The Dragon Republic

By: R. F. Kuang

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 23 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Rin’s story continues in this acclaimed sequel to The Poppy War - an epic fantasy combining the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters.

The war is over.
The war has just begun.

Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vice, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix - the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power. 

Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Her only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic. 

But neither the Empress nor the Dragon Warlord are what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more. 

Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country...and exact her vengeance.

©2019 R. F. Kuang (P)2019 HarperAudio

A dark and beautiful fantasy

This is one of my new favorite series. The world is immaculately crafted, the characters are believable and human, and the plot is absolutely riveting. Nothing is simple, the author doesn’t pull punches, and you never know what’s coming next. Every chapter has another surprise. I have laughed and cried, sometimes at the same time. I wholeheartedly endorse this book.

Dragged On and on.

Story Line keep repeating itself. The main character did not develop, maybe she did by the end but I quiet reading with 12 hours of story to go. I would not recommend this book.

The Perfect Sequel

As much as I loved "The Poppy War," I loved "The Dragon Republic" even more. Not as dark as the first book, especially when dealing with the war crimes committed, but didn’t pull any punches. The book introduced some very interesting new factions and gives a lot of clarification on the Trifecta and why these wars are being fought.

The performance was amazing. Emily Woo Zeller give all the characters distinct personalities and does several variations of accents without becoming hard to understand.

I will never not recommend this series to people who love grimdark/dark fantasy.

Empathetic. Engaging. Enlightening.

Just when I thought I knew what to expect, Kuang goes and flips me on my back! I cannot wait to see what she does next.

⚖️ Plot: All the pieces start fitting together in this installment, and the plot truly thickens. There are so many more complexities of the gods walking the earth than I could‘ve ever imagined!

🗺 World: Once more, I don’t get enough description of this beautiful era and landscape, but my mind could conjure it all up. It is truly the mythology that I was gobbling up. I’ve never read anything quite like this.

💑 Characters: While Rin continues to grow in knowledge and maturity along with the reader, my attention was captured by Nezha. His story is absolutely fascinating and utterly unique in its relationship to dragons. I couldn’t help but root for him even in his darkest moments. I expect he‘ll shatter our hearts, or earn our undying devotion in the final book to come.

Main Character too Obnoxious to Finish

The first book began with promise and Rin seemed to grow. By the end of that book she’s stuck in a cycle of immaturity that makes no sense and is painful to experience. In this book, there’s no growth or depth in her - at least as far as I’ve gotten. Her lack of development is actually physically painful for me and I am abandoning the book in the middle. I never do that, but it’s just so exhausting.

JUST BORING REALLY REALLY BORING

I really really tried with this book, I really liked the first book but this book is just boring and I can't stand the main character. I found the other Characters more interesting than her, If she was supposed to be annoying and shallow then the author did an good job. I stopped halfway through because this book felt like a chore and I didn't enjoy this book.

I recommend the First book then stop.

I CANNOT with her whiny voice

I’m 12 chapters in and officially giving up on any hope of the main character progressing past being the most dangerous assassin in the world but yet SO absolutely, horrifically with zero character development potential.

Narration is great but story disappoints

Emily Woo Zeller's narration is top notch, but even her fantastic performance can't salvage the lack of quality in The Dragon Republic's writing. I say this as someone who enjoyed the Poppy War - the Dragon Republic mostly meanders until the end.

Gratuitous violence

Too much detailed gore and just jumping from one war to another. All of the fighting became boring as nothing else happened.

still not sure I like the protag

The narrator is quite good. Fine pacing, excellent tone and variety in voices. Her male voices are convincing without being over the top.

The story is relentlessly dark and in the end I'm not sure I like Rin. But it was a very fun listen and I look forward to the next bloody installment.