Review: The Dragon Republic

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The The Dragon Republic, by R.F. Kuang is the second book in The Poppy War Trilogy. Here, the author continues the distressing story of Rin, a character designed to be as complicated and monstrous as history itself: a fantasy analogue to someone responsible for dozens of millions of deaths. As I read deep into this sequel, however, my frustration with its lack of originality, pacing and character development tempered my appreciation considerably from the admiration I felt for The Poppy War.

The story unfolds in the aftermath of the first book, The Poppy War, as Rin grapples with her identity and the consequences of her choices. Although she is deliberately designed to be an unlikeable character, embodying a deeply flawed figure from history, I found that her unpleasantness eclipsed the narrative. There's a fine line between making a character with a lot of moral gray areas and making one that's just a pain to get through. I admire the ambition that inspires the portrayal of a character weighted with a dark legacy, but so often, this portrayal left me wishing for a deeper emotional connection.

Also, as I read on, I couldn't help but feel that the dialogue was juvenile and often took away from the weight of the themes being explored. The density of the dialogue and the despicability of most of the character traits made their struggles hard for me to relate to. Sometimes, though Kuang might have been trying to pull the reader into these despicable aspects of those characters, I found myself becoming increasingly disconnected.

A 200-page cut might have sharpened the plot, making it more interesting to read. And don't get me wrong, I read books with 800+ pages all the time. There is merit in investigating subplot threads, but, in this case, the increased page count turned what should have been an expedition into a series of distractions rather than a journey to the end I was so ready to achieve.

While I appreciate the depth that comes from weaving historical events into the narrative, as I read advanced in the book, it became clear that this is more of a Historical Fiction, (albeit interwoven with fantasy) book. While I appreciate the ambition of mixing real historical events with the narrative, the realization that this is a retelling of the Second Sino-Japanese War tainted my perspective and made me feel as though I was navigating a historical landscape rather than the imaginative world I had hoped to explore in a fantasy series.

Ultimately, this book left me conflicted. While it does delve well into some crucial historical themes, it lacks the originality and depth of characters that I had been expecting after reading The Poppy War. While it will likely appeal to readers who enjoy historical fantasy, I'd caution readers who prefer a more direct storyline. Even though this one didn't live up to my hopes, I am curious about how Rin's story will continue in the next book.

Content Warnings

Graphic - War, Violence, Rape

Moderate - Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault

Minor - Abortion, Vomit, Cannibalism

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