This is an excellent book. It’s jarring. Horrifying. But honest. And it forces you to confront the ugly truth of what war is, was, and always will be. I truly don’t know how to properly examine or review this book - this series - but I can tell you that this book is going to stick with me. The writing is excellent. The characters are complex. The story is tragic. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you read it, check the trigger warnings. Take them to heart. Maybe have something happy and fluffy to read on standby (I’ve just plowed through the first 2 outta the 3 and I think imma read The Queer Principles of Kit Webb before I start the 3rd cause I just need something where I can turn off my brain and just vibe before going into the 3rd).
you’d die to live in Prynthian, you’d kill to be a dragon rider, etc. Even a lot of fantasy books that deal with war, deal with it in a glamorous noble way. You’d weld a sword at helms deep, you’d battle foes with magic and bows and blades. But this book. Isn’t any of those books. You don’t want to be there. You don’t glamorize the war. Because it’s very real. It’s lived history for people in many places on our planet. Hell, it’s real reality for people. Genocide. Rape. Colonialism. This is an excellent book. It’s jarring. Horrifying. But honest. And it forces you to confront the ugly truth of what war is, was, and always will be. I truly don’t know how to properly examine or review this book - this series - but I can tell you that this book is going to stick with me. The writing is excellent. The characters are complex. The story is tragic. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you read it, check the trigger warnings. Take them to heart. Maybe have something happy and fluffy to read on standby (I’ve just plowed through the first 2 outta the 3 and I think imma read The Queer Principles of Kit Webb before I start the 3rd cause I just need something where I can turn off my brain and just vibe before going into the 3rd).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, War, Genocide, and Colonisation