The Dragon Republic

eBook, 658 pages

English language

Published Feb. 14, 2019 by HarperCollins Publishers.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-266261-3

In the aftermath of the Third Poppy War, shaman and warrior Rin is on the run: haunted by the atrocity she committed to end the war, addicted to opium, and hiding from the murderous commands of her vengeful god, the fiery Phoenix. Her only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold out Nikan to their 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. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.

But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally …

In the aftermath of the Third Poppy War, shaman and warrior Rin is on the run: haunted by the atrocity she committed to end the war, addicted to opium, and hiding from the murderous commands of her vengeful god, the fiery Phoenix. Her only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold out Nikan to their 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. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.

But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally and lead her to rely more and more on the Phoenix’s deadly power. Because there is nothing she won’t sacrifice for her country and her vengeance.

10 editions

Taylor Drew reviewed The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang (The Poppy War, #2)

Tragedy after tragedy

5 stars

Don't really want to get into the story too much because it'll be spoilerly, but the book was no less sad than the first. So much death and heartbreak and pain. So much nauseating detail. But also a lot of heart and commitment. I love it. I know my heart is going to be smashed apart in Book 3.

I will say that the Hesparians definitely function quite well in their role of representing "the West" in this fictional story. I also appreciated the nuance brought to conversations about Mugen (inspired by Imperial Japan). Just so good.

Don't really want to get into the story too much because it'll be spoilerly, but the book was no less sad than the first. So much death and heartbreak and pain. So much nauseating detail. But also a lot of heart and commitment. I love it. I know my heart is going to be smashed apart in Book 3.

I will say that the Hesparians definitely function quite well in their role of representing "the West" in this fictional story. I also appreciated the nuance brought to conversations about Mugen (inspired by Imperial Japan). Just so good.

Subjects

Fiction, fantasy, epic