My pleasure! Based on what I've seen so far, I would recommend the trilogy, but the third book will be important. Thanks for watching, Danny -- it always gives me a smile when I check my notifications and see you've left a comment!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Likewise it always makes my day a little brighter to see you've uploaded a video and I can have ten minutes of someone intelligent talking on a subject I enjoy to bring some insight to my day.
Happy Halloween, Philip! I am so glad you enjoyed this book! I agree with the creative use shamanism magic having allure as well as consequences. The dynamics between characters were fascinating, and yet, sounds like this book might have failed "the dialogue test" (I loved when you mentioned that test in a previous video). Rin is the number one reason I loved these two books. I loved how her complexity challenged me as a reader. She was constantly alternating between needy validation-seeking and lashing out at everyone-even allies-as perceived enemies. She was so frustrating at times, but then I found myself wanting to protect her every time she was so cruelly abused and betrayed. Colonialism was such a powerful theme, and like you, I'm very interested in how that will play out in The Burning God. November will be such an exciting month!
Beautifully said about Rin! She is a complex character indeed, but her reactions make sense considering what’s happened in her short life. Yes, this one does fail the dialogue test, but there are many things to admire about it. Happy Halloween to you too, and, as always, it’s wonderful to hear from you!
It’s not an entirely smooth performance, but The Dragon Republic is definitely worth the read, and the positives far outweigh the negatives. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it if you review it!
I love this series but I definitely agree with you on the dialogue! One thing I noticed while listening to it via audiobook is every line of dialogue is ended with "he said she said" and that in itself becomes very repetitive when you're hearing it for whole conversations.
That’s a great example of some trimming that could have benefited the story. Often, “she said” is unnecessary since it’s clear who’s talking, and it should be used only when it’s unclear. Aside from these little things, though, Kuang is really giving us a great and unique story!
Great review. A like where Kuang is taking the story. It was surprising to see that there has been an outside part influence the events of the first two books. I am also curious to see how the magic will be used in the last book and the possible consequences.
As usual a top notch review from Mr. Chase. I have not read this trilogy. No real reason why, as it seems like something I would enjoy with the Asian inspired influence. For some reason It makes me think of Guy Gavriel Kay’s superb Under Heaven duology.
I haven’t read Under Heaven yet, but I loved Tigana when I read it a million years ago. I think Kuang has talent, but her prose is not at Kay’s level, to be honest. I do expect her to get better, though, since she’s still young and has already accomplished so much.
The Dragon Republic has been my favorite sequel I’ve read so far this year. I was really surprised by how well Kuang handled the second book. Often times, second or third books (depending on the length of the series) fall into “middle book syndrome,” so I was very happy this did not. I agree with your criticism of the dialogue and exposition, and I do think as she gains more experience, these aspects of her books will become more refined. She did such a great job with the themes, especially the seeds of things we’ll get more elaboration on in the last book. Her development of the supporting characters and their relationships to Rin really made this book for me. I’m also planning to prioritize The Burning God this month.
Excellent point! Kuang really did avoid middle book syndrome - so well that I hardly even thought about this being a middle book. I’m expecting some amazing things from this author!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Same! I think her next work is going to have a dark academia atmosphere, but she hasn’t said too much else quite yet. I’ll be looking forward to your thoughts on the last book.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy she took a story I started, much different than hers. But phenix, war, fantasy, fire magic, naval sieges, so many elements and she made it and told it better than I could imagine. And this story just hit all the right notes for me.
I just finished The Dragon Republic on Saturday! Very excited to read The Burning God. I agree, we did get some good quality character development on the secondary characters - I was glad we got to spend a fair amount of time with them as well. I did get pulled out of the story a lot because of Kuang's excessive use of the f word. Once I noticed it, it just because a brake check every time I read it thereafter. 😅 My other sort of slight bit I didn't care for was the section with Rin and the Sorqan Sira. Felt a bit phoned in and didn't settle well with the rest of the narrative in my opinion. Those things aside, I enjoyed the book very much and felt like the author really got her legs under her with it. It felt like to flowed WAY better than The Poppy War and it's always fun to me to watch an author's journey. Great review!!
Thanks! If you’re doing a review of The Dragon Republic, I’ll definitely check it out. I completely agree with you about some moments in the plot coming out of nowhere. Also, although I don’t use the f-bomb myself, I usually don’t mind if other people do, but I completely agree with you that Kuang overused it. I think that’s part of the nerdy college kid trying to sound tough vibe I was getting. But there’s a lot Kuang does really well, and I’m hoping The Burning God will be another improvement. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Love the review. You are definitely spot on with the dialogue, language, and character voice. It was one of the reasons that I didn't enjoy the book as much as I want to (Don't get me started on the prevalent F-bombs. I tallied a total of 146). I will still read the third book as I'm curious to see how Rin will rise as a parallel to Mao Zedong.
Yes, the F-bombs are a big part of what made me think of a college student trying to sound tough and cool. But, like you, I’m definitely curious to see where book three goes and what Rin will do. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great review, Professor! The stuff with Hesperia sounds AMAZING to me and seems like Kuang's way of working in the travesties of the British from the Opium Wars into the narrative...does that seem correct? I'm so excited to read it next week and I, too, will be reading TBG as soon as it drops. We should rap about it as we read!
After watching your video on the history, I can say that’s a definite yes about the Hesperians being drawn from the British during the Opium Wars. No doubt about it! Would love to talk Burning God!
The Farseer Trilogy, which begins with Assassin’s Apprentice. I loved The Liveship Traders Trilogy even more, but you get a bit more out of Liveship Traders by reading Farseer first. The rest of the Realm of the Elderlings needs to be read in order, I hear. I’m looking forward to reading them all!
Yeah exposition is a book killer for me. TPW got a 2.75/5. Kuang certainly can write and she has lovely prose. But I felt the over familiar tropes and the over use of explanation hurt it enough for me not to carry on with unless I have nothing else to read. Sad to hear it continues in DR... That being said I read 200 pages of The Ruin of Kings. That takes over exposition to dizzying new heights. First DNF I have had in ages...
In that case, I’ll stay away from The Ruin of Kings! I do think Kuang has tons of promise and has time to mature as an author. So far, the setting, the magical system, and some of the character work have carried me through books one and two.
I’m still on the fence about this series, The Poppy War just felt too much all over the place to me, but you’re saying you’re prioritizing Burning God over RoW, so I’m kinda curious now.
The Poppy War was sort of all over the place, and that’s still somewhat true of The Dragon Republic. Like I said, there’s too much exposition, and some moments feel highly contrived. However, there were enough positives for me to want to keep going. Kuang is talented and will no doubt mature as a writer.
“Winning a popularity contest is not the first priority when you’ve been through what Rin has been through” 👏 One of my biggest concerns after reading The Poppy War, was whether Kuang would properly address the level of trauma that Rin has been through in subsequent books and it sounds like she does. The Dragon Republic is next on my tbr after Oathbringer so this review came at just the right time!
Kuang definitely delivers on that front! I was also concerned about Rin becoming too powerful at the end of The Poppy War, but her magic is handled well in The Dragon Republic. I hope you’ll enjoy it, and I also would love to see your review if you do one!
Man book 2 was wild. Seeing Rin struggle with the repurcussions of her actions in book 1 was both fascinating and chilling.
Kuang handled that part extremely well, I thought!
I really love this series.
Same here!
Will hold out to hear your take on the conclusion before adding this series to my TBR. Thanks again for another great review.
My pleasure! Based on what I've seen so far, I would recommend the trilogy, but the third book will be important. Thanks for watching, Danny -- it always gives me a smile when I check my notifications and see you've left a comment!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Likewise it always makes my day a little brighter to see you've uploaded a video and I can have ten minutes of someone intelligent talking on a subject I enjoy to bring some insight to my day.
Happy Halloween, Philip! I am so glad you enjoyed this book! I agree with the creative use shamanism magic having allure as well as consequences. The dynamics between characters were fascinating, and yet, sounds like this book might have failed "the dialogue test" (I loved when you mentioned that test in a previous video).
Rin is the number one reason I loved these two books. I loved how her complexity challenged me as a reader. She was constantly alternating between needy validation-seeking and lashing out at everyone-even allies-as perceived enemies. She was so frustrating at times, but then I found myself wanting to protect her every time she was so cruelly abused and betrayed.
Colonialism was such a powerful theme, and like you, I'm very interested in how that will play out in The Burning God. November will be such an exciting month!
Beautifully said about Rin! She is a complex character indeed, but her reactions make sense considering what’s happened in her short life. Yes, this one does fail the dialogue test, but there are many things to admire about it. Happy Halloween to you too, and, as always, it’s wonderful to hear from you!
My fave series of 2020! I’m so excited for the final book in a few weeks!
Same here - I’ll be in the bookstore on the day it’s out!
Can't wait to get to this one! Great to hear your criticisms of book 1 aren't as much of an issue here.
It’s not an entirely smooth performance, but The Dragon Republic is definitely worth the read, and the positives far outweigh the negatives. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it if you review it!
I love this series but I definitely agree with you on the dialogue! One thing I noticed while listening to it via audiobook is every line of dialogue is ended with "he said she said" and that in itself becomes very repetitive when you're hearing it for whole conversations.
That’s a great example of some trimming that could have benefited the story. Often, “she said” is unnecessary since it’s clear who’s talking, and it should be used only when it’s unclear. Aside from these little things, though, Kuang is really giving us a great and unique story!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy definitely, I can't wait for the third book!
@@cozyafternoons Same here!
Great review. A like where Kuang is taking the story. It was surprising to see that there has been an outside part influence the events of the first two books. I am also curious to see how the magic will be used in the last book and the possible consequences.
Yes, I really love what Kuang has done with the magic so far, so, yes, book three should be very interesting indeed! Thanks for commenting!
I’m so looking forward to book 3
I completely agree with you that Kuang really developed the side characters in the Dragon Republic
Yes, she really did a stellar job on that front! I'm excited for book 3 too!
As usual a top notch review from Mr. Chase. I have not read this trilogy. No real reason why, as it seems like something I would enjoy with the Asian inspired influence. For some reason It makes me think of Guy Gavriel Kay’s superb Under Heaven duology.
I haven’t read Under Heaven yet, but I loved Tigana when I read it a million years ago. I think Kuang has talent, but her prose is not at Kay’s level, to be honest. I do expect her to get better, though, since she’s still young and has already accomplished so much.
The Dragon Republic has been my favorite sequel I’ve read so far this year. I was really surprised by how well Kuang handled the second book. Often times, second or third books (depending on the length of the series) fall into “middle book syndrome,” so I was very happy this did not. I agree with your criticism of the dialogue and exposition, and I do think as she gains more experience, these aspects of her books will become more refined. She did such a great job with the themes, especially the seeds of things we’ll get more elaboration on in the last book. Her development of the supporting characters and their relationships to Rin really made this book for me. I’m also planning to prioritize The Burning God this month.
Excellent point! Kuang really did avoid middle book syndrome - so well that I hardly even thought about this being a middle book. I’m expecting some amazing things from this author!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Same! I think her next work is going to have a dark academia atmosphere, but she hasn’t said too much else quite yet. I’ll be looking forward to your thoughts on the last book.
@@angelagualtieri5699 Dark academia sounds intriguing. I hope to hear your thoughts on The Burning God too!
Ohhh man what a great series so far. I'm looking forward to The Burning God.
I am too! It’ll be interesting to see how the trilogy ends, and I’m especially intrigued to see what happens with Rin.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy she took a story I started, much different than hers. But phenix, war, fantasy, fire magic, naval sieges, so many elements and she made it and told it better than I could imagine. And this story just hit all the right notes for me.
Ha, will watch this video later, as I have the Poppy War coming today!
Enjoy the Poppy War!
lol totally agree with you that all the voices sound extremely similar
There’s a lot to admire about the trilogy, but I think Kuang has room to grow as an author. I’ll be eager to read her future books!
I just finished The Dragon Republic on Saturday! Very excited to read The Burning God.
I agree, we did get some good quality character development on the secondary characters - I was glad we got to spend a fair amount of time with them as well.
I did get pulled out of the story a lot because of Kuang's excessive use of the f word. Once I noticed it, it just because a brake check every time I read it thereafter. 😅
My other sort of slight bit I didn't care for was the section with Rin and the Sorqan Sira. Felt a bit phoned in and didn't settle well with the rest of the narrative in my opinion.
Those things aside, I enjoyed the book very much and felt like the author really got her legs under her with it. It felt like to flowed WAY better than The Poppy War and it's always fun to me to watch an author's journey.
Great review!!
Thanks! If you’re doing a review of The Dragon Republic, I’ll definitely check it out. I completely agree with you about some moments in the plot coming out of nowhere. Also, although I don’t use the f-bomb myself, I usually don’t mind if other people do, but I completely agree with you that Kuang overused it. I think that’s part of the nerdy college kid trying to sound tough vibe I was getting. But there’s a lot Kuang does really well, and I’m hoping The Burning God will be another improvement. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Love the review. You are definitely spot on with the dialogue, language, and character voice. It was one of the reasons that I didn't enjoy the book as much as I want to (Don't get me started on the prevalent F-bombs. I tallied a total of 146). I will still read the third book as I'm curious to see how Rin will rise as a parallel to Mao Zedong.
Yes, the F-bombs are a big part of what made me think of a college student trying to sound tough and cool. But, like you, I’m definitely curious to see where book three goes and what Rin will do. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great review, Professor! The stuff with Hesperia sounds AMAZING to me and seems like Kuang's way of working in the travesties of the British from the Opium Wars into the narrative...does that seem correct? I'm so excited to read it next week and I, too, will be reading TBG as soon as it drops. We should rap about it as we read!
After watching your video on the history, I can say that’s a definite yes about the Hesperians being drawn from the British during the Opium Wars. No doubt about it! Would love to talk Burning God!
where do you suggest to start with Robin Hobb?
The Farseer Trilogy, which begins with Assassin’s Apprentice. I loved The Liveship Traders Trilogy even more, but you get a bit more out of Liveship Traders by reading Farseer first. The rest of the Realm of the Elderlings needs to be read in order, I hear. I’m looking forward to reading them all!
Yeah exposition is a book killer for me. TPW got a 2.75/5. Kuang certainly can write and she has lovely prose. But I felt the over familiar tropes and the over use of explanation hurt it enough for me not to carry on with unless I have nothing else to read. Sad to hear it continues in DR... That being said I read 200 pages of The Ruin of Kings. That takes over exposition to dizzying new heights. First DNF I have had in ages...
In that case, I’ll stay away from The Ruin of Kings! I do think Kuang has tons of promise and has time to mature as an author. So far, the setting, the magical system, and some of the character work have carried me through books one and two.
I’m still on the fence about this series, The Poppy War just felt too much all over the place to me, but you’re saying you’re prioritizing Burning God over RoW, so I’m kinda curious now.
The Poppy War was sort of all over the place, and that’s still somewhat true of The Dragon Republic. Like I said, there’s too much exposition, and some moments feel highly contrived. However, there were enough positives for me to want to keep going. Kuang is talented and will no doubt mature as a writer.
“Winning a popularity contest is not the first priority when you’ve been through what Rin has been through” 👏
One of my biggest concerns after reading The Poppy War, was whether Kuang would properly address the level of trauma that Rin has been through in subsequent books and it sounds like she does. The Dragon Republic is next on my tbr after Oathbringer so this review came at just the right time!
Kuang definitely delivers on that front! I was also concerned about Rin becoming too powerful at the end of The Poppy War, but her magic is handled well in The Dragon Republic. I hope you’ll enjoy it, and I also would love to see your review if you do one!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I felt like the ending was a flat out lift from Riddick 2...
@@omnitheus5442 I’ve got to watch that!