yassmonn 's review for:

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

3.75

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Rin is still at the center of it all; angry, hurting, and driven by vengeance. Her character arc is raw and complicated, and while I didn’t always agree with her, I couldn’t look away. Leaning into Rin's flaws, and making the story feel so grounded, even in a world filled with gods and warships. 

What I loved most was how the book explored loyalty, power, and the cost of survival. The military and political maneuvering was intense (sometimes a bit too intense), but the emotional payoff was real. That said, the pacing did drag in the middle. A lot of strategy, a lot of moving pieces; it got a bit bogged down. And while the character dynamics are strong, some of the emotional beats felt like echoes from book one, especially Rin’s inner conflict.