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paili'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: Sexism, Grief, Drug use, Addiction, Blood, War, Violence, Misogyny, and Gun violence
Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse
nightfell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Why did Leigh Bardugo kill David? What was the reason? I've thought about it, and I genuinely don't know. I'm not even that attached to the man but why?
I loved Nikolai, Zoya and Nina throughout the duology. I love Leigh for including a trans character in the Grishaverse (Hanne/Ilya?) - sidenote, I love him but his name is NOT ILYA WTF NOOO. Wasn't the darkling's ancestor named ilya???
I did like the darkling's character arc, they didn't forgive him out of obligation, and it seemed like they healed from the trauma he inflicted. In the end he did the right thing, and now we can all finally stop talking about him.
I LOVE that in the end Zoya became the Queen, and Nikolai gave up his crown for her. No other male love interest can ascend to his level of simp (apart from cardan). However, I wish that she gained her title through her own maneuvering and power and not as a result of a man giving it to her.
I loved Nikolai and Zoya's relationship throughout the duology, I just wish they had more scenes or an arc that showed progression in their relationship. Form the beginning, I got a sense that they could have gotten together if Leigh wanted them to at any point, basically: they both seemed to want each other from the beginning, and the conflicts preventing them from being together were obviously not going to pose a serious threat to their relationship.
Graphic: War
Moderate: Dysphoria, Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Death, Confinement, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Rape
ehmannky'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
I think really my only complaint was the Darkling's chapters. I don't know if I particularly believe the inclusion of him brought much to this duology and I think a lot of the things Bardugo uses him for could have been accomplished with another character or something else. Like, I get the idea of her characters working beyond their trauma from him and I think narratively they did need to heal from the damage he did to them. But did he have to physically be there for them to do that??? I liked the focus on people really taking stock of the pain he did to them and their loved ones and really reckoning with his abuse, and trying to recover from that, I just don't know if he needed to be there as a character. I will say that a lot of reviews seem to be like "she's scolding us for liking the Darkling!!!" when this duology feels a lot more like, "hey, let's focus on the victims of the abuse and their trauma and how they're recovering from that."
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, War, Death, Forced institutionalization, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Sexism
katvou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: War, Murder, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Deadnaming, Animal death, Addiction, Drug use, and Grief
syd991's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
After speeding through the rest of the Grishaverse and finally making my way to this amazing novel, I can genuinely say I was not disappointed.
After the absolute cliffhanger that King Of Scars ended on, starting this book was no trouble at all, and for me it was fast-paced and brimming with an extraordinary plot.
I adored watching Nina and Hanne’s relationship grow throughout this book, something I didn’t expect but also didn’t know I absolutely needed.
Another thing I loved was both Zoya and Nikolai’s character development, both coming to terms with their power.
One thing I loved was the appearance of a few certain characters, and the ending of this novel. I love how the option is open for Bardugo to write another book in the series, but at the same time, is left feeling complete.
The one book I haven’t read in the Grishaverse yet is Lives of Saints, and although I don’t deem it necessary, I still feel like it may have added a little more to the story for me, particularly with how this duology deals with the idea of Saints.
As this is the last novel Bardugo has written thus far for the Grishaverse, I can only hope that we’ll be graced with another one soon, because I cannot bear to leave this universe just yet.
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Racism, Physical abuse, and Rape
lavenderbluestories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book follows Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina as they prepare for battle against Fjerda and struggle to keep Ravka from toppling under the weight of civil unrest and royal conspiracies. We see a deep dive into the cultures of both Fjerda and the Shu Han, which I found super intriguing (who knew the Shu had such a rich, feminist history??). I absolutely adored seeing Nikolai and Zoya’s relationship blossom, as well as Nina and Hanne’s. Nikolai is one of my most beloved characters, and this book just made me adore him even more. I was so excited to read about his and Zoya’s sojourn to Ketterdam, which ended up being the perfect cherry-on-top for this book. I literally fell out of my seat multiple times over the course of the story, and if that’s not a sign of a good plot, I don’t know what is!
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment and Drug use
meg_elyse'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
4.75
Graphic: Grief, War, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide attempt, and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Rape, and Religious bigotry
sofiija'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
maryjames'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
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
claudiamacpherson'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
The shining star of this book was the relationships.
To be honest, I wish Bardugo had come up with a new antagonist instead of bringing the Darkling back (I liked how his death in <i>Ruin and Rising</i> was very similar to Lord Voldemort’s in <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i>: it was almost anticlimactic in that it felt like a very final, mortal end for a character that had been essentially immortal), but since we got him, I thought Bardugo did a good job with the ending.
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault