The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, 2)

Anastasia Goygova

A Beautiful, Brutal Descent into Chaos

"When I thought The Poppy War had already wrecked me emotionally, The Dragon Republic came along and doubled down on the heartbreak, horror, and sheer brilliance. This book is a masterclass in emotional devastation, complex character arcs, and deeply researched historical inspiration. Reading this felt like riding a rollercoaster with no brakes. I was smiling one minute, sobbing the next, feeling hope only to have it crushed underfoot by the brutal realities of war. Rin continues to be one of the most complicated, frustrating, and heartbreakingly human protagonists I’ve ever read. I found myself loving her, fearing for her, wanting to shake her—and not always understanding her. What sets this book apart is its unflinching portrayal of war and its consequences. The brutality is sickening, but never gratuitous. It’s rooted in real-world history—specifically the Sino-Japanese War and 20th-century China—and the parallels are haunting. The way R.F. Kuang intertwines fantasy with real historical trauma is nothing short of genius, and it makes for an incredibly hard, yet meaningful read. The Dragon Republic is not just a fantasy novel—it’s an emotional experience. It’s painful, immersive, and at times almost too much to bear, but I was completely captivated. I don’t know if I’m ready for The Burning God—my heart can barely take it—but I know I’ll be reading it anyway. ["

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June 12, 2025 Verified Purchase

Amanda Ramirez

A true dystopian tale. Simply a little overdone

"So I am a bit conflicted about this second book of Rin's journey in not only discovering herself, but seeing how the world deals with outcasts. The sequel begins in the same manner as the first book left off. quick pacing which helps with drawing you in effortlessly. Here is where i have an issue; it flounders for a brief moment near the middle as it provides you an overview of the developing government system being put in place. While I enjoy the depth of information your given to help you understand the characters and their mindsets, I just felt this portion dragged on far too long and kept this from being a 5 star read for me. It truly is a shame as the remainder of the book takes you back to the swift pacing that I grew to enjoy from the first book. I will have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story development with its twists. it gave me an appreciation for Rin as she starts to see that she truly is a pawn in this story. The friends to enemies and enemies to friends twists were very enjoyable, and honestly a surprise when they occurred as I had not expected them. Overall this was a solid read, and I cannot wait to continue on with the finale. ["

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June 6, 2025 Verified Purchase

Brent Smith

A Big Improvement That Puts The War in Poppy War

"I had significant issues with The Poppy War. While I appreciated the storytelling and grimdark nature I found a lot of things about it pretty uneven. The pacing and especially the tone shifted wildly from part one to part three so much that they almost felt like completely separate books. I also had a really tough time with the characters that I felt switched between bland and hateable in the case of Rin. Thankfully book 2 was better in almost every conceivable way. Right away the first thing to note is that the uneven tone of book one is not an issue here. It's one cohesive narrative that is both well paced clear in its intentions. This is a grimdark war story from page one. This book is full of combat that pulls no punches. While there may not be the level of brutality that was displayed in part 3 of book 1, this book is consistently heavy and violent. The other real positive for me here and the reason it climbed to 5 stars after some very mixed feelings early on is that the execution of the story and expansion of the world and villains was extremely engaging. The last 150 pages of this book are about as close to a grimdark version of a "Sanderlanche" as you will find. Even when I thought the climax was over and we were getting falling action Kuang brought it again. Besides all of that new story elements were introduced here that really hooked me in and made me invested in spite of some of the books drawbacks. What still didn't work for me here was really only one thing and it's the characters. They continue to be pretty flat for me, and I find reading Ron to be at times completely infuriating. Her personality is more grating than any character I think I have ever read which makes it hard for me to enjoy sometimes and an break my immersion. It's hard to root for someone that always mouths off to her superiors with no consequences, and acts like a complete jerk to her friends when sympathy is called for. That being said I realize this is all very intentional and well written so it's hard for me to knock the book for it. Also the story here is so damn good, the conclusion especially, I'm able to overlook my character issues. Also, I felt the ending changed my view on Rin slightly, and I'm more excited to see how I feel when reading book 3. If you liked or were even middling on TPW I would definitely recommend The Dragon Republic. ["

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July 4, 2021 Verified Purchase

Cassie

It Gets Worse...in the Best Possible Way

"This is an excellent second entry into the trilogy! I swear, Rin cannot catch a break. Every time I think it can't possibly get worse than this - it does. By god it does. The story starts a few months after the first book ends with Rin taking command of the Cike. And doing a pretty terrible job, I mean our girl is dealing with a million different traumas at this point. Enter in the Dragon Warlord who is looking to start a Civil War against the Empress so he can turn Nikara into a Republic...with the help of the Hesperians. Rin finds new meaning and determination in working under the Dragon Warlord, Vaisra. By the end of the book though....my god the betrayals. I felt as if a dagger was in my own heart. I cannot wait for Rin and the Phoenix God to set fire to the world. I'm absolutely terrified to read the third and last book. One because I know it is going to be heart wrenching and two because I'm going to be gutted that this story is over! Do yourself a favor and take this off your TBR list and DO IT! This is an amazing read, intense, but fantastic and worth every emotional trauma it puts you through. ["

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June 10, 2024 Verified Purchase

Lisa Gallagher

Love Rin…the underdog

"My favorite was Book 1. Through the ravages of war in Book 2 Rin escapes to lead. Her character seemed so sharp and intelligent in Book 1, but she seemed naive and unable to strategize in Book 2. ["

June 11, 2025 Verified Purchase