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A review by iris_ymra
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
'Fear is a phoenix. Words Liliyana had spoken to her years ago and that Zoya had repeated to others many times. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.'
'Most of us can hide our greatest hurts and longings. It’s how we survive each day. We pretend the pain isn’t there, that we are made of scars instead of wounds.'
'To live is to grieve. You are not protecting yourself by shutting yourself off from the world.'
________
The King of Scars, Nikolai Lanstov, is in the battle with himself, trying to fight the demon or monster inside of him -- that the Darkling had left when he was presumed vanished from the world. All the while, along with the Grisha Triumvirate, still trying to restore and maintain his country's -- Ravka -- safety and his people surety for peaceful living after the civil war that had taken its toll over everyone and everything that the country still has left in hand.
And his general, Commander Zoya Nazyalensky is all at the ready to serve her king and most of all, her country -- making sure the construction of a country, a land where her own kind could find security. Which had led to the mission in Fjerda, a mission to rescue the Grisha, who have been living in hiding.
But soon their efforts and actions will show them, to unravel the far greater challenge, and precarious threats.
________
For me this book progression rather slowly to reach its climax, yet it hasn't lacked of any thrill and excitement throughout the storyline either. It still delivers the great characters with engaging characteristics that for me definitely lead the journey of the entire plot, more Grishas' magical power brought into the light and conflicts to be uncoiled.
The main plot I would say were happening in two major venues, which are Ravka and Fjerda. In Ravka we can see how Nikolai and Zoya deal with its own conflict, whereas in Fjerda we will be on a rendezvous with Nina together with Adrik and Leoni, on their rescue mission to help Grishas fled the country. The povs were going on, in between, mainly Nikolai, Zoya and Nina -- and in Nina's perspective, we can see how she's dealing with Matthias' death and how she will finally let go. This definitely breaks my heart, I cried so much when Nina finally puts Matthias down in his last resting place. Still, although I think this kind of plotting is necessary to really give us the bigger picture of the situations among Grishas and Ravka, but it does break the engagement -- a little bit -- for me on the story, when it then has to leap into another plot.
This book wouldn't have the enthralling sensation of scheming and planning, and going through double-crossed of twist and turn with its conflict so much, but I would still say -- on how the climax building up -- that this is the kind of journey of reading that ones like me did really, really enjoy.
'Most of us can hide our greatest hurts and longings. It’s how we survive each day. We pretend the pain isn’t there, that we are made of scars instead of wounds.'
'To live is to grieve. You are not protecting yourself by shutting yourself off from the world.'
________
The King of Scars, Nikolai Lanstov, is in the battle with himself, trying to fight the demon or monster inside of him -- that the Darkling had left when he was presumed vanished from the world. All the while, along with the Grisha Triumvirate, still trying to restore and maintain his country's -- Ravka -- safety and his people surety for peaceful living after the civil war that had taken its toll over everyone and everything that the country still has left in hand.
And his general, Commander Zoya Nazyalensky is all at the ready to serve her king and most of all, her country -- making sure the construction of a country, a land where her own kind could find security. Which had led to the mission in Fjerda, a mission to rescue the Grisha, who have been living in hiding.
But soon their efforts and actions will show them, to unravel the far greater challenge, and precarious threats.
________
For me this book progression rather slowly to reach its climax, yet it hasn't lacked of any thrill and excitement throughout the storyline either. It still delivers the great characters with engaging characteristics that for me definitely lead the journey of the entire plot, more Grishas' magical power brought into the light and conflicts to be uncoiled.
The main plot I would say were happening in two major venues, which are Ravka and Fjerda. In Ravka we can see how Nikolai and Zoya deal with its own conflict, whereas in Fjerda we will be on a rendezvous with Nina together with Adrik and Leoni, on their rescue mission to help Grishas fled the country. The povs were going on, in between, mainly Nikolai, Zoya and Nina -- and in Nina's perspective, we can see how she's dealing with Matthias' death and how she will finally let go. This definitely breaks my heart, I cried so much when Nina finally puts Matthias down in his last resting place. Still, although I think this kind of plotting is necessary to really give us the bigger picture of the situations among Grishas and Ravka, but it does break the engagement -- a little bit -- for me on the story, when it then has to leap into another plot.
This book wouldn't have the enthralling sensation of scheming and planning, and going through double-crossed of twist and turn with its conflict so much, but I would still say -- on how the climax building up -- that this is the kind of journey of reading that ones like me did really, really enjoy.