Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - King of Scars

Bardugo's writing never ceases to amaze me. The worldbuilding is immaculate - I don't want to find my way back to reality once I get lost in the Grishaverse. As I expected, the characters are amazing too. Nikolai was one of my favorite characters in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, so I enjoyed getting to know him on a deeper level. Nina's journey in the north was very intriguing as well. What surprised me was how much I ended up liking Zoya! I'm excited to read the second book in the duology and find out what happens to all these incredible characters.

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veerau's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well, what to say? I liked it way more than the original trilogy, but not as mich as SoC and CK...

Despite it being Nikolai's book, the focus wanders between him and Nina's (seemingly?) disconnected storyline. I did like reading about the character Isaak and his struggles in his new "position" 👁

His death was something I wasn't prepared for though! I hoped to see him in the next book as well, then the stabbing happened </3

The only thing I didn't really like was the ending...

Why bring back the Darkling, Elizaveta could have been great on her own hhhhhhh

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reading_mermaid's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

3.5

This was a very slow start for me (a lot of military set up imo) compared to the other books, but eventually it picked up and the chapters became faster paced and interesting.

Again, a major problem I have with Bardugo is she has very gratuitous plot points, such as

women addicted to drugs and forced into pregnancies in order to get more drugs, and their babies being forced into addiction to drugs as well.

I'm not sure I'm able to articulate my dislike and concern for other readers, only that it does.

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nenya's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

I read this book after having read the Six of Crows duology, being excited to continue the Grishaverse. I would not say that I was disappointed but it wasn't entirely what I had expected. The only crow it focusses on is Nina Zenik (who is an icon, I love her with all my heart, don't get me wrong) which is amazing, because she is so developed, driven by her grief and ready to seek revenge -

it is beyond fulfilling to see her get it not only for her but also for the dead women and children by having them speak their truth and avenge themselves through her power

, but I did wish for some insight of how the other crows have been going on. Apart from that, the plot was great and the writing very true to Bardugo but I do feel like it can not entirely match the atmosphere and brilliance of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Nevertheless, the ending took some turns I did not expect and left me pretty shocked. I'm most definitely excited to read the sequel!

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nightfell's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Tell me why it felt like nothing happened and yet too much was happening at the same.

If I didn't love Zoya, Nikolai and Nina as much as I did this book would probably be a 3-3.5 star read but their personalities are what really made reading this book such an enjoyable experience.

I loved Zoya's character arc towards the end of the book. Her growth was subtle but impactful, and I loved how she grew into herself (even more) and her powers, I love seeing her embrace herself and gaining strength. I love her character so much.

For a book named after Nikolai, there was a lack of his presence throughout the book. He was present for most of it, and all his scenes and internal monologues and flashbacks were great, but I was left wanting more. I think his character could have been fleshed out even more, and his relationships with other characters apart from Zoya.

Nina really shined and came into herself, and I loved seeing her growth from grieving to regaining her strength. I think the turn about from her grieving to moving on was abrupt and sudden, which was a bit unrealistic, but it could be argued that it makes sense in context.

This was such a comforting read, and anyone who had read the previous Grishaverse books should read this one, I flew through it.

<spoilers>

I wasn't expecting this book to be full of SNAKES but after every few chapters they kept appearing. Yuri's whole character was annoying because I should have predicted he'd do something like give himself up for the Darkling to inhabit his body, but that's probably a me problem be I don't care to guess ahead, but it still annoyed me.

The Darkling's return was expected due to spoilers, however I like how it came about, and it left a perfect cliffhanger for row.

I love how after genya, David and the others realised Nikolai and Zoya were missing they acted like they could not care less. The ambivalent way they were acting made it seem like they forgot they ever cared about them in any way, it's so funny for no reason. They didn't even question it, they just said: anyways so....

Nikolai and Zoya's relationship was depicted in such an authentic way for their characters, I loved it. I loved the small nuanced parts when they would get jealous or briefly question why they're feeling weird that they feel a certain way. When Zoya would feel conflicted over being the one to organise brides for Nikolai and THE ENDING when he just proposed to Ehri and she was like what. Or when Nikolai would want to move closer to her or have an excuse to talk to her. It was so good and I can't wait for their wedding in row.

I loved the storyline concerning Zoya's amplifier and how she got it, how it broke and how Juris trained her before she killed him and took his scales as her amplifier. It was satisfying in a weird way. I also kind of liked when she was sobbing over her broken amplifier in a sick way, because I pretty sure that was one of the only times in the 500+ page book where she showed an emotion other than bemused impatience (I'm not complaining, just saying).

Nina and Hanne's relationship was so sweet, I also knew it would happen due to spoilers but it was still a nice surprise? They were so cute I love them. Nina simping is what I didn't know I needed, "and then you're glorious" *screams into pillow* I can't wait for them to confess their feelings in row I'm waiting. I also love the sapphic representation as I know tamar and nadia are sapphic rep but their relationship was never focused on nor that developed, so it's nice for nina and hanna to have a built up relationship. I just hope Hanne isn't too mad at nina for continuing to lie (about what I don't know I lost track of her lies lol)

I wasn't expecting the whole fake Nikolai plotline with Isaak but i enjoyed it. There's a sort of beautiful symmetry in Isaak and Ehri's relationship: they were both pretending to be someone of high status than they really were, they fell in love and then they died, only for the real Nikolai and Ehri to get engaged. It's twisted, but in an engaging way. I actually thought they were cute until realised she was trying to kill Isaak, he didn't deserve that.

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

In my humble opinion, this was Zoya’s Book. I love Nikolai and Nina as much as the next Grishaverse fan, but Zoya absolutely stole the show in this story. This is a reread for me— I first read in March 2022, and I’ve been daydreaming about Zoya’s story until now, in January 2023.

I loved her strength, her anger, her fear, her sorrow. I loved seeing every range of emotion from her and watching her grow. Learning Zoya’s backstory is one of my favorite things to come from the Grishaverse, even more than Nikolai Lantsov (the best book boyfriend of all time). That’s saying something.

I will also say that I love Hanne and wish she got more love because she’s a really interesting character. Give me more stubborn, headstrong characters. I love the blossoming romance between Zoya & Nikolai as well as Hanne and Nina.

Zoya of the garden. Zoya of the lost city. She is strong enough to survive the fall.

I just love how badass she is—

especially how she summons other elements and fabrikates her own new amplifier.

. I need more love for Zoya. Especially after this book where she works hard and pours herself into her power.

This is possibly my favorite book of all time, and I can’t wait to reread Rule of Wolves next so I can get more of their stories.

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