The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, 2)

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.

This book sucked me in couldn't put it down I took 1 star off because I didn't like how weak Rin was for most of the book loved Kitay's character

Unreal how much better Book 2 is than Book 1. Pacing, plot, battles, it all was so much more fleshed out and epic.

This follow-up to The Poppy War by author RF Kuang finds Rin on the run and friendless at the beginning of the book, but her luck soon changes. The Dragon Warlord claims to desire a republic to rise out from under the thumb of the empire and Su Daji. This appeals to Rin, who hates the empress for betraying her friends at the end of the previous book. Therefore, she signs up to participate in the Dragon Warlord's campaign for liberation. Things bring back in contact with the Warlord's son Nezha, with whom she has had a volatile relationship. This also brings her power to summon the phoenix in direct conflict with those who either can summon the gods or those who want to study and suppress them.This is a fantastic follow, replete with excellent storytelling and a compelling cast of characters richly cast. Any fan of the previous book or fantasy in general should love this sequel.

***4.25***OverallOk, I have been ruminating on this review for the past 24 hours trying to figure out how I felt about this book. The truth is I really really liked it. HOWEVER, it is dark and depressing and I had to take quite a few breaks. My girl Rin, cannot catch a break, it is one thing after another. No wonder she is so angry most of the time. I totally get it. While reading this book I also read about 3 other super lighthearted books to keep my spirit up, which in turn made it take about a week for me to finish it. The book is well written at a medium pace and does move through scenes quite quickly. The battles are pretty detailed and I wont lie and say I didn’t skim through some of the strategy portions.Like the first book, The Poppy War, this book is split into 3 separate parts. Rin does grow from a broken shell of a being to a much more confident and competent one. After defeating the Federation Rin finds herself a pawn in yet another war. SO MUCH happens and man I kind of think Rin just needs a real good hug and a long cry. I love her relationship with Kitay, and I think after reading the ending can say that Nezha is up in the air.CoverI have the white hardcover edition and I like it. Its pretty stark but it’s interesting.RecommendationIf you read the first book and loved it, obviously give this a try. These books are dark, there is not very many pages of joy or lightheartedness or happiness and definitely at no point was I laughing along with any of the characters. There is no romance in this book so know that going in. With all that said. I feel like this is a book I would recommend to specific people. It is definitely not for everyone.

I have never been a war book kind of person but the way Kuang is able to weave fantasy and shamanism throughout this book is increasingly. These are definitely in my top 5 series if not the top series.