The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang | Book Review

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang refuses to be just a typical sequel. Picking up after the absolute chaos of The Poppy War, it dives even deeper into a world where war isn’t just about armies clashing. You'll find backstabbing politics, brutal trauma, and the ugly side of revolution.  Our girl Rin is a total mess, hooked on opium, drowning in guilt, godlike powers she can barely control, and a serious rage problem. And now she’s stuck helping build a new republic that might be just as messed up as what came before. If The Poppy War shook you, The Dragon Republic will drag you even further in.

(The Dragon Republic oleh R.F. Kuang bukan cuma sekuel biasa. Lanjutan dari kekacauan The Poppy War ini menyelam lebih dalam ke dunia di mana perang nggak cuma soal tentara yang bentrok. Kita bakal menemukan politik licik, trauma berat, dan sisi buruk revolusi yang bikin geleng-geleng. Rin, protagonis kita, berantakan banget di sequel ini, kecanduan opium, dibebani rasa bersalah, punya kekuatan dewa yang susah dikontrol, dan emosinya meledak-ledak. Dan sekarang dia terjebak dalam pembentukan republik baru yang mungkin sama bobroknya dengan yang sebelumnya. Kalau The Poppy War bikin kamu kaget, The Dragon Republic bakal menyeret kamu lebih dalam lagi.)

BOOK INFORMATION

Title            : The Dragon Republic - Republik Naga

Author        : R.F. Kuang

Translator    : Angelic Zaizai

Publisher      : Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Language      : Indonesian

Length           : 656 pages

Released       : August 2019

Read             : January 15-17, 2023

GR Rating    : 4.39

My Rating    : 4.50

TL;DR: Animal Farm with god-powered warriors, a revolution that eats its own ideals, where every faction claims to be the "good guys" while stacking bodies, military strategy that’ll fry your brain, and a protagonist who’s one bad day away from becoming the villain. Brutal, brilliant, and emotionally devastating, this isn’t your feel-good fantasy.

🚨 CONTENT WARNINGS

• Graphic violence

• War-related trauma

• Drug use and addiction

• Self-harm and suicide

• Sexual content

• Political intrigue and betrayal

• Racism and discrimination

• Forced institutionalization

• Cannibalism

• Religious bigotry

• Animal death

⚠️ SIDE EFFECTS

• Existential crisis about the nature of power

• Trust issues (thanks, Kuang)

• Emotional damage from character deaths you WILL NOT see coming

• Urge to side-eye every political leader in real life

• Inability to start another book because this one lives in your head rent-free

• Avoiding dumpling for a month

✅ THIS BOOK IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF

• You like your fantasy with more war crimes than fairy tales

• Morally gray characters give you life

• You want fantasy that punches like Orwell with divine intervention

• "Happy endings" are overrated anyway

• You want battles that are as smart as they are violent

❌ AVOID IF:

• You need clear heroes and villains 

• Graphic violence/war trauma is a hard pass

• "Slow burn political maneuvering" sounds boring

• You’re emotionally fragile today (or this week, or this month, or this year)

• You dislike books that make you question your own moral compass

BOOK REVIEW

The Dragon Republic picks up right after The Poppy War ends and cranks everything up to eleven. We're talking next-level military fantasy where alliances are made to be broken and every victory comes with a side of betrayal. Rin and her shaman crew, the Cike, are basically forced to work under the Dragon Warlord, Vaisra, who wants to kick out Empress Su Daji and start fresh with a new republic. But of course, nothing goes smoothly, the Empress escapes, Rin's god powers get blocked, and suddenly everyone's scrambling to survive in this brutal power struggle. Vaisra then goes full war mode, cutting off supplies to the North, taking over cities, and fighting off a terrifying shaman named Feylen that Daji sends to crush him. What's crazy is how Kuang makes these massive battles feel real by mixing historical inspiration with mind-blowing divine warfare.

Rin herself is maybe one of the most fascinating hot messes in fantasy right now. She's a drug-addicted war commander with a literal god living in her head, constantly teetering between genius and complete self-destruction. The way Kuang writes her is brilliant, you never know if she's about to save the day or burn everything down. She's making shady deals with the Pirate Queen, chasing revenge, and basically trying not to lose herself completely in the process. Her choices get more unstable as the story goes, and it’s hard to tell if she’s still fighting for the right reasons. She is not a likeable protagonist because she's made to be real. Flawed, angry, powerful, traumatized, and sometimes dangerous even to the people she cares about.

Trust is in short supply in this book. People switch sides, make secret deals, and stab each other in the back, sometimes literally.  Old allies turn traitor, new allies have hidden agendas, and Rin can't even trust her own squad half the time. What's really impressive is how the author makes every conversation feel like a potential trap, you'll find yourself reading between the lines right along with the characters. It's that rare fantasy where the political maneuvering is just as intense as the actual battles.

And speaking of battles, holy crap, the scale of this thing keeps expanding. We've got naval fights, surprise attacks, city takeovers, and then suddenly there's this wildcard faction showing up with sci-fi level weapons? But even with all this epic action, the story never loses its emotional core. Characters you loved from the first book come back changed by war, relationships get tested to breaking point, and yeah, some favorites won't make it to the end (and you'll side-eye every dumpling you find). Kuang keeps you on edge the whole time, because in this world, no one's ever really safe. That's what makes it so gripping, the stakes feel real, the losses hurt, and you can't help but get completely invested.

This book completely destroys the fantasy of the "good revolution." Rin starts off thinking she's fighting the good fight, take down the evil Empress, save the day, right? But the more she gets involved, the more she sees that every side in this conflict is messy, self-serving, and willing to do terrible things in the name of their cause. It's like watching someone slowly realize there are no heroes in war, just different flavors of terrible. And the scary part? It feels uncomfortably true to life, where revolutions often just swap one kind of oppression for another. Rin's journey forces us to ask: can you really change a broken system without becoming part of the problem?

Then there's Rin's constant struggle with identity, and man, does it hit hard. She's never quite accepted anywhere, not by the aristocrats, not fully by her fellow soldiers, not even by the gods she serves. It's that choking feeling of never belonging that so many people know all too well, whether it's immigrants, outsiders, or anyone caught between worlds. Kuang shows how Rin's anger and loneliness both fuel her and threaten to destroy her. In a genre full of cookie-cutter heroes, Rin's messy complexity is what makes her feel so painfully real.

Now let's talk about how this book handles war trauma because wow, it doesn't hold back. Rin's spiral into addiction and mental instability is a brutal look at how war breaks people from the inside out. The PTSD, the guilt, the way violence warps your sense of right and wrong, Kuang puts it all on the page. And it's not just Rin, every character carries their own scars. Friendships fall apart, trust evaporates, and past horrors keep haunting the present. It shows how much it takes from the people who live through the war without glorifying it.

At the end of the day, The Dragon Republic proves Kuang is playing in a league of her own when it comes to dark fantasy. The battles will leave you breathless, but it's the sharp commentary on power and violence that will haunt you in the middle of the night. It’s heavy at times, but there’s also something brilliant about how it all comes together. And that ending? It sets up what's sure to be an absolutely explosive finale. If you're looking for fantasy that's as smart as it is intense, consider this sequel your must-read warning, just maybe don't start it when you need to be emotionally stable the next day (and maybe avoid dumpling for a month).

(The Dragon Republic langsung melanjutkan cerita setelah The Poppy War berakhir, dan segala sesuatunya langsung di-level up maksimal. Bayangkan aja, ini fantasy militer tingkat dewa di mana persekutuan dibuat untuk dihancurkan dan setiap kemenangan dibayar dengan pengkhianatan. Rin dan kru shamannya, Cike, pada dasarnya dipaksa kerja sama sama Panglima Perang Naga, Vaisra, yang pengen menggulingkan Maharani Su Daji dan bikin republik baru. Tapi ya tentu aja nggak semudah itu, Sang Maharani kabur, kekuatan dewa Rin kena blokir, dan tiba-tiba semua orang berebut bertahan dalam perebutan kekuasaan yang brutal. Vaisra pun langsung mode perang total: putusin suplai ke Utara, merebut kota-kota, dan menghadapi Feylen, shaman mengerikan yang dikirim Daji buat hancurin dia. Yang keren, Kuang bikin pertempuran-pertempuran gede ini terasa nyata banget dengan perpaduan inspirasi sejarah dan perang dewa yang bikin meledak-ledak.

Rin sendiri mungkin salah satu karakter hot mess paling menarik di dunia fantasy sekarang. Bayangin aja, komandan perang kecanduan opium dengan dewa yang literally ngomel-ngomel di dalam kepalanya, terus-terusan di ujung tanduk antara jenius dan self-destructive. Cara Kuang nulis karakter Rin itu jenius banget, kamu nggak pernah bisa nebak dia bakal nyelametin semuanya atau malah membakarnya habis. Dia bikin kesepakatan gelap sama Pirate Queen, mengejar balas dendam, dan basically mencoba buat nggak kehilangan dirinya sendiri di tengah semua ini. Pilihan-pilihannya makin ngaco seiring cerita, dan kita bakal bingung sendiri apa dia masih berjuang buat alasan yang bener. Rin bukan protagonis yang likable, karena emang sengaja ditulis realistis, penuh kekurangan, emosional, kuat, trauma, dan kadang berbahaya bahkan buat orang-orang yang dia sayang.

Trust di buku ini adalah barang langka. Orang-orang pindah geng, bikin kesepakatan rahasia, dan saling menusuk dari belakang (kadang beneran pakai pisau). Sekutu lama berkhianat, sekutu baru punya agenda tersembunyi, dan Rin nggak bisa percaya sama anak buahnya sendiri. Yang bikin kagum, penulis berhasil bikin setiap percakapan terasa kayak jebakan, kita bakal ikut-ikutan curiga ke para karakternya. Ini salah satu fantasy langka di mana manuver politik nggak kalah intense sama pertempuran fisiknya.

Dan ngomong-ngomongin pertempuran, ya ampun, skalanya makin gila aja. Ada pertempuran laut, serangan mendadak, pendudukan kota, eh tiba-tiba muncul faksi baru bawa senjata level sci-fi? Tapi bahkan dengan semua aksi epic ini, ceritanya nggak kehilangan emotional core-nya. Karakter-karakter favorit kalian dari buku pertama kembali dengan luka baru akibat perang, hubungan-hubungan diuji sampai hampir putus, dan iya, beberapa karakter favorit bakal mati (dan kamu bakal curiga sama setiap pangsit yang kamu temukan). Kuang bikin kita tegang terus dari awal sampai akhir, karena di dunia ini, nggak ada yang beneran aman. Itu yang bikin ceritanya nyangkut banget, taruhannya terasa nyata, setiap kehilangan rasanya sakit banget, dan kita nggak bakal bisa berhenti peduli.

Buku ini bener-bener menghancurkan fantasi soal "revolusi yang baik". Awalnya Rin mikir dia lagi berjuang buat kebaikan, menumbangkan Sang Maharani yang jahat, menyelamatkan negara, simpel kan? Tapi makin dalem dia terlibat, makin kelihatan kalau semua pihak di konflik ini sama aja berantakannya, egois, dan rela melakukan hal-hal kejam atas nama tujuan mereka. Serasa lihat seseorang pelan-pelan sadar: nggak ada pahlawan dalam perang, cuma pilihan siapa yang paling parah. Dan yang ngeri? Ini terasa terlalu nyata, mirip revolusi di dunia kita yang seringnya cuma ganti satu penindasan dengan penindasan baru. Perjalanan Rin bikin kita mikir: emang bisa mengubah sistem yang rusak tanpa ikutan jadi bagian dari masalahnya?

Terus ada masalah Rin soal identitasnya, yang duh, relate banget. Dia nggak pernah bener-bener diterima di mana pun: nggak sama kaum bangsawan, nggak sepenuhnya sama temen-temen tentaranya, bahkan sama dewa yang dia layani. Itu tuh perasaan "nggak punya tempat" yang bakal relate banget buat anak rantau, orang yang merasa jadi outsider, atau siapapun yang terjepit di antara dua dunia. Kuang nunjukin gimana kemarahan dan kesepian Rin jadi bahan bakarnya sekaligus ancaman buat dirinya sendiri. Di genre yang biasanya penuh pahlawan sempurna, Rin yang berantakan dan kompleks ini justru bikin dia terasa nyata banget.

Sekarang kita bahas soal trauma perang, karena buku ini nggak main-main. Rin yang jatuh ke jurang kecanduan dan ketidakstabilan mental adalah gambaran brutal soal gimana perang merusak orang dari dalam. PTSD, rasa bersalah, cara kekerasan merusak moralitas, Kuang nggak sensor sama sekali. Dan bukan cuma Rin, semua karakter membawa luka mereka masing-masing. Pertemanan hancur, kepercayaan menguap, masa lalu terus menghantui. Ini nunjukin harga yang harus dibayar orang-orang yang selamat dari perang, tanpa glorifikasi.

Intinya, buku ini membuktikan Kuang itu jago banget bikin dark fantasy. Adegan perangnya bikin sesak napas, tapi yang bakal nempel di kepala malah komentarnya yang tajam soal kekuasaan dan kekerasan. Memang berat kadang-kadang, tapi justru di situlah kejeniusannya. Dan endingnya? Membangun fondasi buat finale yang bakal meledak-ledak. Kalau kamu nyari fantasy yang smart tapi tetap intense, wajib baca sequel ini. Tapi saranki: jangan mulai pas kamu butuh kestabilan emosi besoknya (dan mungkin hindari makan pangsit sebulan, trust me))

WHAT I LOVE

■ No easy answers in war. This book doesn’t do black-and-white morality. This book grabs the whole "good vs. evil" fantasy trope and throw it out the window. Instead, we get a messy, brutal look at how power twists people, revolutions go sideways, and outside meddling just makes everything worse. Kuang nails the ugly truth that war is fought with lies, backstabbing, and impossible choices, besides the swords, bombs, or the shamanic magic. Every faction’s got their own agenda, and Rin’s stuck in the middle, making you wonder: Can you actually fix a broken system without becoming just as bad?  

■ The devastating aftermath of violence. Most fantasy books treat war like a badass action scene, but this book treats it like a trauma ward. Rin’s a wreck: PTSD, opium addiction, and a mental state that’s hanging by a thread. Kuang shows both the battles and how they ruin people, leaving damage no victory can undo. It’s raw, uncomfortable, and so real it hurts which is exactly why Rin feels so human, not just some "chosen one" with superpowers.

■ Tactical warfare and high-stakes politics. The battles here aren’t just mindless hack-and-slash, because they’re chess matches with higher stakes. Naval clashes, guerrilla ambushes, sieges, every fight’s got layers of strategy. But honestly? The real battles happen off the field. Deals fall apart, spies are everywhere, and trust is rarer than gold. One wrong move, and everything collapses. Kuang keeps the tension cranked so high you’ll be sweating through every negotiation.

■ A friendship that shatters and rebuilds. If you’re not emotionally invested in Rin and Kitay’s bond by the end of this book, are you even human? Their friendship is the heart of the story, loyal to the bone, but strained by trauma, clashing ideals, and the sheer weight of war. Kitay’s the brains, Rin’s the rage, and together they’re unstoppable until they’re not. Their dynamic asks the real questions: How much can you forgive someone you love? And when do you walk away?

■ No "middle book" slump, just rising stakes. The second books in trilogies often feel like filler. Not this one. It blows the story wide open, new factions, old enemies resurfacing, and stakes that’ll have you white-knuckling the physical book (or your e-reader). Every chapter matters, every twist lands like a punch, and by the end? You’ll be desperate for the finale.

■ Morally gray choices that make you think. Forget heroes and villains, everyone here’s swimming in shades of terrible. Even the characters you love make choices that’ll make you cringe. Kuang doesn’t let you off easy, forcing you to wrestle with questions like: Is revenge ever justified? Can you build something better when your hands are covered in blood? It’s uncomfortable, but in a good way.

■ Relationships that feel real, fractured and fragile. War kills both people and connections. Friendships crack under pressure, alliances turn sour, and trust? Basically extinct. Rin’s relationships with Nezha, the Cike, even the Dragon Warlord are constantly shifting, fueled by trauma, ambition, and survival instincts. It’s messy, painful, and so well-written you’ll taste every betrayal in your mouth.

Read Also: The Burning God by R. F. Kuang

(■ Nggak ada jawaban mudah dalam perang. Buku ini nggak main hitam-putih. Trope "baik vs jahat" ala fantasy langsung dibuang jauh-jauh dari sini. Yang ada malah cerita berantakan dan brutal soal gimana kekuasaan menghancurkan seseorang, revolusi berantakan, dan campur tangan luar cuma bikin semuanya makin kacau. Kuang bener-bener menangkap realitas jelek dari perang: bukan cuma pedang atau sihir, tapi juga kebohongan, tikaman dari belakang, dan pilihan-pilihan impossible. Setiap faksi punya agenda sendiri, dan Rin terjebak di tengah-tengahnya, bikin kita mikir: apa beneran bisa mengubah sistem rusak tanpa ikutan jadi sama bobroknya?

■ Dampak kejam dari kekerasan. Kalau buku fantasy lain memperlakukan perang kayak adegan action keren, buku ini memperlakukannya kayak ruang gawat darurat. Rin berantakan banget: PTSD, kecanduan opium, dan mental yang nyaris collapse. Kuang nggak cuma nunjukin pertempurannya, tapi juga gimana perang merusak orang-orang, kerusakan yang nggak bisa dibenerin meski menang. Sakit, nggak nyaman, tapi justru itu yang bikin Rin terasa manusia banget, bukan sekadar "the chosen one" dengan kekuatan super.

■ Strategi perang dan politik taruhan tinggi. Pertempuran di sini nggak asal gebuk. Tapi lebih ke permainan catur, tapi dengan nyawa sebagai taruhannya. Pertempuran laut, serangan gerilya, pengepungan, semuanya penuh strategi. Tapi jujur? Pertarungan sebenarnya terjadi di balik layar. Kesepakatan gagal, mata-mata ada di mana-mana, dan kepercayaan itu lebih langka dari emas. Salah langkah sedikit, semuanya runtuh. Kuang bikin tegangnya sampe kita bisa keringetan tiap ada part negosiasi.

■ Persahabatan yang hancur dan terikat kembali. Kalau sampai akhir buku kamu nggak invested secara emosional sama hubungan Rin dan Kitay, apa kamu masih manusia? Persahabatan mereka adalah jantung cerita ini, setia banget, tapi retak karena trauma, perbedaan ideologi, dan beban perang. Kitay otaknya, Rin amukannya, dan bersama mereka nggak bisa dihentikan, sampai suatu saat nggak lagi. Dinamika mereka memunculkan pertanyaan: Seberapa jauh kita bisa memaafkan orang yang kamu sayang? Kapan kamu harus mundur?

■ Nggak ada "buku tengah" yang membosankan, taruhannya malah makin gila. Buku kedua trilogi biasanya cuma jadi filler. Ini nggak. Ceritanya melebar: faksi baru muncul, musuh lama kembali, taruhannya bikin kamu hampir menganiaya bukumu sampai terancam hancur (atau e-reader kamu mewek). Setiap bab penting, setiap twist kayak ditonjok, dan ujung-ujungnya? Kamu bakal gak sabar banget pengen langsung baca buku terakhir.

■ Pilihan-pilihan abu-abu yang bikin mikir. Lupakan pahlawan dan penjahat, semua karakter di sini berenang di kolam kejahatan. Bahkan karakter yang kamu suka bikin keputusan yang bikin kamu geleng-geleng. Kuang nggak ngasih jalan mudah, memaksa kita buat bergulat dengan pertanyaan kayak: Balas dendam itu sah nggak sih? Bisa nggak bikin sesuatu yang lebih baik ketika tangan udah penuh darah? Nggak nyaman, tapi justru itu yang bikin bagus.

■ Hubungan yang realistis, retak dan rapuh. Perang nggak cuma membunuh orang, tapi juga hubungan. Pertemanan retak di bawah tekanan, aliansi jadi toksik, dan kepercayaan? Punah. Hubungan Rin sama Nezha, the Cike, bahkan Panglima Perang Naga terus berubah, dipicu trauma, ambisi, dan insting bertahan hidup. Berantakan, sakit, tapi ditulis dengan sangat bagus sampe kamu bisa merasakan setiap pengkhianatannya.)

CONCLUSION

The Dragon Republic absolutely wrecked me in the best way. Through this book, Kuang takes a scalpel to war, power, and human nature, leaving you with a story that’s as intriguing as it is brutal. By the end, you won’t even know who to root for anymore (and that’s the point). The action is insane, the political schemes are next-level, and the characters? So real you’ll forget they’re fictional. This isn’t one of those "filler" middle books, it’s bigger, darker, and somehow even better than The Poppy War. If you’re cool with a story that will leave you emotionally drained (in a good way), this is your next must-read. Just be warned: you’ll finish it desperate for the final book.

(The Dragon Republic bener-bener menghancurkan hati, tapi dalam cara yang bagus banget. Lewat buku ini, Kuang membedah perang, kekuasaan, dan sifat-sifat manusia, dan ninggalin cerita yang seru sekaligus brutal. Di akhir, kita bahkan nggak bakal tahu harus dukung siapa lagi (dan emang itu tujuannya). Adegan perangnya gila, intrik politiknya level dewa, karakternya? Nyata banget sampai kita lupa ini cuma fiksi. Ini bukan buku tengah yang cuma jadi "jembatan" doang, karena ini lebih besar, lebih gelap, dan bahkan lebih keren dari The Poppy War. Kalau kamu siap baca cerita yang bakal menguras emosi (tapi puas), ini wajib masuk list bacaan. Tapi siap-siap aja, habis baca bakal pengen banget pengen lanjutin ke buku terakhir.)