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A review by syllareads
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a reread for me so I sped through it at the speed of light to get to the second book in this trilogy, Rule of Wolves. I think I gave King of Scars a 5 star during my first read but my second read makes me want to deduct one star - it was still a very good read imo but it left me to desire something else from it I didn't get in the end.
This book follows well-known characters from the Grisha trilogy and one of our main characters from the Six of Crows duology, Nina Zenik. Thrust into the role of a king for a land on the brink of one catastrophe after the other, Nikolai Lantsov wrestles with far more than just his everyday share of problems ranging from petty noblemen to Ravka's empty coffers. The war has left his scars on him, both physically and mentally - and there's this tiny thing about him turning into a monster in the night, scaring goose herders shitless and almost killing his only loyal friends. Zoya Nazyalensky, Grisha and general to a crumbling throne, is one of those loyal friends, her memories of the past as sharp and jagged as a knife's edge in her mind - for she fears that forgetting will make her fall for another man's lies again, and again. Nina Zenik has travelled far to lay her love, Matthias Helvar, to rest in his own country - but on the way there she discovers something she cannot let go, as much as she would perhaps like to.
Bardugo's perspectives are always a joy to read, her characters' voices as distinct as humanly possible, her descriptions sharp and accurate. Nikolai and Nina were two of my favourite characters from previous installments in the Grishaverse to begin with and Zoya grew on me (even on my first read) of this book - my sympathies did not diminish during my reread. It was fascinating to read about how differently these three main characters handle grief and memories of the past.
The one thing that I found a bit lacking (which I might have missed the first time around due to sheer excitement lol) was the ending itself - some parts of it felt a bit too hastily done without too much love and I found myself not being as emotionally invested in it as I would have liked. Still, I enjoyed the book almost as much as I did the first time around, and I cannot wait to start Rule of Wolves to finally get to the (as of now) end of the Grishaverse!
This book follows well-known characters from the Grisha trilogy and one of our main characters from the Six of Crows duology, Nina Zenik. Thrust into the role of a king for a land on the brink of one catastrophe after the other, Nikolai Lantsov wrestles with far more than just his everyday share of problems ranging from petty noblemen to Ravka's empty coffers. The war has left his scars on him, both physically and mentally - and there's this tiny thing about him turning into a monster in the night, scaring goose herders shitless and almost killing his only loyal friends. Zoya Nazyalensky, Grisha and general to a crumbling throne, is one of those loyal friends, her memories of the past as sharp and jagged as a knife's edge in her mind - for she fears that forgetting will make her fall for another man's lies again, and again. Nina Zenik has travelled far to lay her love, Matthias Helvar, to rest in his own country - but on the way there she discovers something she cannot let go, as much as she would perhaps like to.
Bardugo's perspectives are always a joy to read, her characters' voices as distinct as humanly possible, her descriptions sharp and accurate. Nikolai and Nina were two of my favourite characters from previous installments in the Grishaverse to begin with and Zoya grew on me (even on my first read) of this book - my sympathies did not diminish during my reread. It was fascinating to read about how differently these three main characters handle grief and memories of the past.
The one thing that I found a bit lacking (which I might have missed the first time around due to sheer excitement lol) was the ending itself - some parts of it felt a bit too hastily done without too much love and I found myself not being as emotionally invested in it as I would have liked. Still, I enjoyed the book almost as much as I did the first time around, and I cannot wait to start Rule of Wolves to finally get to the (as of now) end of the Grishaverse!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Grief, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Vomit