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thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
"is this the part where we die well?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, and Child death
emily_mh's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I went into this book fully expecting it to be completely centred around Nikolai and for him to be the star of the show, but this was definitely not the case in a surprisingly good way. Instead, the female characters absolutely SHONE in this book and completely stole the show. They were just incredible. It was a joy to read from Nina's perspective again, but it was actually Zoya who I fell in love with. She's had such an incredible character arc over the course of the Grishaverse and that was really revealed and expanded upon in this book. She's such a bad ass and doing a much better job of being the main character than Nikolai is.
Being back in the Grishaverse was a delight, but so was reading Bardugo's writing again. It is wonderfully descriptive, and her plot development here is truly on another level in comparison to Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. I really enjoyed seeing her expand her world-building, and she REALLY knows how to write incredible endings.
I docked a half-star for two reasons. The first is that I felt extremely disconnected from Nikolai, to the point where (shockingly, given he was one of my favourite characters in Shadow and Bone), I was dreading his POV chapters. The second is that for the first half of this book the plot felt a little directionless in that I didn't really know what the book was going to be about until like 250 pages in.Also, the return of the Darkling kind of feels like a cheap enemy and I'm worried about how it's going to impact my enjoyment of Rule of Wolves.
Being back in the Grishaverse was a delight, but so was reading Bardugo's writing again. It is wonderfully descriptive, and her plot development here is truly on another level in comparison to Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. I really enjoyed seeing her expand her world-building, and she REALLY knows how to write incredible endings.
I docked a half-star for two reasons. The first is that I felt extremely disconnected from Nikolai, to the point where (shockingly, given he was one of my favourite characters in Shadow and Bone), I was dreading his POV chapters. The second is that for the first half of this book the plot felt a little directionless in that I didn't really know what the book was going to be about until like 250 pages in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, and War
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Vomit
luluslittlelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
I really liked this book more than I expected. The beginning is painfully slow, so it was hard to get into, but once things started moving at a faster pace, I was hooked. I loved getting to read Zoya and Nikolai's POVs for the first time. They both have very clear "voices" so it was super engaging to read from their perspectives. I would have also been interested in getting a POV from Genya or David as well in this book.
I LOVE Nina's storyline. For me, I was a lot more interested in what was going on with her in Fjerda than I was with the others in Ravka. I'm not going to give any spoilers but I would recommend this to anyone interested in reading more about Nina and what she's doing as a Ravkan spy in Fjerda.
And then there's the sequel. I definitely liked Rule of Wolves more than King of Scars so I would recommend reading it even if you didn't love King of Scars (I think it is much better). Once again I love everything that happens with Nina (and Hanne!). And I think the connection between Zoya and Juris is very interesting. I'm not big on the storyline surrounding the darkling, I think it was interesting but maybe didn't belong in this book (?). Also, the ending is SO GOOD.
I LOVE Nina's storyline. For me, I was a lot more interested in what was going on with her in Fjerda than I was with the others in Ravka. I'm not going to give any spoilers but I would recommend this to anyone interested in reading more about Nina and what she's doing as a Ravkan spy in Fjerda.
And then there's the sequel. I definitely liked Rule of Wolves more than King of Scars so I would recommend reading it even if you didn't love King of Scars (I think it is much better). Once again I love everything that happens with Nina (and Hanne!). And I think the connection between Zoya and Juris is very interesting. I'm not big on the storyline surrounding the darkling, I think it was interesting but maybe didn't belong in this book (?). Also, the ending is SO GOOD.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Death, Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Murder, Gore, Child death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Racism, Slavery, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia
nini3l's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
why was Nina there? what role did she have?? I thought this was about Nikolai
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
lainiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD!!!!!
I had no clue what happened in this book before I read it, except that it had Nikolai and Zoya, and that people loved them. And both of those things were true. Plus, other great characters, and a lot of crazy plot twists, AND amazing quotes??? Perfect.
The style of this story was so much more similar to the Shadow and Bone trilogy than the Six of Crows duology, and the only explanation I can provide for it is that the main location was Ravka again, and the tone of the story was more serious and grim than the heists of the crows.
I did think that this book felt mostly like a set up for the next one, so I am really looking forward for the action in Rule of Wolves (which I also know nothing about). There was a lot of time spent as exposition for the main conflicts to come, but I still could not have predicted that the book would have ended the way it did. Leigh always knows how to keep me on my toes.
Also, the dialogue was amazing, as always. I mean, this story revolves around some of the funniest characters in the entire grishaverse, so what do you expect if not constant witty retorts? Like with the previous books, I found myself laughing out loud one chapter, and holding my breathe the next.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of the Bardugo's other works, and I really look forward to reading Rule of Wolves. Since this one felt a bit like a set up for its sequel, I am hoping to get a new favorite out of that one. :)))
I had no clue what happened in this book before I read it, except that it had Nikolai and Zoya, and that people loved them. And both of those things were true. Plus, other great characters, and a lot of crazy plot twists, AND amazing quotes??? Perfect.
The style of this story was so much more similar to the Shadow and Bone trilogy than the Six of Crows duology, and the only explanation I can provide for it is that the main location was Ravka again, and the tone of the story was more serious and grim than the heists of the crows.
I did think that this book felt mostly like a set up for the next one, so I am really looking forward for the action in Rule of Wolves (which I also know nothing about). There was a lot of time spent as exposition for the main conflicts to come, but I still could not have predicted that the book would have ended the way it did. Leigh always knows how to keep me on my toes.
Also, the dialogue was amazing, as always. I mean, this story revolves around some of the funniest characters in the entire grishaverse, so what do you expect if not constant witty retorts? Like with the previous books, I found myself laughing out loud one chapter, and holding my breathe the next.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of the Bardugo's other works, and I really look forward to reading Rule of Wolves. Since this one felt a bit like a set up for its sequel, I am hoping to get a new favorite out of that one. :)))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death, and Addiction
Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, Murder, and Kidnapping
Minor: Misogyny, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Child death, and Miscarriage
esmeralda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I really fell hard for all of the characters - although I must say that I am still unsure how I feel about The Darkling. :)
Having Nina as a character is wonderful, although personally I am slightly disappointed (if unsurprised) by her choices.
Having Nina as a character is wonderful, although personally I am slightly disappointed (if unsurprised) by her choices.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
ellieprb05's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Miscarriage
megloveswords12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
Not my favorite Grishaverse novel (that still goes to Crooked Kingdom), but I like seeing what's happening with some of the characters after that! I'll admit, there's definitely a cliffhanger here and I've heard that Rule of Wolves is even better. My library copy needs to get in now so I can read it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, and Miscarriage
lilencius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
that aside, I enjoyed the writing style in this book. I really liked Nikolai's and Nina 's, specially, perspectives! Those were really fun! I'm looking forward to see Nina's sapphic romance blossom!! Zoya's perspective felt a little flat for me sometimes, and I think it's because I don't really have connection with her character, but I really appreciated the flashback to her backstory during the beginning of the second part of the book. That was really well written and I really enjoyed it, it really showcased the author's talent!
I am definitely reading the second one, but I'm not really excited about where the plot is going. I still think it has potential, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence