A review by eguare
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • 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

3.75

I enjoyed this more than the original Shadow & Bone trilogy, not as much as the Six of Crows duology. This book was a happy return for beloved characters, but I wasn't always happy with where they went.
While I loved hearing more from Nina, I was heartbroken that the found family of the Crows broke up so thoroughly after Crooked Kingdom and didn't find themselves back together by the end of this duology. It was also too soon after Matthias to enjoy Nina's new relationship with Hanne. Though I adore that Nina is canonically bisexual and Hanne canonically trans, I don't personally feel that Nina would be happy living forever as someone else in a country that wasn't hers, away from her friends.
I loved seeing Nikolai and Zoya continue to develop as characters,
both independently and together
.
Personally, I could see the ending piece as either a cliffhanger, or as a happy goodbye to the audience, making it clear that our beloved characters will live on and get up to all kinds of shenanigans together, even if we aren't there with them to experience it with them. I do strongly hope that we're there with them, though! 
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