Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

1 review

emily_mh's review against another edition

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adventurous tense 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

2.0

If my ratings were purely based off how a book makes me feel, this would be getting a one star. However they are not, so I had to cede it one more star because there were some good, even great, parts. But mostly it just pissed me off. 

I can credit Bardugo with creating a complex and layered plot. However, the only POV I truly enjoyed was Nina's, as her ambitions and methods were fascinating, and I like the romance with Hanne. Even there, however, I felt like she didn't get a strong enough character arc. I also enjoyed Mayu's POV as it was fresh and full of intrigue, but we barely got any of it. Finally, I adored where Zoya ended up. Her character development has been phenomenal across the Grishaverse. This series belongs to her.

And that's where my compliments end. The thing about this book is that it just feels like fan service. That may not even be the case, but it comes off that way. This is so disappointing, as I feel like for the most part King of Scars was setting up for Rule of Wolves to be an incredible and worthy addition to the Grishaverse - it was not. This is mostly going to be spoilers. 

The first warning bell was the return of the Darkling. This completely undermines the impact of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and Alina and Mal's sacrifice. And then his presence wasn't even USED properly?? He wasn't in character, did nothing important throughout the WHOLE of the book and decided to sacrifice himself as penance, while declaring he was repenting nothing? Make it make sense. I know Bardugo said that the Darkling did not deserve redemption, but she kind of gave it to him anyway?? And then Zoya has her idea to replace the Darking with the heart of Sankt Feliks anyway, so what was the point of this whole storyline?? You can't say to make Nikolai's demon make sense, as it stayed when the blight vanished. And you can't say the blight created a source of tension, as it really didn't - it was barely referenced throughout the whole of the book. You literally could have had the obisbaya performed at the end of King of Scars, it being successful, and one problem from Nikolai's life being removed, without reducing the impact of Rule of Wolves. Plus it required the involvement of Mal and Alina, whom I did not think had realistic reactions to the Darkling returning. It also meant their neatly tied up ending at the end of Ruin and Rising was frazzled. Their appearance felt like fan service, and was the second warning bell for me. Overall for this part, it would have been more interesting had Yuri (whom we don't see a proper end for, either), leading the Starless Saint's cult, having become a force to be reckoned with, perhaps involved with the Apparat in some way. 

The second main part which felt like fan service was the involvement of the Crows. While this was much more logical to me, given Nikolai's need to steal something, the whole episode was so brief that the Crows felt like shadows of themselves. We literally barely see Jesper and Wylan, despite their involvement in the heist Nikolai is a part of. It kind of felt like it could have happened behind the scenes without Nikolai's involvement, so that they were still referenced in the story without being rushed.

The third part was David's death. I could see no conceivable reason why this occurred. It literally doesn't make sense and felt like Bardugo did it for shock factor, not for the sake of dismantling plot armour. If the latter was the case, it would have been more logical for someone like Tolya, Tamar, Nadia, Adrik or Leoni to die, who are exposed to much more dangerous things than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furthermore, doesn't it contradict the ending of Ruin and Rising, which describes how the Triumvirate visit Mal and Alina for years to come? It's only been three years?? Make it make SENSE.


Aside from these concerns, there were other aspects I didn't like. For example, my disconnect from Zoya and Nikolai's POVs. I was somewhat expecting this from Nikolai's, as I had felt it during King of Scars, but was upset it happened with Zoya, too, considering I adored her POVs from the previous book. I think it's because Nikolai and Zoya conceal their plans from the reader a LOT during this book, which is good for the element of surprise, but as it was overused it ended up with me not being able to tell what they were thinking or feeling, hence the disconnect. I also wished that Zoya's POVs explored her newfound power more and learning about how to be open from a much earlier point. With Nikolai, I was frustrated that we were told how much he wanted to heal Ravka, but not why. Finally, I struggled with getting on board with Nikolai and Zoya's romance. Logically it makes a lot of sense, but I didn't feel the emotion behind it. I could tell they cared deeply about one another, but for the most part it was hard to believe this was in a romantic way. 

The final thing that made me frustrated and angry was the disability rep in this book.
Prince Rasmus is chronically ill, and this makes him sour, evil and violent which he indulges as he gains strength. As a chronically ill person, it was simultaneously upsetting and infuriating that this was the path Bardugo chose for her only chronically ill character, and as such I couldn't fully get behind on the ending, dependent as it was on Prince Rasmus being evil and then being killed. This is especially so seeing as it seemed Bardugo handled disability rep well in her other books, such as in the character of Kaz.


I am honestly so disappointed that what is allegedly the finale of the Grishaverse disappointed me so greatly. I wish I had had a different experience but such is life.


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