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gillianengelbrecht's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, War, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Grief, Kidnapping, Suicide, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Addiction, Gore, Dysphoria, and Domestic abuse
kiwij96'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
The characters I fell in love with from the start of their respective series' all returned in some way, shape or form and their stories overlapped so perfectly I am in awe. I laughed, I cried, my heart was broken and was filled with joy and love.
This is a 5-star story for me, however, I found my version of the book was riddled with pre-print typos (specifically words that had accidental spaces in the middle of them, and one or two words missing letters) and that took me out of the story a bit which is disappointing.
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Alcohol, Rape, and Suicide
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
In this sequel we continue the story from book 1 after some time has passed. We try to deal with the aftermath of The Darkling's revival and the problems up north with the Fjerdans that Nina send word.
This one was a slow start...I don't reread books that often and for 200pages a was quite bored:(
We have the following perspectives alternating via chapters as Leigh Bardugo usually does:(in order of how much I liked them): Mayu, Nikolai, Zoya,The Monk and Nina.
CW: experimentation; violence; war crimes; drug use;
The atmosphere was tense and really good(a plus that arises from the author's writing style...so if you enjoyed that in other books by her...you'll like it here as well )
But when it comes to the plot....i feel that we had too much on our plates for most of the book...we have the workings of a war with Fjerda(battles, espionage, secrets revealed and all that); we have the political problem that Mayu created in the last book that is mixed in with some morality issues and suffering by people; we have the strange happenings that are connected to the fold somehow; we have the Darkling and his agenda; we have Nina's mission and her relationship with Hanne AND we have Nikolai and Zoya's dynamic to account for....pretty much if you ask me.
I will admit that all of this have a good/ good enough conclusion by the end..but it definitely feels like the author left a BIG door..more like a gate...>..>...to come back and add more books...and I don't know if they're necessary:(
As I said...in the first 200pages the pacing was rough...I kept reading this one due to the chapter /perspective carusel: I constantly found myself wanting to know more about what character was doing. After that...things started to pick up..we have a war on our hands and Hanne and Nina's story started to take shape into something a FINALLY began to enjoy...loved how Hanne managed to achieve a form she felt comfortable in at last.^^
I also enjoyed Mayu's development even though she wasn't necessary the main focus. But despite these praises...I FIRMLY BELIEVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WAS LACKING , especially for the lesser known POVs :(
We have 2 sad/ shocking moments in the book..one in Ravka and one with the Fjerdans and i must say...that these 2 cannot hold the whole book....-_-
We also have a small part with some beloved characters and a deeply enjoyed them.
Zoya's insecurities were really good and explored as were Nikolai's but...still...not enough to justify the why they had such a struggle in regards to their relationship until the end....>..>
I also hoped for more Darkling..and I understand what the author tried to do with him...but yeah...not sure if I like the ending.
Overall, I expected a little bit more character work..the action scenes were nicely done and mostly landed well for me. I enjoyed that Fjerda's people were presented as more than frightened monsters towards Grisha(but I wanted more complexity from Prince Rasmus, the Queen and Hanne's family..especially her family..>..>); Mayu's side of things were explored well enough although I felt potential in regards to the Shu Han story that wasn't realised; the religion bit was nice and the crossover with other important characters in this universe was great! ^^
I recommend this book if you've read the first book and want to be up-to-date, but be aware you'll finish this book and feel not completely satisfied.
Enjoy
Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, Murder, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Grief, Drug use, Gaslighting, Addiction, War, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Racism, Infertility, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Slavery
perhappiness'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
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, Gore, Dysphoria, Slavery, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
gayghostprince'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? It's complicated
5.0
I am truly awestruck by how much I love this
most importantly though: ZOYA!!!!!
she's my fav character now I love her so very dearly
Graphic: Blood, War, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Child death, Gun violence, Child abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Kidnapping, Dysphoria, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death, Rape, Ableism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Slavery, Infertility, Suicide, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Genocide
there's talk of wide scale use of missiles that can destroy cities.threebluesocks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Other positive aspects of this book in no particular order: dragons!!!, Nikolai being both very noble and incredibly baby, nice twin/sibling/family motif, the Fjerdan miracle thing is so funny to me, David is top tier cute in this one, the Darkling continues to make me seethe with rage and I'm thoroughly enjoying it, aaaaand putting Hanne here once more because I am in love :)
The only major issue I had with this book (and King of Scars since I'm probably not going to put a separate review on it) was the mechanics of jurda parem. Maybe it's because this book has a different strain than what we saw in SoC/CK and it just wasn't well explained, but I feel like it works completely differently in this duology than what we saw with Nina in SoC. Obviously it's not ideal to be dosed with it as a Grisha since withdrawal is likely to kill you and you'll do pretty much anything for another dose, but it shouldn't introduce any immediate suggestibility in a person until the high begins to wear off, right?
Anyway, smaller list of bits I wasn't thrilled with: lots of characters from the Shadow and Bone trilogy that I really needed more information about up-front since I haven't read that trilogy in about 3 years, I don't think having whole chapters from the Darkling's perspective was great for his perceived threat level (when I can see inside his head he's just... a guy), I continue to wish Novyi Zem had any sort of major appearance in these books considering how massive it is especially since Shu Han finally got some attention, and I would really like to see Zoya figure out other Grisha powers a bit more (and maybe share this knowledge??? Girl, there are other people who could benefit from expanding their horizons, please share).
Graphic: Addiction and War
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Dysphoria
the_paperbackprincess's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Gore, Suicide, Death, Confinement, and War
Minor: Rape
Medical Experimentationastoryofpages'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 evolution of the characters is just as excellent: some continue to move forward despite the difficulties, others realize who they really are. Some leave us, some return, some set off again, some question themselves, and understand. We meet new people, we find missing people, and it was not easy to finish this book and let them all go.
The plot is incredible and very well-paced. I had found King of Scars a bit long at times, a bit flat, but now I realize that was only to better set the stage for Rule of Wolves. The story was catchy. I was breathless with each page, the plot twists are numerous, but it is real happiness. I also really liked the multitude of points of view! Yet, I prefer first-person narratives, but that didn't stop me from delving into the characters' heads. I've seen people criticize this multiplication of the points of view. But honestly, when you have such a huge map, you have to have multiple points of view. In this kind of plot, it's all the more interesting; because some characters sometimes find themselves with information of the utmost importance to other characters. And you see them struggling to try to give the others an update. That's incredible!
Leigh's writing is as incredible as ever. She is really a model for me, and she is my favourite author of all time! I, of course, really recommend this book. Leigh did an excellent job, and I'm so proud of her. I can't wait to read more of her books!
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and War
emily_mh's review against another edition
- 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
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 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.
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.
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Ableism
Moderate: Medical content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Racism, Torture, Misogyny, Sexism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Vomit, Miscarriage, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry
creepypiespice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Slavery, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Torture