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piper_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Pedophilia, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape
angstifies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
the ending was just perfect, zoya as queen, alina and mal showing up, the crows in ketterdam, inej and THE LAST LINE OF THE BOOK?? i can’t say i’m satisfied with Nina’s ending, i feel like in this duology she was so different than in the previous books and i’m not sure i like that.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Murder, and War
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
muchroom_prince's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death and Blood
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I can credit Bardugo with creating a complex and layered plot. However, the only POV I truly enjoyed was Nina's, as her ambitions and methods were fascinating, and I like the romance with Hanne. Even there, however, I felt like she didn't get a strong enough character arc. I also enjoyed Mayu's POV as it was fresh and full of intrigue, but we barely got any of it. Finally, I adored where Zoya ended up. Her character development has been phenomenal across the Grishaverse. This series belongs to her.
And that's where my compliments end. The thing about this book is that it just feels like fan service. That may not even be the case, but it comes off that way. This is so disappointing, as I feel like for the most part King of Scars was setting up for Rule of Wolves to be an incredible and worthy addition to the Grishaverse - it was not. This is mostly going to be spoilers.
The second main part which felt like fan service was the involvement of the Crows. While this was much more logical to me, given Nikolai's need to steal something, the whole episode was so brief that the Crows felt like shadows of themselves. We literally barely see Jesper and Wylan, despite their involvement in the heist Nikolai is a part of. It kind of felt like it could have happened behind the scenes without Nikolai's involvement, so that they were still referenced in the story without being rushed.
The third part was David's death. I could see no conceivable reason why this occurred. It literally doesn't make sense and felt like Bardugo did it for shock factor, not for the sake of dismantling plot armour. If the latter was the case, it would have been more logical for someone like Tolya, Tamar, Nadia, Adrik or Leoni to die, who are exposed to much more dangerous things than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furthermore, doesn't it contradict the ending of Ruin and Rising, which describes how the Triumvirate visit Mal and Alina for years to come? It's only been three years?? Make it make SENSE.
Aside from these concerns, there were other aspects I didn't like. For example, my disconnect from Zoya and Nikolai's POVs. I was somewhat expecting this from Nikolai's, as I had felt it during King of Scars, but was upset it happened with Zoya, too, considering I adored her POVs from the previous book. I think it's because Nikolai and Zoya conceal their plans from the reader a LOT during this book, which is good for the element of surprise, but as it was overused it ended up with me not being able to tell what they were thinking or feeling, hence the disconnect. I also wished that Zoya's POVs explored her newfound power more and learning about how to be open from a much earlier point. With Nikolai, I was frustrated that we were told how much he wanted to heal Ravka, but not why. Finally, I struggled with getting on board with Nikolai and Zoya's romance. Logically it makes a lot of sense, but I didn't feel the emotion behind it. I could tell they cared deeply about one another, but for the most part it was hard to believe this was in a romantic way.
The final thing that made me frustrated and angry was the disability rep in this book.
I am honestly so disappointed that what is allegedly the finale of the Grishaverse disappointed me so greatly. I wish I had had a different experience but such is life.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
alouette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, and War
Moderate: Confinement and Torture
Minor: Rape and Slavery
luluslittlelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Murder
kaz_brekker1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Rape
mimizehetmayr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
mrphy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Grief, and Abandonment
lainiereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Also, the ROMANCE???? Nikolai and Zoya were so CUTE!! They were just perfect and I loved getting to see their relationship develop. There were other romances that I don't wanna spoil, and they were also very cute!!
I was very satisfied with the conclusion of this duology, and while I do love the grishaverse, I hope that this will be the final book in the universe. It all just wrapped up so well and it would put all of that at risk if there were more books added.
I could probably go on and on about all of the great things in this book, but I don't want to risk any spoilers, so I will just say this: Nikolai and Zoya are both perfect. The end.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Fatphobia, and Blood
Minor: Body shaming, Miscarriage, and Alcohol