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A review by sgbrux
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
4.0
“People will seek to use you or destroy you. If you want to live, you must pick a side. So do not shirk from war, child. Do not flinch from suffering. When you hear screaming, run toward it.”
The sequel to The Poppy War had me feeling concurrently heartbroken and frustrated to the point of wanting to tear my hair out. The monstrosities of war, and the burden of choosing between the lesser of evils (when every evil is pretty damn evil), are themes continued from the first book and hit upon quite heavily in the entirety of book 2. Spoilery discussion ahead.
The same trigger warnings carry over from book 1—drug use and addiction, rape, torture, mass destruction and death (including graphic imagery with children), suicidal warfare... Kuang excels at highlighting war in all its obscenities.
Following the massive fallout of the choices made previously, Rin refuses to process any of it and instead turns to opium addiction. The first part of TDR finds her barely functioning, just a shell of a girl, and one who’s certainly not suited to command the Cike or anyone else. She even acknowledges that she’d rather follow orders and be told what to do rather than do any of the leading herself.
A common trope seen in stories where the protagonist gains extraordinarily powerful abilities is to abruptly take away those powers, thus rendering the hero useless for a time. And that is exactly what happens for a good portion of The Dragon Republic. Absent her power, Rin is compelled to join forces with people whom she distrusts, and the story then becomes a long game of political maneuvering and strategy.
This is where TDR became a bit of a snore for me. There was too much sulking and strategizing for my taste. I would have preferred more relationship-building between Rin and the Cike (RIP), Nezha, and Kitay to make scenes toward the end of the book hit harder.
Some showdowns ended a bit too quickly while feeling somewhat outlandish, such as Rin besting the wind shaman whilst flying around for her second time ever strapped into a hot air flying contraption, but I appreciated the creativity.
I do want to learn more about Daji. It almost feels like there’s a deeper connection between the Vipress and Rin, so I look forward to reading The Burning God. Rin is most compelling after she’s been betrayed and can’t see anything but red. I’m curious to see what steps she’ll take now. And the more ruthless, the better.
This doesn’t feel like a story that ends well for anyone, and that’s what’s keeping me hooked.
Rin made her bed a long time ago. I suppose she’ll have to lie in it soon.
The sequel to The Poppy War had me feeling concurrently heartbroken and frustrated to the point of wanting to tear my hair out. The monstrosities of war, and the burden of choosing between the lesser of evils (when every evil is pretty damn evil), are themes continued from the first book and hit upon quite heavily in the entirety of book 2. Spoilery discussion ahead.
The same trigger warnings carry over from book 1—drug use and addiction, rape, torture, mass destruction and death (including graphic imagery with children), suicidal warfare... Kuang excels at highlighting war in all its obscenities.
Following the massive fallout of the choices made previously, Rin refuses to process any of it and instead turns to opium addiction. The first part of TDR finds her barely functioning, just a shell of a girl, and one who’s certainly not suited to command the Cike or anyone else. She even acknowledges that she’d rather follow orders and be told what to do rather than do any of the leading herself.
A common trope seen in stories where the protagonist gains extraordinarily powerful abilities is to abruptly take away those powers, thus rendering the hero useless for a time. And that is exactly what happens for a good portion of The Dragon Republic. Absent her power, Rin is compelled to join forces with people whom she distrusts, and the story then becomes a long game of political maneuvering and strategy.
This is where TDR became a bit of a snore for me. There was too much sulking and strategizing for my taste. I would have preferred more relationship-building between Rin and the Cike (RIP), Nezha, and Kitay to make scenes toward the end of the book hit harder.
Some showdowns ended a bit too quickly while feeling somewhat outlandish, such as Rin besting the wind shaman whilst flying around for her second time ever strapped into a hot air flying contraption, but I appreciated the creativity.
I do want to learn more about Daji. It almost feels like there’s a deeper connection between the Vipress and Rin, so I look forward to reading The Burning God. Rin is most compelling after she’s been betrayed and can’t see anything but red. I’m curious to see what steps she’ll take now. And the more ruthless, the better.
This doesn’t feel like a story that ends well for anyone, and that’s what’s keeping me hooked.
Rin made her bed a long time ago. I suppose she’ll have to lie in it soon.