The Dragon Republic

By R. F. Kuang

The searing follow-up to 2018’s most celebrated fantasy debut – THE POPPY WAR.

Rin is on the run…

Haunted by the atrocity she committed to save her people, addicted to opium, and driven by the murderous commands of Phoenix, the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power.

Rin’s only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold her homeland, Nikan, to her 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. She throws herself into his war.

After all, making war is all she knows how to do…

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Aug 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780008239879

R. F. Kuang

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.

Reviews for The Dragon Republic

[jscape2000 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Truly atrocious. No character growth, no character choice.

[quondame · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

You'd think the author would get tired of having Rin endlessly make the same mistakes. But don't expect it. I positively don't look forward to spending anymore time watching the messes Rin is involved with after watching her be a pinball whacked all over the Empire.

[grouchygrammarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm out. I'm done with this series. I can't root for Rin any longer. She's a mess and a menace. She's an impulsive, contrary, reactionary puppet of larger forces and I can't take her crap any longer.

Also, can I say that I was disappointed that this was a war book? I didn't want it to be. That's not a reason to downgrade the rating, I know, but it was just so much less creative than the first book.

In the end, I gave it a middling rating because I think the book was well written but it wasn't enjoyable (because of the above).

[bookworm148 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Dragon Republic is the second book in The Poppy War series. It was really difficult to get into this book because of how Rin is portrayed. I found myself frustrated with her actions and not relating to her as much as I did in the first book. The primary reason for her character shift is that she is attempting to deal with the aftermath of the Third Poppy War and come to terms with her role in it. It is difficult to read about her experience with PTSD and how it changes not only Rin, but also her friendships. That being said, once I got into the book, I was completely absorbed. Something that I really appreciated about this book is you never really know what’s going to happen. There are many stages of the book where you think you’ve finally figured it all out and can see how the rest of the plot will unfold, but then something happens or new information is revealed and things could go either way. Readers should be warned that Kuang doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war and often goes into detail when describing things. She doesn’t gloss over anything, instead showing readers the brutal nature of humans during and after wartime. If you have a weak stomach/heart, this book might not be the best for you (though if you made it through the first book, The Poppy War, you should be fine). While there are some truly beautiful moments, they are almost overshadowed with the dark themes of addiction and war. This isn’t surprising as it is an aftermath story at its core, but make sure to take a moment to appreciate those moments while they last. Personally, I think that this book is better than The Poppy War because there isn’t as much jumping through time to move the plot ahead. The book ends in a great setup for the third (and final?) book and I will be reading The Dragon Republic again in preparation for the next release.

[shrike58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Welcome back to the Nikara Empire, where if anything can go wrong, it will, in the most spectacular, cinematic fashion possible. What ever else one wants to credit Rebecca Kuang with it's her ability to lovingly work the atrocities of real-life history into the mosaic of her magical take on modern Chinese experience. With so many twists of fate, betrayals, and simple moments of one damn thing after another, it's difficult to know what one can say. Do know that our protagonist Fang Runin has run the gauntlet of horrific experience and, at the end of the book, finally has her own vision that she is going to impose on the world; whether it wants it or not.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rin is back, and still making poor choices (from a very limited choice set) about who to trust in her quest to kill the Empress. Given the horrors of the last book, it’s not surprising that more death and coercion follow, but the greater threat of the Hesperians (English/European analogues) emerges as they want to study Rin so they can destroy the gods, which they consider agents of chaos compared to their superior monotheism. I kept thinking of N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, because it is also about how abuse does not ennoble and how existing structures can make it all but impossible for someone who has power to use it well.

[g33kgrrl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a worthy successor to the amazing "The Poppy War." Rin, along with her compatriots, suffer a lot more. I mean, that's not really a spoiler, because things weren't going to be peaches and cream after the Poppy War ended. Rin doesn't know how to cope, and no one knows how to help her. I spent a lot of time yelling - both in my head and occasionally aloud - "INVENT THERAPY AND THEN GO TO IT." (And then much, much later there is a kind of therapy and I get very relieved.)There's not much I can say about the plot in the review that won't be a spoiler. I can't even tell you who she spends most of her time with. I will say this took me a lot longer to read than I expected because it's pretty brutal - not surprisingly, given the plot of The Poppy War, but aftermath books are always harder on me. I don't deal with when people I care for are bogged down or taking wrong emotional turns for reasons I want them to rise above. (See above re: INVENT THERAPY AND THEN GO TO IT.) It's one thing to have brutality done to you; it's another to inflict it on yourself because you don't think you deserve any better. It's a journey that's sadly far too common, but it's really very tough to witness, even in fictional form. So be ready, and be warned. It's such a very good book, and story, and I still can't believe this series is a debut series. But gird your hearts well.I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[tsana_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Dragon Republic by R F Kuang is the sequel to The Poppy War, which I previously read and reviewed. Unlike the first book in the series, which I read in only a few days, I ended up reading The Dragon Republic over almost two and a half months. It’s not because I disliked the book that I kept putting it down, rather I needed breaks to read something lighter and it didn’t quite suck me in as much as the first book. I still enjoyed it.The war is over.The Dragon Republic takes place not long after the conclusion of The Poppy War and is not the sort of book I’d recommend reading without having read the prequel. That said, I didn’t really remember much about the secondary characters when I picked this one up, but I found it not to be a huge problem. The book did a good job of orienting me and reminding me who everyone was (and if worst comes to worst, there’s a list of characters in the back, although I didn’t realise this until I finished reading).In this book, we mostly see Rin and friends preparing for and fighting skirmishes and battles. We also see a lot of character growth from Rin, who goes from who she was at the end of The Poppy War to a more competent and assured commander towards the end of the The Dragon Republic. It’s not a painless journey, however, and some frustration at Rin possibly contributed to me putting the book aside temporarily, especially in the first half.Overall, if you enjoyed The Poppy War, I definitely recommend reading The Dragon Republic. In many ways it’s a less intense book, but it has its moments. The overarching story is left incomplete at the end and I am expecting a third book to come, rounding this series out into a trilogy. (It doesn’t end of a cliffhanger, but a lot is unresolved.) If you haven’t ready any of this series yet, definitely start with The Poppy War, but be warned it is not a gentle read, especially not as the story progresses.4 / 5 starsYou can read more of my reviews on my blog.

[hes7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Poppy War sets Rin, the central character to R.F. Kuang’s trilogy, on a path of war, violence, opium, and immense, ruthless power. It’s an epic, immersive fantasy that is addicting to read.Now, The Dragon Republic continues Rin’s story, and naturally, it is no less challenging than Book 1. The Third Poppy War may have ended, but the turmoil in Rin’s world simply manifests in different ways. She has consequences to face, choices to make, enemies to conquer, and as she does so, the story proves to be the perfect sequel to The Poppy War.Beware: this is not a fantasy series for the faint of heart. Inspired by Chinese history, what Rin faces and encounters is dark, gritty, chaotic, and horrific. Kuang grapples with war, hatred, addiction, and monsters—but it is incredibly well-done. I enjoyed this brutal sequel and have every intention of rereading it in the future (likely in anticipation of Book 3!). If The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic sound like the type of fantasy you enjoy, I recommend that you definitely read them; you likely won’t regret it.I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[ladycato · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an advance copy of the book via Netgalley.The Poppy War kicked off this grimdark Chinese history-inspired series, which continues with The Dragon Republic. Rin is an abrasive protagonist--she's a survivor, in part because of her own ruthlessness. She also is a shaman, able to channel a Phoenix and wield fire. Amid the topsy-turvy politics of her homeland, she is a weapon capable of genocide. As this book begins, she's suffering from severe PTSD, mired in grief from the losses rendered at the end of The Poppy War, and heavily addicted to opium as her coping mechanism.Full confession: I almost stopped the book a short ways in. Rin's impulsive, brutal nature is pretty much the opposite of my own, and I felt a profound urge to slap her and yell, 'Grow up!' Fortunately, I stuck with the book, and fortunately, she did just that. This is a book about maturing as a person and in terms of power. Like its predecessor, this book is incredibly dark and gruesome at times. Kuang does not shy away from showing the full nature of war and its aftermath, and no character is sacred or safe. The ending contains jaw-dropping twists that leave me very curious about what the next volume will deliver.

[neurodrew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rin is now the leader of the Cike, after the Phoenix raises a volcano to destroy Mugen and avenge the killing of Altan. Since opium is the only way to silence the Phoenix, she is addicted, and listless. She has to pull herself together to lead, and move on the empress, whom she believes has sold Nikara to the Mugen. She joins with Nesha again, and is very attracted, and finds his father wants her as a weapon in his war against the Empress. She has trouble calling the fire, and is demoted, then finds herself grounded to Kitay. Very engrossing, complex, but unresolved at the end.

[bodagirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The intensity definitely ratcheted up in this second book. Rin's naivety is getting a little old, but the politicking is complicated and detailed. Still loving the world and the exposure to some aspects of Chinese history - makes me want to read further. Any recommendations for a good book on Chinese history?

[Eva Brugnettini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

MIND blowing. I'm in awe
Love it utterly
What a book

[sydamy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great follow up. You can see the set up for the final book building. Alliances shifting, and strategic ploys become uncovered. Colonialism, balances of power, and what makes a good leader are all explored. There is violence, but it is a book about war, and if you made it through the first book, it won't surprise you. A book that has such intricate themes, that are also very relevant in today's real life is amazing from an author so young. Can't wait to read the third to see how this all works out!