The Dragon Republic is the second book in the Poppy Wars series and picks up right after the shocking ending of the previous book. Our main character Rin tires to deal with the consequences of her actions, but instead finds herself drifting through life and self medicating, with little care for herself or others. When the Dragon Warlord offers her a chance to join his army, Rin is thrilled to be a solider again, and not have the burden of making her own decisions. As she continues to struggle with who she is, war and geopolitics may finally force her to make a choice.

Just like in the previous book, Rin continues to be angry, stubborn, and violent. There are some very complex questions explored in this book, such as - What is the price of peace? And Who gets to decide what’s right or wrong? This does lead to some slow parts, which I believe were necessary for Rin’s development. All of this leads to multiple shocking twists by the end, because any time you think things can’t possibly get any darker, they do!

The Dragon Republic is a fantastic sequel in this dark, thrilling, fantasy series.