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.

THE DRAGON REPUBLIC has been that book that I was “totally going to read, like, really, really, REALLY soon, for sure” for entirely too long. I was a huge fan of R. F. Kuang’s debut, THE POPPY WAR, and with the impending release (tomorrow, as I’m writing this) of the trilogy’s final book, THE BURNING GOD, I decided now was finally the time to put aside other reading commitments and dive back into this world.

And, fuck. Oof.

Admittedly, some of the details from THE POPPY WAR had faded from my mind a bit, so I found some good detailed synopses online, and pretty quickly found my footing with this book. I remember such a dramatic shift taking place in THE POPPY WAR, culminating in the book’s brutal ending. And while THE DRAGON REPUBLIC shares more in common with the ending of THE POPPY WAR, I think one aspect of this series that doesn’t get enough attention is the dark humor that Kuang injects into things. I mean, there are some seriously bleak, haunting moments in these books, but Kuang is not shy about adding in some gallows humor.

We find Rin in pretty dire straits: really struggling with opium addiction, haunted, and utterly grief-stricken and guilt-ridden by the things she has done. She is leading the Cike now, but is probably not the best leader at this point in her life. Honestly, it’s kind of a shitshow.

And then of course, you know…having a wrathful god inside her, who would see everything burn. That’s…well, that’s a lot for anyone to deal with.

THE DRAGON REPUBLIC is full of political machinations & military strategizing, and much of it takes place at sea, which I fucking loved! Kitay plays an absolutely critical role in this book, and the interplay between he & Rin was for sure one of my favorite aspects. Kitay is very methodical & analytical. Rin is more like a lit fuse. And while both characters have a sort of seething rage bubbling just beneath the surface, they show it in very different ways.

THE POPPY WAR trilogy is something quite special. These books are brutally violent on occasion, and there are more & better content warnings out in the blogging world than I could provide here. That said, there were mentions/instances of self-harm that were hard for me to get through.

THE DRAGON REPUBLIC is epic in every possible way, and perfectly sets up what can only be an absolutely brutal finale. I think THE POPPY WAR is an epic fantasy trilogy people will be reading & discussing forever. R. F. Kuang is such an amazingly gifted storyteller, and I honestly can’t wait to see what’s next from her. If I could go back & do it over again, I would have read THE DRAGON REPUBLIC sooner…I won’t make the same mistake with THE BURNING GOD!

*checks porch for preorder*