peggy_racham's review
5.0
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Body horror, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Animal death
spaghettii's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Child death, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Addiction, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexism, Death, Drug use, and Torture
ali_debookness's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Self harm, Slavery, and War
aklovekorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Violence
megangilbert's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism
kimqwin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I honest to god really liked it! It was so much fun getting to see old characters again. I've always loved Nikolai, and I enjoyed his banter so much here. I love his relationship with Zoya. A bunch of reviews say that their relationship feels forced, but for me the it was really believable. They felt like an authentic slow burn, and I like the way they grew on each other. I didn't like Zoya in the Grisha trilogy, but here I got to really understand her character more, and I now like her a lot better.
I liked the quotes about growth, grief, trauma, and healing. The writing style here was explicit. The only thing I find lacking was the connection between Nina's and Nikolai + the gang's POV. It didnt quite make sense to me as to why Nina's POVs were put in the same book? They dont even relate to each other, I couldve skipped Nina's POVs and understood Nikolai's side fine. Some people say it's a set up for Rule of Wolves, so I guess I'll give it a shot.
Speaking of Nina, I love how fruity she is here 😆 Also, I lost someone dear to me recently and her journey through her grief really resonates with me. I can't wait to see what happens next.
I'm rating this 5 stars despite the lack of continuity between Nikolai + Nina's arcs, just because I love this world and I miss being in it :>
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
jessicax941's review
- 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
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Death
claudiamacpherson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay I know that everyone loves the <i>Six of Crows</i> duology best in the Grishaverse but...I think I might actually prefer <i>King of Scars</i> and <i>Rule of Wolves</i> (review to come)! This book started out a little slow but picked right up and then I could NOT put it down. The tension between Nikolai and Zoya is immaculate, and literally any scene with Nikolai bantering with one of his friends makes my heart explode. Even more than that (if that’s possible), I loved Nina’s storyline as she deals with her grief and throws herself headlong into every dangerous situation she can find.
Spoiler
I am also obsessed with her relationship with Hanne...it might actually be my very favorite wlw relationship that I’ve read!Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):
Spoiler
Cliffhanger, of course, because this is Leigh Bardugo and there’s a sequel on the way. Thank god I picked it up almost immediately!Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Being back in the Grishaverse was a delight, but so was reading Bardugo's writing again. It is wonderfully descriptive, and her plot development here is truly on another level in comparison to Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. I really enjoyed seeing her expand her world-building, and she REALLY knows how to write incredible endings.
I docked a half-star for two reasons. The first is that I felt extremely disconnected from Nikolai, to the point where (shockingly, given he was one of my favourite characters in Shadow and Bone), I was dreading his POV chapters. The second is that for the first half of this book the plot felt a little directionless in that I didn't really know what the book was going to be about until like 250 pages in.
Spoiler
Also, the return of the Darkling kind of feels like a cheap enemy and I'm worried about how it's going to impact my enjoyment of Rule of Wolves.Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, and War
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Vomit
brokencastles's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Torture
Moderate: Addiction and Fatphobia