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A review by xcrissy67x
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Okay so I am a bit of a numpty. After finishing this book, I've seen many reviews say that I definitely needed to read the Shadow And Bone Trilogy, which is not a trilogy I have read. However, I loved the Six Of Crows Duology and though I don't remember much other than I adored it, I was very very excited to read this book and was even more thrilled when the characters were mentioned. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint me even though I haven't read the first trilogy in the Grishaverse.
This book follows quite a few POVs: Nikolai, Zoya and Nina being the main three with Isaak coming in later into the book. I don't mind reading multiple POVs, but some people maybe get muddled so just be aware of that.
The characters are honestly just amazing. Each one has their own troubles and strengths and backgrounds that I thoroughly enjoyed piecing together throughout the book. I also love the way characters interact, particularly the banter between Nikolai and Zoya. I absolutely do ship them and I have no qualms about it.
Each character is just so unique and it actually really helps me to differentiate them from each others especially if some have similar names. However, I will admit that I was getting very muddled at the beginning as there are just a lot of characters to wrap your head around especially if you have a horrific memory like I do.
I also found myself being a little confused for a while when I first started the book about what was going on, though this could definitely be because I haven't read the Shadow And Bone Trilogy and don't really remember much from the Six Of Crows Duology (like I said… bad memory). However as the book carried on, I found myself piecing things together about how Grisha work and the world that these characters lived in. It was a slow process as things get revealed gradually but I quite like that. Better than the info dumping in my opinion.
The plot already had me fascinated from the first few chapters. I was still trying to figure out what the heck was happening and that kept me quite intrigued. I will admit that some parts of the plot were a little slow and I did find my attention wandering a little, however it overall had me entertained.
I usually don't really enjoy the political side of books, however I found that this was easy to follow and understand and it wasn't too overwhelming. There was a good balance of politics and physical action taking place. The end had quite a bit of action and so I sped through those pages.
I have mixed feelings about the ending. I was hooked, and I will absolutely be moving onto the Rule Of Wolves. However, from what I've gathered, the Darkling was a previous villain in the Shadow And Bone Trilogy and so I don't feel as much of a connection to the Darkling. Despite this, I am still very much intrigued and very excited to see where it goes.
Overall, I think this was a well written book with good characters and a hooking plot, though it did get a little slow at times, especially during Nina’s POVs. I also suggest you read the Shadow And Bone Trilogy like everyone else suggests and maybe don't make stupid choices like me.
This book follows quite a few POVs: Nikolai, Zoya and Nina being the main three with Isaak coming in later into the book. I don't mind reading multiple POVs, but some people maybe get muddled so just be aware of that.
The characters are honestly just amazing. Each one has their own troubles and strengths and backgrounds that I thoroughly enjoyed piecing together throughout the book. I also love the way characters interact, particularly the banter between Nikolai and Zoya. I absolutely do ship them and I have no qualms about it.
Each character is just so unique and it actually really helps me to differentiate them from each others especially if some have similar names. However, I will admit that I was getting very muddled at the beginning as there are just a lot of characters to wrap your head around especially if you have a horrific memory like I do.
I also found myself being a little confused for a while when I first started the book about what was going on, though this could definitely be because I haven't read the Shadow And Bone Trilogy and don't really remember much from the Six Of Crows Duology (like I said… bad memory). However as the book carried on, I found myself piecing things together about how Grisha work and the world that these characters lived in. It was a slow process as things get revealed gradually but I quite like that. Better than the info dumping in my opinion.
The plot already had me fascinated from the first few chapters. I was still trying to figure out what the heck was happening and that kept me quite intrigued. I will admit that some parts of the plot were a little slow and I did find my attention wandering a little, however it overall had me entertained.
I usually don't really enjoy the political side of books, however I found that this was easy to follow and understand and it wasn't too overwhelming. There was a good balance of politics and physical action taking place. The end had quite a bit of action and so I sped through those pages.
I have mixed feelings about the ending. I was hooked, and I will absolutely be moving onto the Rule Of Wolves. However, from what I've gathered, the Darkling was a previous villain in the Shadow And Bone Trilogy and so I don't feel as much of a connection to the Darkling. Despite this, I am still very much intrigued and very excited to see where it goes.
Overall, I think this was a well written book with good characters and a hooking plot, though it did get a little slow at times, especially during Nina’s POVs. I also suggest you read the Shadow And Bone Trilogy like everyone else suggests and maybe don't make stupid choices like me.