Going into this book, I was a little nervous. I was so blown away by The Poppy War that I wasn't sure if the sequel would be able to deliver to the same extent. I also had fears The Dragon Republic would suffer from "middle book syndrome", which it very much did not.

I'd put this book slightly higher than The Poppy War in terms of ranking. The writing was a little better and I was able to see more of her knowledge of the real-world history that inspired the series on display. She was able to delve deeper into the world and the magic system, which I loved. This book is faster-paced, darker and much more compelling than the first one. The effects of the previous novel are clearly impacting all of the characters and I loved seeing how The Poppy War's events inspired the motivations and actions of characters in this book. The conflicts are much more complicated than in the first book, making not just for a different kind of story, but a more nuanced story being told.