A review by lavenderbluestories
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • 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

I was so, so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint… for the most part. Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina, whose perspectives the story is told from, are all fascinating and enjoyable characters to read about. Nikolai has got to be one of my all time favourite characters. I adored exploring more of his backstory and the struggles he faces throughout his journey. Zoya was someone who I never felt too strongly about in the S&B trilogy, but in this book I absolutely loved her. Discovering more of her story made her so much more powerful in my eyes, and she was a pleasure to read about. And then there’s Nina. As much as I love Nina as a character, her part in this book felt a bit… misplaced. I wasn’t really sure how her storyline fit into the rest of it until, well, I started the next book. However, I can’t deny that she did contribute a few brilliant scenes to King Of Scars.
The scene where she finally buried Matthias was more heartbreaking than anything the Grishaverse has produced so far, and I actually got choked up. That’s saying something since I never even liked Matthias…
Anyways, this book is definitely worth the read if you love the Grishaverse as much as I do!
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