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A review by thebakersbooks
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
3.5 out of 5 stars - rounded up because I see potential and I assume/hope the second half of the series will deliver
Oddly for the first installment in a series, King of Scars suffered from something akin to middle-book syndrome. I think it's likely because all the main characters also had large roles in Leigh Bardugo's other series (Six of Crows for Nina, the Grisha trilogy for Nikolai and Zoya), so this was a continuation of their stories.
Regardless of the reason, King of Scars had pacing issues that weighed down most of the beginning and parts of the middle. Further, the development of Nikolai's character served to render him less interesting rather than more (in my opinion). Zoya became more compelling as her backstory was revealed; however, Genya and company felt like somewhat flat versions of their Grisha-trilogy selves. Nina's story has yet to connect with the main plotline, but her characterization seemed fine–although I only read Six of Crows once a long time ago and never read the sequel, so I'm not a Nina expert.I'm really looking forward to a potential expansion of the romance between Nina and Hanne in the second book, too!
I like the way Bardugo is changing the world she's created, expanding Grisha powers through the existence of the drug parem and the training Zoya undergoes in the third act. I'm less of a fan of the Darkling's return, though, so the ending was a mixed bag.
tldr; I'd recommend King of Scars to fans of the Grishaverse who have read both the main trilogy and the SOC duology. This wouldn't be a good entry point to newcomers to Bardugo's work, and it might prove disappointing either way, depending which characters were your favorites and how choosy you are about tightness of plot and pace.
Oddly for the first installment in a series, King of Scars suffered from something akin to middle-book syndrome. I think it's likely because all the main characters also had large roles in Leigh Bardugo's other series (Six of Crows for Nina, the Grisha trilogy for Nikolai and Zoya), so this was a continuation of their stories.
Regardless of the reason, King of Scars had pacing issues that weighed down most of the beginning and parts of the middle. Further, the development of Nikolai's character served to render him less interesting rather than more (in my opinion). Zoya became more compelling as her backstory was revealed; however, Genya and company felt like somewhat flat versions of their Grisha-trilogy selves. Nina's story has yet to connect with the main plotline, but her characterization seemed fine–although I only read Six of Crows once a long time ago and never read the sequel, so I'm not a Nina expert.
tldr; I'd recommend King of Scars to fans of the Grishaverse who have read both the main trilogy and the SOC duology. This wouldn't be a good entry point to newcomers to Bardugo's work, and it might prove disappointing either way, depending which characters were your favorites and how choosy you are about tightness of plot and pace.