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durrareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.5
Nikolai knew. He was a king who had only begun to make mistakes. He was a soldier for whom the war would never be over. He was a bastard left alone in the woods. And he was not afraid to die this day.
Oh wow, this book. 🤯🤯🤯 Leigh Bardugo just keeps on writing masterpieces. I was so excited for this book since, you know, Nikolai, duh🤭. Honestly at the beginning I was a little bit disappointed, I thought he was better in Siege and Storm. But, actually, the characters were consistent. We get to see another side to Nikolai, a more vulnerable and deep side and I loved it! I also despised Zoya before, but she's had her reasons for being a stone-cold witch. And in this book she is forced to face her past and because of that she became all the more powerful. I loved her POV, and as always with Leigh's characters - it was downright tragic.
All the POVs in the book were awesome, and so was the writing. Nina being a spy was just - that girl kicks ass dude!! I liked how Nina embraces her "new" powers and the grief written in this book was completely heartbreaking 💔. Reading about her transitioning between characters reminded me of Nikolai in Siege and Storm again. I loved Adrik and Leoni, and how they're the total opposite of each other. Once again, Ms Bardugo teaches you about trauma, in this case about the two very different ways people handle them. Having Hanne in the storyline added a new vantage point, from the Fjerdans who were stuck in their customs. I was skeptical about Isaak, but he did the job well, so he's good. Princess Ehri, OH MY GOD. (I can't say much more without spoiling anything, so I'll just leave it at that.) 😉
Another thing I absolutely adored: When the characters mention "the couple who runs the orphanage" and the crows, I sort of get nostalgic (?) Especially when Nina said she wished Inej was there, I STAN THEIR FRIENDHIP!!! 😍 Towards the end, plot twists kept coming like one of those automatic gun machines🔫. There is no way anyone could have guessed them. Or maybe I'm just naive, whatever. Anyway, the characters were developed so, so well. Even though you're not a total bada** like they are, you'll find yourself relating to parts of their stories, which makes them attach to yourself like super glue 😎 So much themes were discussed: Fjerdan bigotry, sexism, feminism, abandonment, child marriage, grief, and of course, facing your demons.
This book was everything I imagined and please please, Rule of Wolves, don't disappoint me. I can't wait to see more of Zoyalai and just everything else!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Abandonment
glas_halb_lea's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Minor: Blood and Grief
chaptersonapage'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
5.0
Please note: while this is spoiler free for King of Scars, it takes place after the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and Six of Crows duology and will have some spoilers for those books.
King of Scars takes place several years after the Shadow and Bone trilogy and shortly after the Six of Crows duology. It primarily follows Nikolai and Zoya from the original trilogy, and Nina from the Six of Crows books.
Nikolai has been struggling since his last appearance in the books. Though the monster had receded for a while after Alina took down the Darkling, It’s been coming back some nights and he doesn’t have much control over it. He is new king he needs to work hard to cure himself or risk the whole kingdom. Though he is struggling with his demons, he still is the same witty and charming Nikolai we knew in the original trilogy. As a King, he has a lot more responsibility, but he works hard for his country. He’s dedicated and does what he needs to do to make his kingdom as successful as it can be.
Zoya is his commander and a trusted confidant. She’s grown since the start of the series, and it’s refreshing getting to see her progress as a character. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about her and her backstory, and her quick tongue is always good for a laugh.
Nina returns to us from the Six of Crows books, having come back to Ravka to work with the Grisha again. she’s with a small crew who has gone up to Fjerda on a mission, with her own side mission of finding a resting place for Matthias. I found her very interesting to read about because I love learning about her powers. She’s finally learning how to use it and how to handle her new life in general. She misses Matthias and it’s a struggle, but she’s tough and has a big heart.
Many other characters return from the other two book series. It’s great to get to see who Adrik grows into as he gets older, as well as getting to see what the twins and Genya are up to. Everyone seems to have really grown up and I enjoyed seeing where life has taken them after a few years.
Overall, while it took me a while to read this book, I did really enjoy it. I considered giving it 4.5 stars instead of 5, but I think that’s because it’s hard to live up to my love for the Six of Crows duology. Those books aside, I really enjoyed reading this and am interested to see how the next book progresses.
King of Scars takes place several years after the Shadow and Bone trilogy and shortly after the Six of Crows duology. It primarily follows Nikolai and Zoya from the original trilogy, and Nina from the Six of Crows books.
Nikolai has been struggling since his last appearance in the books. Though the monster had receded for a while after Alina took down the Darkling, It’s been coming back some nights and he doesn’t have much control over it. He is new king he needs to work hard to cure himself or risk the whole kingdom. Though he is struggling with his demons, he still is the same witty and charming Nikolai we knew in the original trilogy. As a King, he has a lot more responsibility, but he works hard for his country. He’s dedicated and does what he needs to do to make his kingdom as successful as it can be.
Zoya is his commander and a trusted confidant. She’s grown since the start of the series, and it’s refreshing getting to see her progress as a character. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about her and her backstory, and her quick tongue is always good for a laugh.
Nina returns to us from the Six of Crows books, having come back to Ravka to work with the Grisha again. she’s with a small crew who has gone up to Fjerda on a mission, with her own side mission of finding a resting place for Matthias. I found her very interesting to read about because I love learning about her powers. She’s finally learning how to use it and how to handle her new life in general. She misses Matthias and it’s a struggle, but she’s tough and has a big heart.
Many other characters return from the other two book series. It’s great to get to see who Adrik grows into as he gets older, as well as getting to see what the twins and Genya are up to. Everyone seems to have really grown up and I enjoyed seeing where life has taken them after a few years.
Overall, while it took me a while to read this book, I did really enjoy it. I considered giving it 4.5 stars instead of 5, but I think that’s because it’s hard to live up to my love for the Six of Crows duology. Those books aside, I really enjoyed reading this and am interested to see how the next book progresses.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Grief
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: Death and Grief
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
lagiven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
If I wasn't such a fan of Six of Crows, I wouldn't have read King of Scars. I loved returning to the Grishaverse and Bardugo's detailed worldbuilding and complicated plots. However, this book started out incredibly slow, and much of the last third of the book was too weird to enjoy much less understand. Zoya and Nina are amazing characters and stole the show from Nikolai which was great. The ending is so terrible that it cancels out most of the book's positives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction and Child abuse
maggie_atwood'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
theseventhcrow's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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: Addiction, Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
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, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
shetland_pone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Slavery, Grief, and Pregnancy