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  • The Dragon Republic

  • The Poppy War, Book 2
  • By: R. F. Kuang
  • Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
  • Length: 23 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (547 ratings)

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The Dragon Republic

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
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Summary

The searing follow-up to 2018’s most celebrated fantasy debut – THE POPPY WAR.

Rin is on the run…

Haunted by the atrocity she committed to save her people, addicted to opium, and driven by the murderous commands of Phoenix, the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power.

Rin’s only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold her homeland, Nikan, to her 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. She throws herself into his war.

After all, making war is all she knows how to do…

©2019 R. F. Kuang (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Critic reviews

"A wholly unique experience." (The Washington Post)

"A blistering, powerful epic of war and revenge that will captivate you to the bitter end." (Kameron Hurley, author of The Stars Are Legion)

"An outstanding debut." (Daily Mail)

What listeners say about The Dragon Republic

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gritty and interesting

The characters are so well rounded, and this book doesn’t pull any punches! The story is exciting with lots of twists and turns.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

interesting but obnoxious

TLDR
I struggled to finish this book due to Rin's personality and obnoxity. But I still love it.

Detailed

I loved many parts of this book, and wish I could rate it higher. The worldbuilding is really good, and the premise of the civil war and many of the plotpoints are amazing!
HOWEVER... This might just be my own opinion, but I found the main character close to unbearable. I understand and empathises why Rin makes the decisions she does, and I know the reason why she is descending. But I found her soooooo obnoxious, selfrighteous and naive, with no real understanding of the word "Empathy". I struggled empathising with her for long parts of the book, almost feeling satisfaction when things did not go her way.
In a way, I kind of like having a flawed protagonist, and I see what the author was going for. Sadly I think that the narrator played a big part in my reason for disliking Rin as much as I did.
BUT
I... I still kind of like Rin. She is interesting, a layered character with flaws and capable. and I understand her. I can see the logical and emotional threads that guides her every decision. the author did a really good job. She reminded me a lot of Azula from Avatar the last Airbender, and also a bit of season 1 Zuko. Comparing her to them, is for the few people who have not yet see AtlA, a very high standard in my own opinion.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

So much suffering

The author puts Rin through the wringer is this compelling follow up to The Poppy War. The campaign by the Republic smacks of the German invasion of Russia as rapid success is stalled by winter. Recommended.

Narration was good

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow what a ride and who to trust

This books just adds to the awesomeness and craziness of the first one. Really good continued story on from the first and a real emotional journey you go on with rin here.
Super excited for the last book and to see how this all work plays out.
Who to trust.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Twist the knife why don't you

Making me believe in the best redemption arc, only to have it be the thing that ends everything omg. Second time in my life I was shocked by the plot twist/betrayel. I swear I didn't shed a couple tears.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This book is AMAZING

yes, believe the hype.
book 2 is AMAZINGLY WRITTEN
can't wait to start the 3rd and the final book

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Staggeringly good fantasy

If R.F.K keeps this up, The Poppy War series will easily become one of the best fantasy series ever written. Seriously powerful storytelling. A definite must.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent sequel to the first book.

can't wait for the next book. very good sequel, very well thought out and brilliant narration

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Incredible

The second book in the Poppy War series has more than lived up to the first. Such an incredible story and such a roller-coaster! Impossible to put down from start to finish. Once again Emily Woo Zeller did a flawless job of bringing this epic story to life, every character was diverse and engaging. Her stunning performance makes you feel every characters emotion right along with them. Absolutely incredible, a must have for any fantasy fan.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Struggled with the first half, then v impressed

Negatives first: i don't think the narrator is the best. Her range of voices felt limited, and there are a LOT of characters in this. Also, I found it hard to get back into the story. That is partly my fault for not following straight on after The Poppy War, but also Rin is harder to warm to when this novel starts.

But when she breaks through her opium addiction and the military river campaign starts, things kick up a notch. Kuang is such a compelling storyteller and the human detail she includes always helps you feel the full impact of the war on both those who wage it and its innocent victims. Nothing here is quite as shocking as the horrors depicted in the first novel, but the suffering of war is still very real, despite the fantasy elements. Rin's relationships with Kitay and Nezha are developed believably and in a complex way, and I very much enjoyed the plot developments in the last few chapters.

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