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A review by allygator
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I haven't reacted this viscerally to a book in a long time. I cried, I screamed, I screeched, I laughed, I rolled around on my floor. I had an amazing time reading this. I couldn't put it down; I was so invested in what happened to these characters that I've grown to love so much. I felt every pain that they felt like I was there with them. It was so much fun, and it reminded me exactly why I love Leigh Bardugo's books so much. The way she writes plots and characters keeps me wholly engaged -- I can't help but try and figure out what's going to happen and keep reading to see if my theories were correct.
And God, do these characters own my soul. They are so well written and fully fleshed out; I haven't had such a huge connection to characters in YA fantasy in a long time. I love how Bardugo fed fans of the whole Grishaverse by throwing in cameos and mentions of characters from other books in the universe, not just the Nikolai Duology.When Nikolai and Zoya went to Ketterdam and had a little mini heist with (most of) the Crows I felt so alive. It was so much fun and I felt so full of joy. In the same vein, Nina constantly mentioning the Ice Court while she was there with Hanne made me so nostalgic for reading Six of Crows for the first time. And seeing Alina and Mal happy with Misha made me so happy! So many fun cameos there's no way I can name them all lol.
I think I want to do a little rundown of my favorite characters and what made me love them so much in this book:
NIKOLAI: God, I love this spunky little king. He's so brave and so cocky and he is one of the reasons I have a massive thing for blonde royalty. He goes through so much throughout this book and I am in awe of how he takes everything in stride, no matter how difficult it is. And despite how much his resilience is shown throughout this, I also love how vulnerable he is when we're in his head. How much he cares about his country and the people in it bleeds through every word he says. He hurts, and he judges himself, and he is at his core just a young man doing his best to keep his life afloat. Also, I too am head over heels in love with Zoya, so I relate to him immensely in that regard.I too would make Zoya the queen of my country. (On a more serious note, I love that he realized that it was best for him to give up the crown. We love a man who is aware that he isn't always the best person to lead a room.)
ZOYA: Zoya, my beloved badass babe. She is unapologetically callous and bold and I love that for her. She is everything I aspire to be. I love how confident she is and how brutally strong she is. I love how she, like Nikolai, is also vulnerable and scared of her past and her future and what might happen to her and the ones she loves.I love that she is quite literally a dragon. She is a female character I wish a younger me could have had because she would have made me much less afraid of showing the more angry side of myself.
Nina: I love that she allowed herself to grieve while still allowing herself to grow and move on from the person she was when Matthias was alive. She clearly still loves him, but she also knows that she doesn't want to be hung up on him for the rest of her life, and I'm glad she was able to realize that and find a new person to love. I do think that her starting to dateHanne was a little bit rushed, but I'm not upset about it.
Hanne: I'm going to use they/them pronouns for Hanne because even if it's not truly canon they're not a cis woman. They state that they feel better when dressed and acting like a man, and that's not very cisgender of them. I love that they got to grow as a human being and a Grisha without having to leave Fjerda, which is very much their home. I love that they grew to realize their internalized hatred of others wasn't okay and worked to fix it.
Genya: I simply cannot get over how strong this woman is. I am in awe of her resilience and how much she endures without losing her optimism and love of her country and the people around her. I don't think there's a character like her in any other book I've read, and I know I'll spend a long time chasing a woman in YA that I love as much as her. She is a scarred, beautiful woman who has been through an immense amount of trauma and still pours out love. She is absolutely incredible.
David: My sweet, sweet David. He is a perfect man. He is so kind and so in love with Genya and I can't get over the fact that he keeps a notebook of things he loves about her and compliments she likes to receive so that he can make her feel as appreciated as she deserves.I am not over his death and I don't think I ever will be. Really angry at Leigh Bardugo for that one.
Is that enough ranting about characters? I think so. I definitely think so. I'll talk about ships briefly and then I promise I'm done.
I didn't think that Bardugo would ever write a couple that rivaled Kanej in my heart, but she did. Twice. David and Genya were a pairing that I adored in the original trilogy, but I grew to absolutely adore them in this duology. They broke my heart and pieced it back together and I love them so much (but not more than they love each other -- that might be impossible). And of course I can't talk about this book without talking about the absolute slow-burn masterpiece that is Zoyalai. THE PINING. God, the pining almost drove me insane. I was yelling at them to pull themselves together and just admit they love each other. When they finally kissed I screeched and had to take a break to settle myself down because I was so excited.
TLDR: I can't believe it took me so long to read this duology. It was everything I wanted and more. I anticipated the time I had to sit down and read it. If you like the Grishaverse please, please pick this up and read it. It won't disappoint.
Also, what was up with that last chapter? Are we getting a Six of Crows 3? Are we getting a new duology? I'm desperate for more and am (im)patiently waiting for Leigh Bardugo to say something about it.
And God, do these characters own my soul. They are so well written and fully fleshed out; I haven't had such a huge connection to characters in YA fantasy in a long time. I love how Bardugo fed fans of the whole Grishaverse by throwing in cameos and mentions of characters from other books in the universe, not just the Nikolai Duology.
I think I want to do a little rundown of my favorite characters and what made me love them so much in this book:
NIKOLAI: God, I love this spunky little king. He's so brave and so cocky and he is one of the reasons I have a massive thing for blonde royalty. He goes through so much throughout this book and I am in awe of how he takes everything in stride, no matter how difficult it is. And despite how much his resilience is shown throughout this, I also love how vulnerable he is when we're in his head. How much he cares about his country and the people in it bleeds through every word he says. He hurts, and he judges himself, and he is at his core just a young man doing his best to keep his life afloat. Also, I too am head over heels in love with Zoya, so I relate to him immensely in that regard.
ZOYA: Zoya, my beloved badass babe. She is unapologetically callous and bold and I love that for her. She is everything I aspire to be. I love how confident she is and how brutally strong she is. I love how she, like Nikolai, is also vulnerable and scared of her past and her future and what might happen to her and the ones she loves.
Nina: I love that she allowed herself to grieve while still allowing herself to grow and move on from the person she was when Matthias was alive. She clearly still loves him, but she also knows that she doesn't want to be hung up on him for the rest of her life, and I'm glad she was able to realize that and find a new person to love. I do think that her starting to date
Hanne: I'm going to use they/them pronouns for Hanne because even if it's not truly canon they're not a cis woman. They state that they feel better when dressed and acting like a man, and that's not very cisgender of them. I love that they got to grow as a human being and a Grisha without having to leave Fjerda, which is very much their home. I love that they grew to realize their internalized hatred of others wasn't okay and worked to fix it.
Genya: I simply cannot get over how strong this woman is. I am in awe of her resilience and how much she endures without losing her optimism and love of her country and the people around her. I don't think there's a character like her in any other book I've read, and I know I'll spend a long time chasing a woman in YA that I love as much as her. She is a scarred, beautiful woman who has been through an immense amount of trauma and still pours out love. She is absolutely incredible.
David: My sweet, sweet David. He is a perfect man. He is so kind and so in love with Genya and I can't get over the fact that he keeps a notebook of things he loves about her and compliments she likes to receive so that he can make her feel as appreciated as she deserves.
Is that enough ranting about characters? I think so. I definitely think so. I'll talk about ships briefly and then I promise I'm done.
I didn't think that Bardugo would ever write a couple that rivaled Kanej in my heart, but she did. Twice. David and Genya were a pairing that I adored in the original trilogy, but I grew to absolutely adore them in this duology. They broke my heart and pieced it back together and I love them so much (but not more than they love each other -- that might be impossible). And of course I can't talk about this book without talking about the absolute slow-burn masterpiece that is Zoyalai. THE PINING. God, the pining almost drove me insane. I was yelling at them to pull themselves together and just admit they love each other. When they finally kissed I screeched and had to take a break to settle myself down because I was so excited.
TLDR: I can't believe it took me so long to read this duology. It was everything I wanted and more. I anticipated the time I had to sit down and read it. If you like the Grishaverse please, please pick this up and read it. It won't disappoint.
Also, what was up with that last chapter? Are we getting a Six of Crows 3? Are we getting a new duology? I'm desperate for more and am (im)patiently waiting for Leigh Bardugo to say something about it.