A review by dahldahlbills
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

5.0

I’m honestly at a loss for words because of how breathtaking this book was. A lot of people have said that the book’s really slow until the ending, but I was gripped from the start. Sure the story wasn’t as fast paced as the SoC duology, but the writing was so beautiful that I found it so easy to lose myself in the story. Being able to revisit these characters was amazing, but Bardugo fleshed out their characters so damn well I’m simply in awe. The way each arc was intertwined and the way chapters were written to reveal just enough information to keep us so glued to the page—ugh it was all beautifully done. And I’m still processing that ending. I will admit that it did seem a bit of a stretch to not let certain *things* stay dead. It felt a bit cheap to almost recycle material, as if she didn’t have any better ideas to work with? BUT I love Leigh, and I trust her, so I’m open to this ending and willing to see where it goes. I love Nikolai too much to let my doubts about the ending influence my entire opinion of the book. The writing and the characters are the shining aspects for me in this book, and I’m very much looking forward to the conclusion of these characters’ journeys.