kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
My heart is so full after finishing this book. It honestly broke me at times but it has also brought me so much joy. What an excellent way to end a series - with a finale, but with scope for so much more.
The characters I fell in love with from the start of their respective series' all returned in some way, shape or form and their stories overlapped so perfectly I am in awe. I laughed, I cried, my heart was broken and was filled with joy and love.
This is a 5-star story for me, however, I found my version of the book was riddled with pre-print typos (specifically words that had accidental spaces in the middle of them, and one or two words missing letters) and that took me out of the story a bit which is disappointing.
The characters I fell in love with from the start of their respective series' all returned in some way, shape or form and their stories overlapped so perfectly I am in awe. I laughed, I cried, my heart was broken and was filled with joy and love.
This is a 5-star story for me, however, I found my version of the book was riddled with pre-print typos (specifically words that had accidental spaces in the middle of them, and one or two words missing letters) and that took me out of the story a bit which is disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Alcohol, Rape, and Suicide
eguare's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
3.75
I enjoyed this more than the original Shadow & Bone trilogy, not as much as the Six of Crows duology. This book was a happy return for beloved characters, but I wasn't always happy with where they went. I loved seeing Nikolai and Zoya continue to develop as characters, .
Spoiler
While I loved hearing more from Nina, I was heartbroken that the found family of the Crows broke up so thoroughly after Crooked Kingdom and didn't find themselves back together by the end of this duology. It was also too soon after Matthias to enjoy Nina's new relationship with Hanne. Though I adore that Nina is canonically bisexual and Hanne canonically trans, I don't personally feel that Nina would be happy living forever as someone else in a country that wasn't hers, away from her friends.Spoiler
both independently and togetherSpoiler
Personally, I could see the ending piece as either a cliffhanger, or as a happy goodbye to the audience, making it clear that our beloved characters will live on and get up to all kinds of shenanigans together, even if we aren't there with them to experience it with them. I do strongly hope that we're there with them, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Grief, and Addiction
alyssadavis's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-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
3.25
Nikolai had promised to do better, to build something new. But in the end, all his inventions and diplomacy had come down to this: a brawl in the dirt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: War, Grief, Abandonment, Death, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Rape, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, and Drug abuse
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, War, and Addiction
Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, Confinement, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault and Infertility
sxndaze's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
It’s rare that I enjoy sequels more, but Leigh Bardugo really delivers. It was interesting to explore Fjerda and Shu Han more and understand the political conflicts of this universe. I loved getting to revisit old characters and see where they are now. It’s a wonderful way to wrap up the grishaverse while also leaving it open for a potential future. Nothing beats the SOC duology, but it was fun and enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Torture, and War
peggy_racham's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing ending to the saga. Did not expect to cry so much but everything that happens is handled with outmost care. These characters will be in my heart forever
(TW: mention of past almost child marriage, arranged marriages, racism all brief. Other tw are more described but all well handled)
(TW: mention of past almost child marriage, arranged marriages, racism all brief. Other tw are more described but all well handled)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, and War
Minor: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Adult/minor relationship
marine2907's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, Medical content, Drug use, Death, Grief, Violence, Addiction, Body horror, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, War, Alcohol, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
jessiereads98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Leigh Bardugo’s best work. The world she’s built through the past 2 duologies comes together beautifully here. Seeing past characters again was a delight. The pacing here is also consistent rather than shoving a bunch of action into the final 100 pages. My heart was repeatedly broken and put back together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Medical content, Genocide, Slavery, Body horror, Torture, Confinement, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Addiction, and Alcohol
andra_mihaela_s's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5 stars!
In this sequel we continue the story from book 1 after some time has passed. We try to deal with the aftermath of The Darkling's revival and the problems up north with the Fjerdans that Nina send word.
This one was a slow start...I don't reread books that often and for 200pages a was quite bored:(
We have the following perspectives alternating via chapters as Leigh Bardugo usually does:(in order of how much I liked them): Mayu, Nikolai, Zoya,The Monk and Nina.
CW: experimentation; violence; war crimes; drug use;
The atmosphere was tense and really good(a plus that arises from the author's writing style...so if you enjoyed that in other books by her...you'll like it here as well )
But when it comes to the plot....i feel that we had too much on our plates for most of the book...we have the workings of a war with Fjerda(battles, espionage, secrets revealed and all that); we have the political problem that Mayu created in the last book that is mixed in with some morality issues and suffering by people; we have the strange happenings that are connected to the fold somehow; we have the Darkling and his agenda; we have Nina's mission and her relationship with Hanne AND we have Nikolai and Zoya's dynamic to account for....pretty much if you ask me.
I will admit that all of this have a good/ good enough conclusion by the end..but it definitely feels like the author left a BIG door..more like a gate...>..>...to come back and add more books...and I don't know if they're necessary:(
As I said...in the first 200pages the pacing was rough...I kept reading this one due to the chapter /perspective carusel: I constantly found myself wanting to know more about what character was doing. After that...things started to pick up..we have a war on our hands and Hanne and Nina's story started to take shape into something a FINALLY began to enjoy...loved how Hanne managed to achieve a form she felt comfortable in at last.^^
I also enjoyed Mayu's development even though she wasn't necessary the main focus. But despite these praises...I FIRMLY BELIEVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WAS LACKING , especially for the lesser known POVs :(
We have 2 sad/ shocking moments in the book..one in Ravka and one with the Fjerdans and i must say...that these 2 cannot hold the whole book....-_-
We also have a small part with some beloved characters and a deeply enjoyed them.
Zoya's insecurities were really good and explored as were Nikolai's but...still...not enough to justify the why they had such a struggle in regards to their relationship until the end....>..>
I also hoped for more Darkling..and I understand what the author tried to do with him...but yeah...not sure if I like the ending.
Overall, I expected a little bit more character work..the action scenes were nicely done and mostly landed well for me. I enjoyed that Fjerda's people were presented as more than frightened monsters towards Grisha(but I wanted more complexity from Prince Rasmus, the Queen and Hanne's family..especially her family..>..>); Mayu's side of things were explored well enough although I felt potential in regards to the Shu Han story that wasn't realised; the religion bit was nice and the crossover with other important characters in this universe was great! ^^
I recommend this book if you've read the first book and want to be up-to-date, but be aware you'll finish this book and feel not completely satisfied.
Enjoy
In this sequel we continue the story from book 1 after some time has passed. We try to deal with the aftermath of The Darkling's revival and the problems up north with the Fjerdans that Nina send word.
This one was a slow start...I don't reread books that often and for 200pages a was quite bored:(
We have the following perspectives alternating via chapters as Leigh Bardugo usually does:(in order of how much I liked them): Mayu, Nikolai, Zoya,The Monk and Nina.
CW: experimentation; violence; war crimes; drug use;
The atmosphere was tense and really good(a plus that arises from the author's writing style...so if you enjoyed that in other books by her...you'll like it here as well )
But when it comes to the plot....i feel that we had too much on our plates for most of the book...we have the workings of a war with Fjerda(battles, espionage, secrets revealed and all that); we have the political problem that Mayu created in the last book that is mixed in with some morality issues and suffering by people; we have the strange happenings that are connected to the fold somehow; we have the Darkling and his agenda; we have Nina's mission and her relationship with Hanne AND we have Nikolai and Zoya's dynamic to account for....pretty much if you ask me.
I will admit that all of this have a good/ good enough conclusion by the end..but it definitely feels like the author left a BIG door..more like a gate...>..>...to come back and add more books...and I don't know if they're necessary:(
As I said...in the first 200pages the pacing was rough...I kept reading this one due to the chapter /perspective carusel: I constantly found myself wanting to know more about what character was doing. After that...things started to pick up..we have a war on our hands and Hanne and Nina's story started to take shape into something a FINALLY began to enjoy...loved how Hanne managed to achieve a form she felt comfortable in at last.^^
I also enjoyed Mayu's development even though she wasn't necessary the main focus. But despite these praises...I FIRMLY BELIEVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WAS LACKING , especially for the lesser known POVs :(
We have 2 sad/ shocking moments in the book..one in Ravka and one with the Fjerdans and i must say...that these 2 cannot hold the whole book....-_-
We also have a small part with some beloved characters and a deeply enjoyed them.
Zoya's insecurities were really good and explored as were Nikolai's but...still...not enough to justify the why they had such a struggle in regards to their relationship until the end....>..>
I also hoped for more Darkling..and I understand what the author tried to do with him...but yeah...not sure if I like the ending.
Overall, I expected a little bit more character work..the action scenes were nicely done and mostly landed well for me. I enjoyed that Fjerda's people were presented as more than frightened monsters towards Grisha(but I wanted more complexity from Prince Rasmus, the Queen and Hanne's family..especially her family..>..>); Mayu's side of things were explored well enough although I felt potential in regards to the Shu Han story that wasn't realised; the religion bit was nice and the crossover with other important characters in this universe was great! ^^
I recommend this book if you've read the first book and want to be up-to-date, but be aware you'll finish this book and feel not completely satisfied.
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, Murder, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Grief, Drug use, Gaslighting, Addiction, War, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Racism, Infertility, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Slavery
micaelamariem's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.0
At 600 pages, it could definitely been cut in half—for example, I really don’t think Mayu’s point of view was necessary or added much to the plot line. I did love Nikolai and Zoya, and while I didn’t live for Nina’s pov, in the end I was glad for it. I also loved seeing the crows again, in various ways, though the fact we barely saw Inej gave the distinct feeling of a show having a reunion that one actor was too busy to join. Alina showing up and literally doing nothing also gave that reunion vibe. So it was a little boring but I didn’t hate it. However, the ending gives me hope we will see the crows back in full action again and I am all here for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Murder, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, and War