Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - King of Scars

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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syd991's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Ugh. Leigh Bardugo, why do you write such amazing books?!

After reading (and loving) the other Grishaverse series, the first book of this duology did not disappoint.

Like all of Bardugo’s books (at least in my opinion), I found the beginning a bit slow, but as soon as you move past the first 100-150 pages, the story picks up in such a dramatic fashion. To Bardugo’s credit, this is an entirely new story, separate in its own right from the previous books. Establishing the current state of Ravka and where each character is at mentally does take time.

But god, I loved Nikolai’s sarcasm and humour which filled the book (A particular favourite of mine is a stint about a spider in a suit). The characters developed in this book are exactly what I needed, and what I believe the Grishaverse needed.

Readers, do be warned, you do need to read ALL of the Grishaverse books (Shadow and Bone series and Six of Crows series, at the very least), as the plot and various events will most likely not make sense, and you will also spoil major elements in both series. I also read the collection of Grishaverse short stories prior to this, and I will say it was a nice addition, but I don’t feel it necessary. I can also imagine the Lives of Saints book might give you additional information, but I have not yet read it, but the elements were explained in an easy to comprehend manner.

This book reminds me more of Six of Crows, fast-paced and intricate, with such an amazing story. I’ve had to immediately pick up the sequel, Rule of Wolves.

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gayghostprince's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

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imcourtneymarie's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I'll start off with this: I've devoured the rest of the books in the Grishaverse and thoroughly enjoyed them. KoS left much to be desired. There were parts of it I enjoyed, and spots where I was surprised, but for the most part I was kind of bored. These are all characters that have been fabulous in previous books but, except for Zoya, they all felt forced.

There's one part in particular that was kind of frustrating.

The likeness to the Harry Potter "Voldemort coming back from the dead" plot is kind of an eye roll.

I both groaned because "oh no!" and rolled my eyes because "I'm getting deja vu..."

I will say that I did remain engaged, but it wasn't with the same hunger or passion that has existed in both the S&B and SoC stories.

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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

The Darkling is gone and the Fold is destroyed, but this is Ravka, so nothing is ever easy. Fjerda and Shu Han are at Ravka’s borders, ready to exploit any weakness left by the civil war. The Kerch are already asking Ravka to pay its debts, but the nation will only need more money if they are to survive the coming battles. Miracles have been appearing all across Ravka, and while most of the devout take heart from the old saints, some believe that a new saint should be added to their ranks: the Starless One. Amidst this chaos, King Nikolai is still playing host to the shadow demon forced on him by the Darkling’s nichevo’ya, and it is becoming increasingly hard to hide. Zoya serves by his side, trying to keep her king safe—and others safe from him. Nina is dealing with her grief as best she can, but throwing herself into her work as a spy in Fjerda.

Okay I know that everyone loves the Six of Crows duology best in the Grishaverse but...I think I might actually prefer King of Scars and Rule of Wolves (review to come)! This book started out a little slow but picked right up and then I could NOT put it down. The tension between Nikolai and Zoya is immaculate, and literally any scene with Nikolai bantering with one of his friends makes my heart explode. Even more than that (if that’s possible), I loved Nina’s storyline as she deals with her grief and throws herself headlong into every dangerous situation she can find.

I am also obsessed with her relationship with Hanne...it might actually be my very favorite wlw relationship that I’ve read!

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):

Cliffhanger, of course, because this is Leigh Bardugo and there’s a sequel on the way. Thank god I picked it up almost immediately!

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