In the aftermath of the Third Poppy War, shaman and warrior Rin is on the run: haunted by the atrocity she committed to end the war, addicted to opium, and hiding from the murderous commands of her vengeful god, the fiery Phoenix. Her only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold out Nikan to their enemies.
With no other options, Rin joins forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who has a plan to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new Republic. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.
But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally and lead her to rely more and more on the Phoenix’s deadly power. Because there is nothing she won’t sacrifice for her country and her vengeance.
The sequel to R.F. Kuang’s acclaimed debut THE POPPY WAR, THE DRAGON REPUBLIC combines the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating effect.
The Review
Can someone please fix my heart?! The Dragon Republic starts where The Poppy War left things, with Rin struggling with her choice to end the last war and planning her vengeance on the empress. She's struggling with an addiction and drowning in guilt, so much guilt, and the only thing keeping her alive is her thirst to murder the people who have sold the cike out. It seems like a simple enough task, right? Kill the empress and then probably kill herself smoking the opium that dulls everything including her inner flagellation. Except of course, things are never that easy especially for the shamans.
I can't remember if I spoke about the shamanism much in my review of The Poppy War, but holy shit balls, Batman, I needed this in my life. The idea of a pantheon of gods possessing mortals and filling them with supernatural abilities until they go mad from you know, having a god share their mind and bodies is SO INCREDIBLE AND I LIVE FOR IT. It's interesting to me that in this book we stretch further into the world and get to see the Hesperians and what they make of the eastern shamanisn.
This series has become one of my all-time favorites without a doubt. The writing is immersive and I get absolutely lost in the pages. Completely sucked into the book to the point that I'm oblivious to everything going on around me. I could probably get whacked on the head with a club and still wouldn't notice. Kuang is so perfectly detail oriented but it's that sweet spot middle-ground where you're not overwhelmed, there's just this really vivid portrait painted that you can't help but be awed by it. The characters are relatable, hate-able, irritating, hilarious. I love this cast and, honestly wish I hadn't loved them so much because it hurts. My heart seriously hurts. For real, Kuang, you're a monster and I love you, but you're a monster. How could you do this to me? I haven't been this devastated since Crooked Kingdom and even then...I digress.
The slow fractures that happen throughout the book are perfectly paced and expertly executed. I honestly thought so much good was happening until about the last fifty pages. I feel bruised. Rin's choices drive me up the wall but they make sense in a way that I wish they didn't.
This is definitely the best book I've read this year and I encourage everyone to pick this series up. It's dark, brutal, but filled to the brim with hope. It's that light at the end of the tunnel feeling that's probably really just a train heading straight for you. But you know, hope is great. woo, optimism and all that.
Tell me I'm not the only one who feels personally attacked by Kuang? <3
