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aus_1521's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
This is officially my third favorite Grishaverse book, I think. Crooked Kingdom and Six of Crows still take the top two slots, but I loved how this brought so many characters together. There are some great twists and you can't tell me that ending isn't hinting at something else to come. It has to be.
Even though this book is long and there is a lot going on, it doesn't feel like it. I feel like I flew through this book, as Bardugo nails the pacing and has the right mix of characters and emotions. There's so much material for the show and I can't wait to see it all unfold.
Even though this book is long and there is a lot going on, it doesn't feel like it. I feel like I flew through this book, as Bardugo nails the pacing and has the right mix of characters and emotions. There's so much material for the show and I can't wait to see it all unfold.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
lennie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
So after the ending of KoS, we have 2 extra POVs in this book. I won't tell you who because spoilers but I definitely appreciated one more than the other!
In this book Ravka and Fjerda are at war. Nina is deep undercover in Fjerda, Nikolai & the monster are still joined but they've come to more an amicable arrangement and Zoya is trying to master her new powers.
This book is heavy, and definitely slow at some points but it's worth sticking with.
I also think that by the time you get to RoW (after reading all the other GrishaVerse books), you know not to immediately believe everything you read. Especially when it comes to Kaz and Nikolai; Leigh uses a Lot of similar plot devices and, well at least for me, I could always assume there was an alternative / back up plan.
We do have romance in this book, as well as tragedy (if you know, you know 😭) and there are a lot of different threads weaving together at the same time.
There is also discussions about race & heritage, as well as confirmation of a trans character and an aro/ace character.
And we get to see the Crows and Mal & Alina in this book 😍
I also really enjoyed seeing more of Shu Han; the characters, the governing, the Khergud etc.
A lot of issues are resolved in this book but not all of them and Leigh has left a few storylines open for the new third Crows book.
It's hard to review this book without giving away spoilers but if you enjoy the GrishaVerse and were annoyed by the ending of KoS, you should hopefully enjoy this!
There is Trans rep, pan / bi rep, lesbian rep, POC rep, aro/ace rep, mixed race rep and more
CW: reanimated corpses, addiction, death, grief, murder, body horror, torture, medical trauma, confinement, chronic illness, dead children
In this book Ravka and Fjerda are at war. Nina is deep undercover in Fjerda, Nikolai & the monster are still joined but they've come to more an amicable arrangement and Zoya is trying to master her new powers.
This book is heavy, and definitely slow at some points but it's worth sticking with.
I also think that by the time you get to RoW (after reading all the other GrishaVerse books), you know not to immediately believe everything you read. Especially when it comes to Kaz and Nikolai; Leigh uses a Lot of similar plot devices and, well at least for me, I could always assume there was an alternative / back up plan.
We do have romance in this book, as well as tragedy (if you know, you know 😭) and there are a lot of different threads weaving together at the same time.
There is also discussions about race & heritage, as well as confirmation of a trans character and an aro/ace character.
And we get to see the Crows and Mal & Alina in this book 😍
I also really enjoyed seeing more of Shu Han; the characters, the governing, the Khergud etc.
A lot of issues are resolved in this book but not all of them and Leigh has left a few storylines open for the new third Crows book.
It's hard to review this book without giving away spoilers but if you enjoy the GrishaVerse and were annoyed by the ending of KoS, you should hopefully enjoy this!
There is Trans rep, pan / bi rep, lesbian rep, POC rep, aro/ace rep, mixed race rep and more
CW: reanimated corpses, addiction, death, grief, murder, body horror, torture, medical trauma, confinement, chronic illness, dead children
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, and Racism
aviery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Sexism, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Physical abuse
chaotic_abi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use and Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, and Sexual assault
kaylamoran's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
As with the Six of Crows duology, I preferred this book to book one.
The biggest thing I disliked about this one was the ending. I don't know why, exactly, but I don't like the direction it took some of the characters, as well as Grisha magic.
Nina's story was much more interesting this time than in book one. As she was one of my favourite Crows behind only Jesper, I was extremely disappointed with how little I cared about her part in book one.
I can't wait to see what Leigh does next with the Grishaverse! I just adore it, the characters and worldbuilding are amazing.
The biggest thing I disliked about this one was the ending. I don't know why, exactly, but I don't like the direction it took some of the characters, as well as Grisha magic.
Nina's story was much more interesting this time than in book one. As she was one of my favourite Crows behind only Jesper, I was extremely disappointed with how little I cared about her part in book one.
I can't wait to see what Leigh does next with the Grishaverse! I just adore it, the characters and worldbuilding are amazing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, and Religious bigotry
beckyyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
I enjoyed this book a lot like I do all of Leigh Bardugo's books. The plot was good, the characters were good (although there was one charcters chapter I didnt like but I just don't like that character but the plot line for the was still good.) The action was great and there was lots of unexpected things to keep me excited to read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
blakethebookeater's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
https://youtu.be/_dH-mSya8uY
This. Book. Is. A. Masterpiece.
WOWOOWOWOWOW. Now this is how you end a series.
I can't say too much without going into spoilers, but DAMN Leigh really played with ALL of my emotions throughout this entire book. It was action-packed, intense, emotional, and perfect. A wonderful finale to the end of this duology and also the entire Grishaverse. It's definitely worth it to read the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology before this series as it makes this book pack a huge punch, but even just being a sequel to King of Scars it is PERFECT.
Nina, Zoya, and Nikolai are all at the BEST they have EVER been in this entire universe and it's such an amazing thing to see. I need more people to read this book so I can scream about it with them
This. Book. Is. A. Masterpiece.
WOWOOWOWOWOW. Now this is how you end a series.
I can't say too much without going into spoilers, but DAMN Leigh really played with ALL of my emotions throughout this entire book. It was action-packed, intense, emotional, and perfect. A wonderful finale to the end of this duology and also the entire Grishaverse. It's definitely worth it to read the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology before this series as it makes this book pack a huge punch, but even just being a sequel to King of Scars it is PERFECT.
Nina, Zoya, and Nikolai are all at the BEST they have EVER been in this entire universe and it's such an amazing thing to see. I need more people to read this book so I can scream about it with them
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Racism, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, and Slavery
booksandcat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Torture
Minor: Slavery
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
incoming rant review:
first thing first, i love these characters SO MUCH. i would literally die for zoya, nikolai, genya, david, the gang, everyone (except the darkling, he can leave). bardugo created a bunch of characters that i root HARD for, which is rare for me these days :'(
BUT - this book was something... incoming spoilers
everything from the plot to the characters actions/dialogue/(questionable)development was flat and odd and argh, so DISAPPOINTED.
first thing: what was with zoya's inner monologue for her development? all this stuff about needing to open up and love other people, not be so cold etc etc etc. it just felt so forced and inorganic and honestly, why cant we have a strong female MC who does not apologize for being like that????? also her suli heritage? was so random and not really played a massive role in the plot, when it could have
nina: what was that? i dont like her staying at fjerda with Hanne (who i liked being trans [?] but i dont like how vague it was made and not dealt with properly, like pronouns) and kind of not grieving mathias in this book (it was a sudden shift from the first book)
nikolai: loved him giving up his crown but his relationship with zoya went from 0-100 in this book. we had the slow burn/sass in KoS, which was lovely. but in this one, it was so quick, and not much banner etc. it just felt too rushed and i wish it wasnt because i loved there relationship so much
other points: WHY DID DAVID DIE??? not really a consequence being as he wasnt there much and then didnt come back to impact the plot for long...
generally: i wish we only focused on the politics and not the magic. we had magic in the first series so it would have been cool to see the political problems of Ravaka. and since we had both, neither were done well. a third book would have helped make the ending not rushed at all. and the darkling? juris? that whole subplot was so weak and just an afterthought really. and i can't believe they are literally going to make the crows go on a heist to get the heart so they can kill the darkling, HE IS A SUCKY VILLAIN LET HIM STAY DEAD. also, why the cameo of the crows??? it felt so fan-servicy and unnecessary
in conclusion: super disappointed in this from both a weak plot point and illogical/weird character development/action. still love these characters though
first thing first, i love these characters SO MUCH. i would literally die for zoya, nikolai, genya, david, the gang, everyone (except the darkling, he can leave). bardugo created a bunch of characters that i root HARD for, which is rare for me these days :'(
BUT - this book was something... incoming spoilers
everything from the plot to the characters actions/dialogue/(questionable)development was flat and odd and argh, so DISAPPOINTED.
first thing: what was with zoya's inner monologue for her development? all this stuff about needing to open up and love other people, not be so cold etc etc etc. it just felt so forced and inorganic and honestly, why cant we have a strong female MC who does not apologize for being like that????? also her suli heritage? was so random and not really played a massive role in the plot, when it could have
nina: what was that? i dont like her staying at fjerda with Hanne (who i liked being trans [?] but i dont like how vague it was made and not dealt with properly, like pronouns) and kind of not grieving mathias in this book (it was a sudden shift from the first book)
nikolai: loved him giving up his crown but his relationship with zoya went from 0-100 in this book. we had the slow burn/sass in KoS, which was lovely. but in this one, it was so quick, and not much banner etc. it just felt too rushed and i wish it wasnt because i loved there relationship so much
other points: WHY DID DAVID DIE??? not really a consequence being as he wasnt there much and then didnt come back to impact the plot for long...
generally: i wish we only focused on the politics and not the magic. we had magic in the first series so it would have been cool to see the political problems of Ravaka. and since we had both, neither were done well. a third book would have helped make the ending not rushed at all. and the darkling? juris? that whole subplot was so weak and just an afterthought really. and i can't believe they are literally going to make the crows go on a heist to get the heart so they can kill the darkling, HE IS A SUCKY VILLAIN LET HIM STAY DEAD. also, why the cameo of the crows??? it felt so fan-servicy and unnecessary
in conclusion: super disappointed in this from both a weak plot point and illogical/weird character development/action. still love these characters though
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, and Torture