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withlivjones 's review for:
The Dragon Republic
by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rebecca when I catch you Rebecca 🤺
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I enjoyed this book more than the first. This is an action-packed sequel where Rin essentially faces the consequences of all her actions in book 1 for 600 pages. It is sad and harrowing - Kuang is never afraid to kill her darlings in increasingly gruesome and violent ways - but I forgot how funny some of the dialogue is, which is a sharp reminder that these characters are just kids who like to banter. The parallels with Chinese history continue and potentially become even more clear with the arrival of the Hesperian colonisers - if you know even the smallest bit about world history you will know that they are a truly sinister threat. The ending was absolutely brutal and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 3. I will say that I’ve grown pretty attached to Rin as a protagonist, but knowing how Kuang likes to treat her characters, I am very scared for the conclusion of this trilogy.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I enjoyed this book more than the first. This is an action-packed sequel where Rin essentially faces the consequences of all her actions in book 1 for 600 pages. It is sad and harrowing - Kuang is never afraid to kill her darlings in increasingly gruesome and violent ways - but I forgot how funny some of the dialogue is, which is a sharp reminder that these characters are just kids who like to banter. The parallels with Chinese history continue and potentially become even more clear with the arrival of the Hesperian colonisers - if you know even the smallest bit about world history you will know that they are a truly sinister threat. The ending was absolutely brutal and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 3. I will say that I’ve grown pretty attached to Rin as a protagonist, but knowing how Kuang likes to treat her characters, I am very scared for the conclusion of this trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail