A review by katemc
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I think I’ll round up because I really liked this despite the plot meandering at times lol.
I think I just really, really like this world! I’ve really enjoyed all the books I’ve read and this is no exception. It was great to be back with the Ravkan cast and I loooove following Nikolai and Zoya. There’s always good dialogue, snappy banter, good fight scenes, decent intrigue, and good twists and turns.
My critiques are the same as almost every book! The plot meandered a bit - I wasn’t quite sure where this duology was heading and it takes several major directional shifts that totally change the overall plot arc. They’re good! I’m engaged by the plot. But not necessarily set up super … cohesively, maybe? Maybe it’s that the aims at the outset (save and stabilize Ravka in this one) become disregarded or irrelevant almost around the very specific plots that do end up emerging. The other critique is that POVs are so very third person that the perspective doesn’t always feel specific to the person whose POV it is. Probably Bardugo’s biggest area for improvement, especially with the smaller POV cast this series.
But overall I just really like this world and will read p much anything in it and enjoy it lol.
I think I just really, really like this world! I’ve really enjoyed all the books I’ve read and this is no exception. It was great to be back with the Ravkan cast and I loooove following Nikolai and Zoya. There’s always good dialogue, snappy banter, good fight scenes, decent intrigue, and good twists and turns.
My critiques are the same as almost every book! The plot meandered a bit - I wasn’t quite sure where this duology was heading and it takes several major directional shifts that totally change the overall plot arc. They’re good! I’m engaged by the plot. But not necessarily set up super … cohesively, maybe? Maybe it’s that the aims at the outset (save and stabilize Ravka in this one) become disregarded or irrelevant almost around the very specific plots that do end up emerging. The other critique is that POVs are so very third person that the perspective doesn’t always feel specific to the person whose POV it is. Probably Bardugo’s biggest area for improvement, especially with the smaller POV cast this series.
But overall I just really like this world and will read p much anything in it and enjoy it lol.