This is my second time reading this book and I read it just as fast a second time around! There's just something about Rin and this story that I find so compelling that I can't put it down, and I'm super exxcited to start The Dragon Republic in a few days!

Despite that, there's very few people I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book to because of how many trigger warnings this book has. Honestly, anything triggers relating to gore/violent/etc. are in this book, especially as the war goes on and we get further and further into the book. For me, this isn't a bad aspect of the book at all, because it shows the brutalities of war honestly, and it gives the book enough depth to explore the reasons behind war, how it impacts soldiers on the front line, and what people do to protect their country, the people they love, and themselves. But it does mean this book is far from for everyone, and if gore, violence, sexual assault, etc. in books is not something for you, then I'd give this book a hard pass.

Beyond that though, this is a book I'd recommend for literally every other reason. The world building is impeccable, and Kuang does a fantastic job of building a world that feels real. There's rich history (mainly of war) that motivates the actions of all the political entities within the novel. Readers are given a good enough understanding of the political powers at play to understand why the nations act the way they do, why they chose to fight or not in certain situations, and what motivates their actions against each other. Nikara especially has such depth to its culture and politics that you can think strategically alongside the main characters, and you can understand the opinions of characters from different parts of Nikara. On top of all this, you also have a whole layer of lore, magic, myth, and gods that only serves to strengthen the story further. Readers learn of past and present of the role of gods and magic in Nikara, of how Shamans are a dying breed and why that is. It's all just so well done.

I also really loved the characters and found them all extremely compelling. Rin, the main character, was especially so, and I couldn't stop myself from rooting for her, even when she made some choice decisions. She's written in a way that shows her faults honestly, but her determination and struggle to live her life her way just makes you cheer for her all the same. I also really loved her two closest friends from Sinegard, Nezha and Kitay, and cannot wait to see what role they play in later books. Lastly, I also really liked Jiang and Altan and the opposing paths they introduce to Rin, and reasoning behind each of them. Neither of them is right or wrong and they do not directly oppose each other, and it leads to an overall interesting dynamic in the story.

The plot was also amazing, though admittedly less exciting the second time around since I knew all the twists. This is definitely a book that's best on its first read, as the excitement and shock of each new twist just makes you want to read the book faster and faster. My reread was much more evenly paced, though it was still enjoyable to see all the twists build up and find hints I'd missed before.

Overall, I'm super excited to finally read this series again, and can't wait to see what happens in the next book!