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brokencastles'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: Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction and Fatphobia
syllareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book follows well-known characters from the Grisha trilogy and one of our main characters from the Six of Crows duology, Nina Zenik. Thrust into the role of a king for a land on the brink of one catastrophe after the other, Nikolai Lantsov wrestles with far more than just his everyday share of problems ranging from petty noblemen to Ravka's empty coffers. The war has left his scars on him, both physically and mentally - and there's this tiny thing about him turning into a monster in the night, scaring goose herders shitless and almost killing his only loyal friends. Zoya Nazyalensky, Grisha and general to a crumbling throne, is one of those loyal friends, her memories of the past as sharp and jagged as a knife's edge in her mind - for she fears that forgetting will make her fall for another man's lies again, and again. Nina Zenik has travelled far to lay her love, Matthias Helvar, to rest in his own country - but on the way there she discovers something she cannot let go, as much as she would perhaps like to.
Bardugo's perspectives are always a joy to read, her characters' voices as distinct as humanly possible, her descriptions sharp and accurate. Nikolai and Nina were two of my favourite characters from previous installments in the Grishaverse to begin with and Zoya grew on me (even on my first read) of this book - my sympathies did not diminish during my reread. It was fascinating to read about how differently these three main characters handle grief and memories of the past.
The one thing that I found a bit lacking (which I might have missed the first time around due to sheer excitement lol) was the ending itself - some parts of it felt a bit too hastily done without too much love and I found myself not being as emotionally invested in it as I would have liked. Still, I enjoyed the book almost as much as I did the first time around, and I cannot wait to start Rule of Wolves to finally get to the (as of now) end of the Grishaverse!
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Trafficking, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit
citymouse's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, and Abortion
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Infertility, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
betweentheshelves'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
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Violence, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, and Miscarriage
gothicmoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
not five stars because nina's story doesn't really connect with nikolai and zoya's. it just feels like two books smashed together, and even though i was interested in both, the cuts were annoying. i didn't want to put nikolai's story down nor nina's once i got back into it, but together they were disconnected. it doesn't help that nikolai's story branches into two later and the three stories just get in each other's way.
nina is bi
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, and Pregnancy
fairytaleriots's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
valyn_grebe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
maureenocal'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
5.0
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Pregnancy
kait_sixcrowsbooks'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
- Bi MC
- Characters of color
- Disabled side character
As I said on Twitter: I haven’t read the original Grisha trilogy, and I don’t plan to. It’s been over a year since I re-read Six of Crows. No thoughts, only vibes.
In all seriousness, I was really interested in seeing where all the subplots went. When it comes to books with multiple POVs, especially when they take on their own plots, I usually fall into the habit of favoring one or two over the other(s). With King of Scars, though, I find myself simply speeding through each chapter because I wanted to see where everything went. I cared about all of them equally — well, okay, maybe I have a bit of a bias towards Nina, but she’s a Dreg. She’ll always come first. It was really interesting to see all the character development for everyone (especially Zoya, wow!), and even though the lore behind the Saints and Grisha was...confusing, at first...I found myself being sucked into that, too.
I will say that I thought the ending, even without reading the trilogy, was kinda goofy.
Graphic: Addiction and Grief
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Religious bigotry
readwithria'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
Minor: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Slavery, and Murder