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readwithsophsx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Grief, Drug abuse, Blood, Deportation, Kidnapping, Confinement, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Death, Murder, War, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Addiction
laurenandradee's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was on par with Shadow and Bone but definitely not as good as six of crows (but maybe I just love a heist with a solid found family plot). But if you liked shadow and bone (which I definitely did) you will like this as well ! I do highly recommend that you read both series - shadow and bone followed by six of crows - first since there are multiple returned characters and some context is assumed knowledge. Also there are huge spoilers for both series in this book so you will be ruining the previous series if you read this before those.
This book has a slow start (similar to shadow and bone and six of crows) since this is multiple POV book and not only that but there are also multiple plots(three to be exact) happening simultaneously (it's never confusing or hard to remember what is happening) but at about the halfway point once the stories really kick off this book is SO engaging and its fast paced, like chapter to chapter I am on the edge of my seat and Leigh Bardugo does the classic end of chapter cliffhanger followed by a POV change - there was a lot of "Oh nonono don't end here....wait never mind, thank god we are back to this POV" happening for me towards the end.
The slow build ends up being really nice since you really get an understanding of the plot and each of the characters are well fleshed out for me.
Overall I just love Leigh Bardugo's imagery, the horrible horrible things that happens within this booklike the women in what is essentially a human factory farm being forced to breed children under the influence of highly addictive drugs that they are originally force fed with the sole purpose of keeping the women addicted and therefore pliable, and to keep them breeding more addicted children even though the women clearly don't want to but need to, to continue to have access to this impossible to get drug otherwise they die from withdrawal. So essentially these women are slaves kept in a single windowless room, they are starved, live in squallor and forced to endure rape and forced pregnancy because they are so addicted for the sole purpose of breeding more grisha. and one women was unable to conceive but was still raped and forced give birth multiple times only to hold her multiple still born children after each pregnancy and then having to do it again and again or die - yeah that is BIG nightmare fuel. Also the imagery of Elizaveta flying at Zoya with locusts spilling from her mouth is not exactly the same brand of nightmare fuel but still pretty gross are handled in a way that is still appropriate and are not overly gruesome or horrific for the shock factor which I liked. It was just enough that you got the horror of the situation but it wasn't drawn out and horrible to read.
Overall, I really enjoyed being back in the grishaverse and who doesn't love a whole books worth of Nikolai-wit.
This book has a slow start (similar to shadow and bone and six of crows) since this is multiple POV book and not only that but there are also multiple plots
The slow build ends up being really nice since you really get an understanding of the plot and each of the characters are well fleshed out for me.
Overall I just love Leigh Bardugo's imagery, the horrible horrible things that happens within this book
Overall, I really enjoyed being back in the grishaverse and who doesn't love a whole books worth of Nikolai-wit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Physical abuse, Addiction, Death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Minor: Violence, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
emilywemily6's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.5
I adored this book. While I like the idea of the multiple POV’s, I didn’t like Isaak’s perspective because I knew something bad would happen (call it foreshadowing). I also didn’t feel like Nina’s perspective was as needed in the entire plot. I still enjoyed all of the perspectives and seeing where the story went- lots of twists and turns so I didn’t know where the story was going, which was fun. And man, that cliffhanger!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Racism, Classism, and Death
soph22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Genocide, Racism, Kidnapping, Ableism, Physical abuse, Blood, Pregnancy, Death, Child death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Gun violence
emilia_thereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Body horror, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship
s_nova's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage
justinekorson's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
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
4.0
Leigh Bardugo has done it again. My compliments to the chef for this great dish I've been given.
I always loved Nikolai and couldn't fathom why Alina didn't choose him over LITERALLY EVERYONE. I LOVE MAL (and loathe the Darkling) AND I WOULD'VE DROPPED EITHER OF THEM THE MINUTE THAT NIKOLAI OFFERED ME HIS HAND IN MARRIAGE. LIKE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! HE WAS FUNNY AND SWEET AND CHARMING IN THE SHADOW AND BONE SERIES AND WAS EVEN MORE SO YEARS LATER IN KING OF SCARS. Needless to say, I love this man to death.
Zoya isn't a character I loved when she was first introduced (though I can agree her confidence and her strength is top tier) but I grew to love her immensely in this novel. She was so funny and melds so well with Nikolai that I'm surprised they AREN'T fucking in the novel like ???? Girl... please. But also... I get it, beware of men with power Zoya.
Nina was a character I ADORED in Six of Crows but during her POV I kept finding myself tryign to rush through her story to try and get to Zoya and Nikolai (and later Isaak). I really liked Leoni (and the fact that she's the girl Jesper's mom saved) and Adrik but... seeing Nina without the other Crows was a little heart breaking. She's a great character on her own but I think I loved her more within the context of the heists in the Six of Crows duology. Which is not to say that I hate her in this novel in any capacity it's just that I found the other POV's more interesting and relevant to the plot. I'm sure in Rule of Wolves Nina's plans will make more sense but this is how I feel for now.
ISAAK!!!! MY POOR BABY BOY!!!! HE DESERVED SO MUCH MORE. He was so much smarter than he gave himself credit for. Not anyone could mimic someone (let alone a King) for SO LONG and not have anyone notice. Since he was friends with Nikolai he was able to adopt his mannerisms so well and I WISH THAT HE COULD HAVE SURVIVED HIS WOUNDS JUST LIKE THE FAKE EHRI DID. His gut wound should not have killed him that fast! If they had managed to save the False Princess, it should have been easy for them to save him too...
Yuri... I wanted to wring his neck from the moment he appeared... and they should have done that too.
What I don't like (and the reason why this book is a 4 and not a 5) is that the Darkling was resurrected AGAIN. I think I would have preferred if Elizaveta was the one who had survived/escaped the fold and had entered Yuri's body (if that's what happened at the ned). It would have been more fun in my opinion. I'm tired of the boring, dusty, old Darkling. Elizaveta's motivations were similar to the Darkling's anyways and it would have been fun to know that, even if part of the Darkling had escaped as well, that Elizaveta would admit that she killed what was left of him in favor of escaping. *sigh*
Anyways, I'm excited for Rule of Wolves.
I always loved Nikolai and couldn't fathom why Alina didn't choose him over LITERALLY EVERYONE. I LOVE MAL (and loathe the Darkling) AND I WOULD'VE DROPPED EITHER OF THEM THE MINUTE THAT NIKOLAI OFFERED ME HIS HAND IN MARRIAGE. LIKE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! HE WAS FUNNY AND SWEET AND CHARMING IN THE SHADOW AND BONE SERIES AND WAS EVEN MORE SO YEARS LATER IN KING OF SCARS. Needless to say, I love this man to death.
Zoya isn't a character I loved when she was first introduced (though I can agree her confidence and her strength is top tier) but I grew to love her immensely in this novel. She was so funny and melds so well with Nikolai that I'm surprised they AREN'T fucking in the novel like ???? Girl... please. But also... I get it, beware of men with power Zoya.
Nina was a character I ADORED in Six of Crows but during her POV I kept finding myself tryign to rush through her story to try and get to Zoya and Nikolai (and later Isaak). I really liked Leoni (and the fact that she's the girl Jesper's mom saved) and Adrik but... seeing Nina without the other Crows was a little heart breaking. She's a great character on her own but I think I loved her more within the context of the heists in the Six of Crows duology. Which is not to say that I hate her in this novel in any capacity it's just that I found the other POV's more interesting and relevant to the plot. I'm sure in Rule of Wolves Nina's plans will make more sense but this is how I feel for now.
ISAAK!!!! MY POOR BABY BOY!!!! HE DESERVED SO MUCH MORE. He was so much smarter than he gave himself credit for. Not anyone could mimic someone (let alone a King) for SO LONG and not have anyone notice. Since he was friends with Nikolai he was able to adopt his mannerisms so well and I WISH THAT HE COULD HAVE SURVIVED HIS WOUNDS JUST LIKE THE FAKE EHRI DID. His gut wound should not have killed him that fast! If they had managed to save the False Princess, it should have been easy for them to save him too...
Yuri... I wanted to wring his neck from the moment he appeared... and they should have done that too.
What I don't like (and the reason why this book is a 4 and not a 5) is that the Darkling was resurrected AGAIN. I think I would have preferred if Elizaveta was the one who had survived/escaped the fold and had entered Yuri's body (if that's what happened at the ned). It would have been more fun in my opinion. I'm tired of the boring, dusty, old Darkling. Elizaveta's motivations were similar to the Darkling's anyways and it would have been fun to know that, even if part of the Darkling had escaped as well, that Elizaveta would admit that she killed what was left of him in favor of escaping. *sigh*
Anyways, I'm excited for Rule of Wolves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Murder, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping
Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit
audlittlebookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed this so much! This one is more political drama with a touch of espionage. We also got to see characters dealing with grief and PTSD. Leigh Bardugo is a master at writing stories with multiple perspectives and giving each character a unique voice. There was a portion in the last half of the book that felt a bit hard to follow and didn’t flow as smoothly as the rest. In all fairness, that could have been intentional, given the context, but it made that section less enjoyable to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Slavery, War, Grief, and Trafficking
Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
cephalopodbot's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Xenophobia, Body horror, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gaslighting and War
Minor: Pedophilia
s1x0fh03s's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
gripping and vivid storytelling, the descriptions of grief and loss were so expertly written, Bardugo completely describes the effects of the civil war on both a societal and personal level
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Torture, War, and Violence