lis4so's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Drug use, Gun violence, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Gore, Addiction, and Grief
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, War, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery
Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Bullying, Rape, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, War, Torture, Slavery, and Vomit
meg_'s review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
Overall I enjoyed this book and just really love anything within the Grishaverse. I will say, I was not expecting the plot to take the turn it did because I honestly was expecting the main focus of the book to be Nikolai navigating the political dynamics within his invitation to his neighboring countries to Ravka while keeping his infliction a secret, but when he and Zoya disappeared into the fold, it became less interesting to me. The whole plot point with the saints was just not something I enjoyed personally, but it ended in such a way that kept me interested and intrigued. Also I am super invested in Nina's plot line and the twist that occurred closer to the end of the book regarding who she encounters.
The thing I loved most about this book was the characters and their development, which is honestly what I love about Leigh Bardugo's writing and the Grishaverse as a whole. After reading this story I am absolutely obsessed with Zoya as a character. She is such a powerful female character who does not apologize for taking up space or occupying her positions of power and simultaneously does not shy away from her femininity which I love. She is also full of female rage which is relatable and endears her to me even more. Beyond that, I found her storyline and her process of managing her grief throughout this story was so well done.
The thing I loved most about this book was the characters and their development, which is honestly what I love about Leigh Bardugo's writing and the Grishaverse as a whole. After reading this story I am absolutely obsessed with Zoya as a character. She is such a powerful female character who does not apologize for taking up space or occupying her positions of power and simultaneously does not shy away from her femininity which I love. She is also full of female rage which is relatable and endears her to me even more. Beyond that, I found her storyline and her process of managing her grief throughout this story was so well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Trafficking, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt
britgirlreading's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Suicide attempt, Death, Injury/injury detail, Death of parent, and Child death
syd991's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ugh. Leigh Bardugo, why do you write such amazing books?!
After reading (and loving) the other Grishaverse series, the first book of this duology did not disappoint.
Like all of Bardugo’s books (at least in my opinion), I found the beginning a bit slow, but as soon as you move past the first 100-150 pages, the story picks up in such a dramatic fashion. To Bardugo’s credit, this is an entirely new story, separate in its own right from the previous books. Establishing the current state of Ravka and where each character is at mentally does take time.
But god, I loved Nikolai’s sarcasm and humour which filled the book (A particular favourite of mine is a stint about a spider in a suit). The characters developed in this book are exactly what I needed, and what I believe the Grishaverse needed.
Readers, do be warned, you do need to read ALL of the Grishaverse books (Shadow and Bone series and Six of Crows series, at the very least), as the plot and various events will most likely not make sense, and you will also spoil major elements in both series. I also read the collection of Grishaverse short stories prior to this, and I will say it was a nice addition, but I don’t feel it necessary. I can also imagine the Lives of Saints book might give you additional information, but I have not yet read it, but the elements were explained in an easy to comprehend manner.
This book reminds me more of Six of Crows, fast-paced and intricate, with such an amazing story. I’ve had to immediately pick up the sequel, Rule of Wolves.
After reading (and loving) the other Grishaverse series, the first book of this duology did not disappoint.
Like all of Bardugo’s books (at least in my opinion), I found the beginning a bit slow, but as soon as you move past the first 100-150 pages, the story picks up in such a dramatic fashion. To Bardugo’s credit, this is an entirely new story, separate in its own right from the previous books. Establishing the current state of Ravka and where each character is at mentally does take time.
But god, I loved Nikolai’s sarcasm and humour which filled the book (A particular favourite of mine is a stint about a spider in a suit). The characters developed in this book are exactly what I needed, and what I believe the Grishaverse needed.
Readers, do be warned, you do need to read ALL of the Grishaverse books (Shadow and Bone series and Six of Crows series, at the very least), as the plot and various events will most likely not make sense, and you will also spoil major elements in both series. I also read the collection of Grishaverse short stories prior to this, and I will say it was a nice addition, but I don’t feel it necessary. I can also imagine the Lives of Saints book might give you additional information, but I have not yet read it, but the elements were explained in an easy to comprehend manner.
This book reminds me more of Six of Crows, fast-paced and intricate, with such an amazing story. I’ve had to immediately pick up the sequel, Rule of Wolves.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Injury/injury detail, Infertility, Child death, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Suicide attempt
aaround132's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
they say dont judge a book by its cover and they are not wrong. the cover is absolutely stunning but the book is just ok. it's not bad at all, but i cant say it's my favourite
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
lxxnne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body shaming, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death, Blood, and Addiction
pagebypaigereviews's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.5
The new King of Ravka is not what he seems.
"The monster is me and I am the monster."
After the Darkling's defeat, Nikolai ushers in a new era of peace and ingenuity. But he and his most trusted allies are harboring a dark secret from the masses: Nikolai has not completely recovered from the Darkling's curse, and the monster inside him constantly battles him for control. Meanwhile Nina works undercover in enemy territory, carrying precious cargo. Something dark calls to her, persistent enough to convince her not to give in to the sorrow that threatens to consume her.
King of Scars is the first of the newest series in the Grishaverse. This was a highly anticipated read, as the main character, Nikolai, is one of my all-time favorite characters. Even so, it was a bit of a slow start for me, and I actually ended up putting it down for a while before coming back to it, but I'm so glad I did!
As always, I adore Bardugo's writing style, but the plot and character development in this book were the best I've seen thus far. Her characters are so easy to get attached to. The magic in this series is on another level compared to the other Grishaverse books! I was pulled in to the story once it got going. It had me alternatively laughing and fighting tears, such was the emotional journey.
The hardest part for me was seeing Nikolai not always acting like the character I knew and loved from the other books. Since he is a main character, we get much more from him than just his witty charm, and reading about his inner turmoil was a little different than what I expected. Also, some of the content may be disturbing to younger readers, so I would highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings before reading.
Overall, I gave it 4.5 / 5 stars! This is by far my favorite book in the Grishaverse series so far and I am excited to get my hands on the next book, Rule of Wolves!
"The monster is me and I am the monster."
After the Darkling's defeat, Nikolai ushers in a new era of peace and ingenuity. But he and his most trusted allies are harboring a dark secret from the masses: Nikolai has not completely recovered from the Darkling's curse, and the monster inside him constantly battles him for control. Meanwhile Nina works undercover in enemy territory, carrying precious cargo. Something dark calls to her, persistent enough to convince her not to give in to the sorrow that threatens to consume her.
King of Scars is the first of the newest series in the Grishaverse. This was a highly anticipated read, as the main character, Nikolai, is one of my all-time favorite characters. Even so, it was a bit of a slow start for me, and I actually ended up putting it down for a while before coming back to it, but I'm so glad I did!
As always, I adore Bardugo's writing style, but the plot and character development in this book were the best I've seen thus far. Her characters are so easy to get attached to. The magic in this series is on another level compared to the other Grishaverse books! I was pulled in to the story once it got going. It had me alternatively laughing and fighting tears, such was the emotional journey.
The hardest part for me was seeing Nikolai not always acting like the character I knew and loved from the other books. Since he is a main character, we get much more from him than just his witty charm, and reading about his inner turmoil was a little different than what I expected. Also, some of the content may be disturbing to younger readers, so I would highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings before reading.
Overall, I gave it 4.5 / 5 stars! This is by far my favorite book in the Grishaverse series so far and I am excited to get my hands on the next book, Rule of Wolves!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse
citymouse's review against another edition
3.0
Nina deserves to have her own series and her story entwined with Nikolai makes quite literally no sense. The book was good, but I would have preferred to see them as individual books rather than alternating between stories many lands apart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Trafficking
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Infertility, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
More...