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A review by clea
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
5.0
This book was soo good (although very painful)! I found it even better than the first book in the trilogy and I'm sooo looking forward to reading the third one!
The characters are written so authentically, you really think that they are real people. They are flawed, make bad decisions (and are sometimes infuriatingly annoying) but are so inherently human that you can only feel with and root for them. I found Rin's character arc specifically satisfying/fascinating.
The political intrigues were substantially brought onto the next level in this book and made it so much more engaging and addictive. I especially liked the extremely intricate relationships between the characters. Nothing is simple, nothing is what it seems which is quite realistic and makes you all the more interested.
Kuang manages to give a perfect balance between emotional, character focused sections and action-packed, epic scenes. You get a deep insight into the protagonists and thus a profound character analysis, but without a lack of suspense and action.
If you love (dark) high-fantasy, you will adore this trilogy!
The characters are written so authentically, you really think that they are real people. They are flawed, make bad decisions (and are sometimes infuriatingly annoying) but are so inherently human that you can only feel with and root for them. I found Rin's character arc specifically satisfying/fascinating.
The political intrigues were substantially brought onto the next level in this book and made it so much more engaging and addictive. I especially liked the extremely intricate relationships between the characters. Nothing is simple, nothing is what it seems which is quite realistic and makes you all the more interested.
Kuang manages to give a perfect balance between emotional, character focused sections and action-packed, epic scenes. You get a deep insight into the protagonists and thus a profound character analysis, but without a lack of suspense and action.
If you love (dark) high-fantasy, you will adore this trilogy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail