King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo Book Review
“Re’b Ravka, they shouted. Korol Rezni. Son of Ravka. King of Scars.”
(pg. 116)
About
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Fantasy
Series: King of Scars Duology book 1
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Six of Crows Book Reviews
Synopsis
Face your demons… or feed them.
The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war–and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried–and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.
Review
Spoilers Contained Below
‼️ My King of Scars book review also contains spoiler if you have not read the Grisha Trilogy or Six of Crows Duology ‼️
To those who want a better Ravka,
Another day, another awful war in Ravka 😅.
Gosh, you would think everyone would get to live in peace after the Dark War or whatever it was called, but there was work to do still. I really liked the idea of seeing what happens after the savior saves the world because after most trilogies, we don’t know. Again, we assume that everyone gets to live in peace but most times that is not the case when a whole system or place was demolished, meaning something had to be rebuilt. I also really liked how we already know these characters so well, so it wasn’t hard for me to fall into being interested in their storylines/arcs. I also enjoyed how Leigh Bardugo opened up new facets of the Grishaverse in King of Scars—more about Saints and the other border countries.
The thing about King of Scars was that the story was slower-paced and very heavy with rebuilding a nation. There’s nothing wrong with a slower-paced book, however, I will admit, my mind kept going back to the Six of Crows duology and how fast-paced and adventurous the story line was. So often times when I was reading King of Scars, I could just feel the slower pace like a wagon pulled behind me. Not in a bad way, just different because King of Scars wasn’t a high-packed heist book with criminals, but naturally a world re-building storyline. So the pace wasn’t bad and it was not fair of me to compare the pace, but the story did move along slowly if I’m being honest. Again, not in a bad way.
King of Scars primarily follows the three perspectives of Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina after the Dark War and everything in Ketterdam. I am going to write this review based on the three main characters and their plot lines because I felt like that would make the most sense in this review. Then I will do a plot review of the ending where the perspectives kind of intertwined.
Overall, I enjoyed King of Scars for its sense of hope and passion. I also loved seeing more of these characters in a different light—where they feel more human or vulnerable. Oftentimes, I forgot that Nina wasn’t a Crow before she was a Grisha 😅. The story built up well with action and learning more about the Grisha world. The ending . . . oooooooh we need to talk about that ending though 👏🏼!.
Anyway, let’s get into all things King of Scars.
❄️🧇🐺 Nina Zenik / Mila Jandersdat ❄️🧇🐺
“Nina turned back toward camp. There was nothing fo fit but to start marching again. But before she could take a step, she saw them—five hulking shapes in the snow. Wolves.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Matthias, your country can kiss my fat Grisha a**.'”
(pg. 161)
The last time we saw Nina, she was with the Crows mourning . . .
No mourners, no funerals.
But this time, Nina still had to bury the body of her loved one, Matthias Helvar 🥺💔.
Nina was placed in Fjerda as Mila Jandersdat as a Ravka spy. Her features were altered so she had blonde hair and blue eyes—an exterior that aligned more of what a Fjerdan woman looked like. She was posted with Leoni who was a talented Fabrikator and who could make poisons and cures. She was joined by Adrik whose sister was Nadia, Tamar’s wife. Adrik lost one of his arms in the Dark War, but was an excellent warrior with a bit of a melancholy disposition, which I get after everything everyone had been through.
I felt kind of sad that we changed Nina’s features because everything about Nina was Nina, and I love Nina. But one thing I felt was distinctly different was Nina’s fervor, her spunk. I could tell that there was a sorrow that hovered over her like a lingering dark cloud that tainted over hope and light. I knew why some of her spunk was gone, but I was heartbroken to know why. She lost the love of her life.
“‘She’s a merry child,’ Baba Inessa had told the woman in her red kofta. ‘Try not to break her of it.’
. . .War hadn’t done it. Captivity. Torture. But loss was something different because she saw no end to it, only the far horizon, stretching on and on.”
(pg. 139)
I always wondered after Crooked Kingdom how Nina would fare after losing someone precious to her, and can I just say, I wanted to so badly give Nina a hug. In the beginning, she would have these monologues with Matthias’s thoughts, which I really felt were her thoughts projected as what she thought he would say to her in the moment. She was processing losing someone who was her voice of reason, and now that he was gone, she still needed his guidance to see her though this ache in her heart 🥺. Nina kept putting off burying Matthias because she didn’t want to say goodbye to him forever—that he would no longer be with her. But she knew that she did need to let go to return his body to Djel just as he wanted. Also, she was waiting for the right place to bury him.
When it was time to bury Matthias, the moment just brought back so many beautiful and aching memories of how much Matthias had grown as a person. He truly became someone who I loved whole-heartedly for his heart and the good he saw in others—that he was willing to open his mind and see the world differently because he just wanted a better world. He was a good, honorable man. I teared up the whole time Nina was laying Matthias’s body to rest and her whole speech about the solider and hero he was. My heart kind of broke thinking about how no one but the Crows, Adrik, and Leoni knew that Matthias had passed away. I wonder if his parents ever cared what happened to their son or they didn’t care because he was a traitor to his country. But he should have had people who knew and loved him there besides just Nina. Also, I felt like Nina shouldn’t have been alone when her heart was so fractured—no one should be alone in their grief. But there was also something special about Nina having this moment alone with Matthias to say goodbye because she loved him more than anyone could ever know. I like to think Matthias was with her that day as a spirit, holding her shoulder as she said goodbye to him and the voice in her head.
After saying goodbye, Nina focused on her mission in Fjerda and what she felt called to with her new Grisha power.
There was a moment when Nina was thinking about her grief, and she also thought about how she got her Grisha powers. I liked hearing Nina’s power origin story because it is interesting to learn how the main characters we know and love grew up. There’s a similarity in most of them being orphans, which breaks my heart that they grew up without love, but having to learn what love is. Or unfortunately, what hate was if they were not lucky to receive love from others. Nina grew up in an orphanage with no papers or history where she was raised by Baba Inessa and a group of children. I wanted to slap whoever called Nina fat ☹️!! What bullies!!! It was the constant bullying she received that made her angry, and brought about discovering her powers when she would mess with her bully by making him hiccup or giving him stomach aches. I mean, don’t mess with my girl Nina because she is a fighter 👏🏼. But I just loved hearing how even as a young age, Nina still had so much fire and spunk in her, and that through everything, the world didn’t break her. Every hardship made her harder and fiercer.
But when love left, it left a scar.
Nina’s mission in Fjerda was kind of insane–like Kaz Brekker would be proud, insane. I honestly loved when Nina would think of her Crows or whenever she would think about what Kaz would do.
Haha, What Would Kaz Brekker do 😂? That’s the motto. That is it.
I loved being in Fjerda to actually see what the people and lifestyle were like. I knew that just because a few people were absolutely vile *cough cough Jarl Brum cough cough** didn’t mean that all Fjerdan’s sucked. But they also did suck for capturing Grisha and killing them when that anger and hate stemmed mostly from fear. I understood their anger and fear, but also Grisha were just people. Sure, they had powers that could be used as weapons/pose as dangerous, but they were only protecting themselves out of the same emotion that made Fjerdan’s label them as witches—fear. If only people didn’t let their fear drive their hate. But those two feelings go hand-in-hand a lot, doesn’t it.
Nina’s new power was something I kind of low-key forgot 😅. Instead of being a traditional Heartrender, she could speak and control the sea, which is soo cool when you think about it. Not sorry. I mean, it sucked the way Nina had to battle the parem addiction, but gosh, her power was so unique.
With her new power, she kept hearing voices by this old faculty in the new part of Fjerda they were in. She didn’t know what was calling to her, but it had to do with something in this mysterious factory that was near the river that was poisoned. Nina, Leoni, and Adrik were thinking that Fjerda were using the faculty to test weapons and all the weapon debris went into the waiter, tainting it from other people drinking the water. However, what was going on in the faulty was much more horrible and morbid.
This factory was breeding Grisha woman addicted to a parem concoction. The Fjerdan people kidnapped Grisha women and gave them doses of a parem concoction so that the Grisha women would have babies with a parem in it, so that when the babies grew older, the Fjerdans could create some sort of Grisha Army addicted to parem, therefore under Fjerdan control. JAIL 👏🏼. I know I say this endearment as a joke most times, but literal, and actual jail! Someone take them to Heckgate. No, not even Heckgate, just throw them into the freaking ocean because they did not deserve any mercy.
LIKE WHAT??!?!?!?!? 😡
I wanted to gag! How repulsive.
And Fjerdan’s thought Grisha were monsters!?!?! The AUDACITY.
They were breeding innocent women to use Grisha babies as weapons. There are soooo many things wrong with that sentence. First of all, these babies were not even going to have a choice on their life because the Fjerdan’s already took that away from them the moment they made their mother addicted to parem. And second, abducting women is treasonous in any sane persons eyes. I just don’t know how the Fjerdan’s lived with themselves knowing their government killed Grisha or experimented on them. Not all Grisha are bad, and most react because the Fjerdans are trying to take their lives; how else are they supposed to react.
I could not with what was going on in this factory 😡.
The voices Nina heard were from all the women and babies that lost their life from being treated like cows—bred as jailers. The babies 😭.
Nina, Adrik, and Leoni were going to break these women out and get them on a ship to safety. Their plan meant breaking into the highly guarded facility—one Nina already broke into, which meant there were even more guards now—rescue the women, and get them safely to the ship. They also had to get past the WellMother (a mother figure in a religious cult-thing) and Jarl Brum who was running this atrocious factory.
Why was I not surprised?
On the list of things I also forgot?
That we kept this LOSER alive 🤪.
I thought for sure we threw this dude off a boat or Nina hurt him the way he hurt her. But I must have misplaced in my unforgiving brain 🤪 that Matthias told Nina to have mercy on Brum—to have mercy on his people. Brum was only a product of a nation that taught him to fear Grisha, but there is a difference between being indoctrinated with one thing and being a moral person. Brum had no sense of morality or a heart in his big, horrible chest of a person. If Matthias’s heart could change to see the good in Grisha, Brum’s heart could too, but he never did, and that’s on him. Sure, his nation is to blame, but so is the man.
I didn’t know he had a daughter. I didn’t know someone would want to marry this AWFUL man and have a child with him 🤪. Sorry, not sorry.
I mean, who would want to marry him????? Brum is going to put me in the Ice Court for my foul mouth 😂.
Who cares??? Joking.
In all seriousness, Brum having a daughter did make me think about how he must have been a man or what constituted as a human being before he became the leader of the drüsekelle. It’s weird to think that Brum could have been a normal person before all the responsibilities he had has a witch hunter leader. I can’t imagine him frocking in a field as a child or being kind in anyway, but he must have had a childhood to grow up, whatever that childhood looked like. But who Brum is makes me think about how our environment truly impacts the person we become and it sucks to feel like Fjerda made Brum into a monster more than a noble man.
He had a daughter named Hanne.
I liked Hanne. I’m happy that his daughter didn’t suck like he did 😂.
Hanne was part of the WellMother’s convent. Nina first met Hanne when she saw Hanne and a group of her friends dressed as soldiers, riding horses, or well one of her friends was unfortunately being dragged by a horse. Nina helped the girl being dragged by a horse to ensure she was okay, but she was definitely intrigued by these women who would go out of their way to sneak as soldiers. Nina was by herself when she saw Trassel, Matthias’s wolf when Hanne almost shot Trassel because Hanne thought Nina was in danger. Nina found out Hanne was a Heartrender when Hanne tried to mess with her heart rate. Nina kept Hanne’s secret and they started to become friends because Nina knew Hanne’s secret.
I liked the making of Nina and Hanne’s friendship because Hanne was the first person in Fjreda who Nina was honest about her identity, but not really Nina’s power. I liked how Nina saw the strength in Hanne and wanted to cultivate Hanne’s power to be more than just a docile Fjerda woman. I felt like Nina saw a bit of herself in Hanne in the way that Hanne wanted more than just being someone to be married off; Hanne wanted to ride horses, she wanted to hunt, she wanted adventure. However, because who she was and the position she was is, showing any signs of strength was frowned upon, especially by the WellMother. Nina trained Hanne how to use her powers under the guise of teaching Hanne Zemeni because Hanne learning something would help her find a husband and keep her busy from other endeavors.
I also liked how Nina and Hanne slowly built trust with keeping secrets or covering for each other even if they didn’t fully understand what they were getting themselves into. There was that moment where Nina snuck into the facility wearing Hanne’s hidden riding clothes, and then the soldiers figured out someone snuck in. When Nina raced back and then hid the riding clothes in the chest by her bed, I was like, “phew.” But when on of the ladies found dirt by Nina’s bed, I was like, “It’s OVER.” I loved when Hanne walked into the room and took the blame for hiding her riding clothes with Nina. Hanne had no reason to protect Nina, but I loved that she did because they kept each other’s secrets and that showed Nina that she could rely on Hanne even if her dad was the man Nina wanted revenge on most on in the world.
Honestly, when Brum made an appearance, I wanted someone to throw a big block of ice at his dumb head. I don’t like him ☹️. But the way Nina easily slipped into scared, powerless girl made me feel a bit disheartened because Nina’s usually so strong, but acting weaker in front of Brum felt wrong. But of course, men like Brum like women who are scared because that fear gives them a kind of sick power. She definitely knew how to play with him now rather than last time when she was more confident. You would think man would like a confident woman 🙃. I really thought that Brum would have forbade Hanne from having more lessons with Nina because of how Nina “hid Hanne’s riding clothes,” but I’m glad he was too blinded by the idea of power than to notice something was off.
As Nina and Hanne trained more together, there felt like an undercurrent of interest in the way Nina saw Hanne. At first, I thought Nina’s interest came from a place of feeling like Hanne was similar to her, but then Nina would notice details about Hanne that only someone who was interested in wanting more would notice. Even after Hanne covered for Nina, Hanne was furious with Nina, which was natural for Hanne to feel because her parents were upset with her. However, I felt Hanne’s anger came from trusting Nina and Nina not being fully honest with her, which Nina still wasn’t. The other thing that made me feel like Nina felt more was how she was terrified if Hanne wouldn’t show up to their lesson because she knew what Hanne did for her meant a lot, and she didn’t want to lose Hanne. Nina not wanting to lose someone else meant that she had feelings that ran deeper than friendship. I am highly interested in where Nina and Hanne’s relationship goes in the future because I feel like there could be something beautiful there with two strong women together who want to make the world a better place.
Honestly, I joked before how Nina’s Fjerda mission would make Kaz Brekker proud, but honestly what Nina did truly would have made Kaz Brekker proud. What did I say in my Crooked Kingdom book review: I need to enroll in Ketterdam University to learn from Kaz Brekker himself 👏🏼!
Hanne tailored herself to look like a solider; she had the outfit and the jawbone. What a Mulan moment when Hanne cut her auburn and golden hair to look more like a solider. I loved loved loved when Hanne saw herself in solider regalia and features, and she said she had never felt more like her 🥺.
Hanne was supposed to dress up like a solider to get them into the facility. Then Nina, Leoni, and Hanne were to help the women out of the facility to the ship that awaited them. When the Hanne and Leoni saw the women, I could feel their disgust and sorrow radiating off of them. I couldn’t even begin to understand how Hanne felt knowing her own father was a big part of the revolting thing that they were doing to the women in this facility; Her dad who she grew up with and who taught her how to ride a horse or use a weapon—when he wasn’t some monster of a human-being. I would have felt ashamed, repulsed, absolutely furious if I was Hanne. I honestly wouldn’t’ know how I would have looked at my father after knowing the atrocities he did.
I loved loved loved the moment when Nina called on the dead and let all the mothers who passed speak their name and their truths to the WellMother . CHILLS. Or when the bodies of the mother’s rose up and slowly went towards the WellMother to attack her. Oooooh, when the baby who passed crawled to the WellMother . . . that had to be like stepping on the WellMother’s heart if she had one. I’m sorry, no one in their right mind would have let what happened at the facility happen, let alone help in the wrongness of so many women and children. Nina might have said she would have shown mercy for Matthias’s people, but mercy for this woman? Haha, yea, I don’t think so 🙃.
Also, I loved how Nina had a secret plan up her sleeve. Leoni created these bombs or something that was supposed to create a distraction or burn that gosh-forbidden city to the ground. Nina strategically placed the bombs in the wrong places so that the dam would break and the water would rush down—the poisonous water. So Leoni and Adrik had to work together to ensure the people’s safety. Leoni took the poison out of the water while Adrik used his squaller powers to lift the poison into the air and redirect it. I mean, team work makes the dream work. What Nina was really trying to do was make the Fjerdan people see Grisha as heroes—as saints—because she realized that they might never change how they view Grisha, but she could change their fear to admiration. Because if they started to believe in the miracles that happened or saw how their powers were helpful, maybe they would learn to believe in the good of Grisha overtime. I thought that was an honest and well plan because when people are set in their minds about seeing something one way, it is very difficult to change their mindset. However, if you show them or give them something stronger to believe in in dangerous times, I think you very well could make them believe because people want to have faith or hope in something greater. I loved how people were already calling Leoni and Adrik Saints haha.
I still wonder where the women went after they escaped the facility and if they were going to be okay now. I wonder if their children will still be effected because of the parem concoction they in took. I still am curious what the concoction was.
Adrik and Leoni went back to Ravka after their mission to support Nikolai and the looming war. However, Nina opted to stay in Fjreda a while longer with Hanne.
Honestly, if Nina doesn’t burn down the Ice Court and Jarl Brum with it, I’m going to be disappointed 😅. I feel like she already gave this man too many chances to change or not be a LOSER, that I feel like people are just going to keep suffering or be captured by his hand. We need to take Brum DOWN. I also want to see the Ice Court go down because what a dreadful place where powerful men hide. I just don’t know what would happen if Nina did blow up the Ice Court and get revenge on Brum because Brum is Hanne’s dad and there’s nothing like vengeance on your crushes father that really destabilizes the start of a relationship. I just wonder if Hanne could be a voice of reason to her father because there is a certain power daughters have over fathers where they do listen. Maybe Hanne will be the one to tell her father he’s become a monster and then he might see the wrong of his ways, but I don’t know. I do think that Brum is too indoctrinated with fear and hate for Grisha to ever change. We’ll see.
I’m excited to see what Nina does next in Fjerda now that she has an in with Brum’s family; they trust Mila because they believe Mila was innocent and her friends were the secret traitors, so they took Mila in. I give credit to Nina for not beating Brum’s face every time she sees him. But she’s in it for the long game. Also, I think Nina being in Fjerda will prove useful in Frjeda really does want to rage war with Ravka.
⚡️💨👑 Zoya Nazyalensky ⚡️💨👑
“Most women suffer thorns for the sake of the flowers. But we who would wield power adorn ourselves in flowers to hide the sting of our thorns.”
(pg. 387)
I think I can speak for most people when I say Zoya wasn’t the most likable person in book one.
But over time, the more we learned about Zoya, the more we learned to love her and the complexities of her heart. Or let me speak for myself now, the more I learned about Zoya, the more I learned to admire and appreciate her character.
Because if there is one thing Zoya is, it’s a complex character with her heart in the right place.
I loved learning more of Zoya’s history because we didn’t really get to know her in the last series, which makes sense because the series wasn’t about her and there was literally only so many pages that detailing each character’s history would have been too much. So I liked the added backstory, or more so had a love-dislike relationship with the backstory. No dislike on the writing, just what happened to Zoya, you know 😢.
Zoya grew up in a small town named Pachina with her mother named Sabina. Zoya’s father was Suli, but Zoya and her mother never really talked about the father or Zoya never claimed the father’s last name for the prejudice that came with being Suli in Ravka. When Zoya was nine, her mother sold her to marry an older man so that they could live a stable life. If I was Zoya, I would have felt furious and hurt if I know my parents did such a horrible thing to me at a young age—sell their child to some weird older man. I understood times were tough, but I would never do such a thing if I was a parent, to succumb my child to that kind of future where she would have no choice in her life—heck, no choice in even being sold like she was a cow and not a human being. I don’t blame Zoya for feeling like her parents didn’t love her enough to save her.
Zoya’s aunt did.
Zoya had an aunt named Liliyana; she was Sabina’s younger sister. Liliyana was the only person who could see the obvious wrong of selling a nine-year-old to some old man. I loved how Liliyana stood up for Zoya when Zoya was too young to stand up for herself—that there was a strong woman who had her back before Zoya had to have her own back. I loved the moment Liliyana created a fuss in the church about the immoral affair going on, and when it seemed like they were going to kill Liliyana for speaking out, Zoya’s powers emerged to protect her aunt like how the aunt wanted to protect Zoya. Because Zoya was Grisha, couldn’t be married off and was now under the king’s protection now. When Zoya walked out of that church with Liliyana, I was grinning because their display and unity felt like a big middle finger to the older man she was married off to and her parents for selling her.
I loved that Liliyana was the one who marched with Zoya to the Little Palace and presented Zoya as Grisha because Liliyana was the one who enticed Zoya’s powers. I loved how Zoya had her money from being Grisha sent to her aunt instead of her parents because Liliyana was more of her parent than her parents ever were.
I loved the little flashback moments of how Zoya would visit Liliyana and Lada (a girl Liliyana took in) in Novokribirsk because in those scenes, Zoya was the most human I have ever seen. I also loved how in the flashback, Zoya gifted her aunt all these fineries and a golden mirror, and the aunt was like, “What do I do with this? Look at my old face?” but Zoya was like, “So you can look into it each morning and see the most beautiful person I’ve ever known” (pg. 396). I loved that 🥺.
Zoya did have a heart. But from a young age, her heart was. bruised by people who tried to sell her like nothing, but she had her aunt who looked after her—who was her family. When the Darkling expanded the Fold towards Novokribirsk, she lost her aunt—her world, her family.
Knowing who Zoya lost in Novokribirsk, makes a lot more sense as to the change we started to see in Zoya during the Grisha Trilogy. She no longer wanted to fight with the Darkling because she didn’t believe in him or feared him, but he had taken the one person she truly loved and who loved her. She wanted vengeance for her aunt for what he did. When Zoya was reliving the moment her allegiance turned, she had this inner monologue of how she felt like she failed.
“‘Can you forgive yourself?’
For loving the Darkling. For following him. For failing to save Liliyana. For failing to protect the Second Army. The list of her crimes was too long.”
(pg. 400)
My heart broke at the fact that Zoya lived with so much guilt.
She was only a young adult, heck, she was younger when everything happened, and she shouldn’t cast blame on herself at everything that happened because gosh knows she couldn’t save everyone. Also, it was not her fault that the Darkling manipulated her as he did every women in his sights, and made her believe in false promises of a better world. I mean, powerful men know how to yield their power on unsuspecting young women. He was the adult in the situation and was the one in the wrong. But that sucks to know what she believed him because she wanted to believe in something and someone, and that’s hard not to believe in someone who convinces you you are special. I felt for Zoya because she had to now figure out a way to forgive herself for all the pain he caused, which wasn’t on her, but I could understand how she felt that the damage the Darkling caused was on her hands too. Zoya couldn’t have known what he was going to do in Novokribrisk, so she couldn’t have saved her aunt in time. But I understand how following the monster who took your aunt feels like the blood is also on your fingers.
But Zoya wasn’t a monster. The world just made her think she was.
I didn’t think she was a monster anymore. Or you know, in a moral sense 😅.
I liked that we get to see Commander Zoya because she sure was fierce and unrelenting.
I absolutely loved her banter with Nikolai because she was the only one who thought like him and could keep him on his toes without feeling like she was going to get her tongue cut off for her brashness. But Nikolai must have liked how brash Zoya was because her honesty had to be refreshing to all the ways people told him things he wanted to hear. It was also interesting to see Zoya work more with a team because she was part of the Triumvirate that Alina formed to rebuild Ravka. The Triumvirate was Zoya, Tolya, Tamar, David, and Genya—aka all my favorite people in one place. They all had their reasons for wanting to be there, but the hope of a united and safe Ravka was definitely a huge reason enough.
I found Zoya’s reasons honorable in how she wanted to create a world where Grisha were safe and could use their powers freely without repercussions. She also “wanted representatives from every nation to hold their countries accountable, a guarantee of rights and punishment for anyone who tried to imprison or harm her kind” (pg. 108). In some ways, Zoya, Alina, and I would feel most Grisha wanted the same dream/goal as the Darkling—a better and safe world for Grisha. Grisha probably just wanted to live their lives without having to fear it or feeling like monsters for being who they are. People made them monsters in their head or the minute they decided to try provoke Grisha to be monsters. But the similarities in Zoya and the Darkling’s dream ended there. The way the Darkling went about wanting a better world for Grisha was immoral, vile, and destructive. There didn’t need to be a whole a** Fold, Volcra, expansion, and a Dark War. All the ways the Darkling went about wanting a better world was wanting more power and emphasizing that power for the world to fear him rather than actually considering what ways could make a better world for Grisha. He just wanted control and power because he was obsessed with power, that sometimes I don’t know if his dream was blurred by his selfishness and greed and pain, gosh knows he has a lot of issues that needed to be fleshed out in a good therapy session.
“‘There is a difference between vision and delusion. The Darkling claimed to serve Ravka, but that ceased to be true when Ravka railed to serve him. He claimed to love the Grisha, but that love dissolved when they did not choose him as their master. He broke his own rules, and he nearly broke a nation in the process.'”
(pg. 340)
This was said by Nikolai in a conversation with Yuri when Zoya wasn’t around. What made the Darkling one of the best villains written in fantasy books was his honest motive that turned destructive. I feel like most villains start out with the best means until that means gets lost in their own hate and rage that what they wanted to achieve turns out to be far from what they actually do—they hurt others, nations, and themselves along with it.
Zoya was someone who I could actually see changing the world alongside all her friends because they had noble hearts that wanted to help people rather than hurt people to achieve their goal.
I loved how Leigh Bardugo gave Zoya a warrior’s arc 💙.
Zoya was no hero, she was no princess, she was no saint (yet), but she was surely a fighter.
I loved when Zoya trained with Juris in the Fold. From the minute Juris broke her tiger amplifier, I felt like Juris was going to teach Zoya to come into her full power and not rely on an amplifier because Zoya was stronger than that. Zoya got her original tiger amplifier from when she tried to protect baby tigers from an adult male tiger. I loved this story because I think it is easy to view Zoya as a hard character to love, but once you understand her, she is just someone who grew up without a lot of love, so she had to be hard on herself and others. That’s something I can understand because if you never knew love growing up, then how would you know what love felt like, yet alone how to express love or receive love. Zoya always had to protect herself and look after those she loved because of the loss she experienced, so it only makes sense that her nature is very rigid to others but that’s her way of loving—protection. And that’s the thing I found that I loved most about Zoya was how she was always sure of who she was as this immoveable force, but she wasn’t always like that, and it was eye-opening to see how human she was beneath all the strength she had to wear like armor.
“‘You do not use it. You are it. The storm is in your bones.'”
(pg. 312)
I loved the detail and the struggle I felt in Zoya when she first fought with Juris in the training room because I could tell she didn’t know how to fight a saint, yet alone someone who seemed to wield all three Grisha powers. But the more Juris egged her on and told her to open the door, I loved how we could feel this shift in Zoya from actually feeling her power rather than using it—she let her powers speak to her and become her. I loved the kind of wicked energy and smile Zoya felt after fighting Juris because she could feel the change in her too and wanted to feel more of that inner strength.
I really liked how Juris became a teacher who challenged Zoya because Zoya was already this phenomenal warrior, and yet there was more for her to learn. Not only did her challenge her physically but mentally by forcing her to open the doors of her past to move forward. Once she did open those doors, she began to let in something else.
A path towards healing the person who hurt towards someone who could step into the woman she was meant to be.
“‘Stop punishing yourself for being someone with a heart. You cannot protect yourself from suffering. To live is to grieve. You are not protecting yourself by shutting yourself off from the world. You are limiting yourself, just as you did with your training.’
‘Please,’ Zoya said. She was the thing she’d always feared becoming: a lost girl, helpless, being led up the aisle of the chapel in Pachina. ‘Don’t leave me. Not you too.’
He nudged his broadsword with one hand. ‘Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. You are strong enough to survive the fall.'”
(pg. 464)
I need a second to catch my tears 😢.
Even if our time with Juris was short, I still grew to love him as a character because of all he wanted to do for Zoya without her asking. He just took on a mentorship role and nurtured her power because he saw something great in her, and I think that sentiment is beyond beautiful. But Zoya needed to take his life to take his power to help Nikolai in the end, but she didn’t want to. You know, for someone who doesn’t show that she loves, she did love easily for those who let her in and didn’t try to change her or see her as docile, but as strong. In the moment when Zoya begged Juris to stay with her, I felt the tears come because Zoya is not someone who begs.; Other people beg mercy of her. But there’s something human, and infant-like of her begging someone she grew to love to stay with her because of all she had lost. Zoya also became someone she feared being again, someone who didn’t stand up for herself, which she never wanted to do again. I love how Juris reassured Zoya of her strength in all her moments from being lost but found, from growing plants in her garden **cough cough Rule of Wolves cough cough **, and from protecting innocent tigers in the snow. Through everything she endured—violation, grief, sacrifice–she endured the falls of those, and this too she will survive.
We don’t always see it or feel it, but we survive the fall of many perilous heights. We kept going. We become stronger.
I think that the dragon within Zoya becomes is a metaphor for how she always viewed herself—this fierce, indomitable, powerful person that everyone feared. There’s this draw to a dragon that dragons are terrifying, but they are also miraculous because they are so remarkable and rare. And that was what Zoya was all in one, and when she opened the door, it was like accepting herself as she was without fear.
I loved that for her 💙.
I’m excited for Zoya to really tap into her new power that’s connected to the Making of the Heart of the World. Zoya obviously has heightened senses and perception, which is so interesting and I would love to see how she adjusts to such power. Also, that must feel weird for her to suddenly have this new bout of power that’s connected to a power that is ancient, not that I’m calling Juris ancient 😅. Juris had just been around for a long time, that Zoya now had all his memories and experiences because his power was connected to something greater, and now that power was inside of her. There was a story Juris told about how some Grisha were born amplifiers because they were connected to the Making of the Heart of the World. People used to become the amplifier animal they killed because that person was connected to the animal. Instead of using the animals power, they are the animal; similar to the sentiment of how Juris told Zoya to not use her power, but become her power. Grisha power is stronger that way. I also thought it was interesting how Grisha could use all three sciences if they honest their abilities as so—trained for more.
I would like to see Zoya actually become the dragon because WHAT AN ICONIC moment that would be. But I think she still needs to navigate her new connection to the world and what the powers mean to her.
I’m excited for another literal fire-breathing bi*** queen 😉.
⚔️👑🏴☠️ Nikolai Lanstov ⚔️👑🏴☠️
“The scars were a reminder of the torture he had endured at the hands of the Darkling–and the price he had paid alongside his country.”
(pg. 16)
Nikolai, Nikolai, Nikolai.
Where do I start?
I loved Nikolai in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy because he had an air of mystery and intrigue, but he was also very charming. But King of Scars made me respect and admire Nikolai more for who he was rather than this dazzling persona he put on. I mean, Nikolai is still very debonair and enchanting, but I liked the humanity we saw in him.
I want to start with how much I respect and admire how great a king Nikolai wanted to be.
To have that much power is unfathomable at such a young age, and to quote our favorite Uncle Ben 🤧, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Ruling a nation is the HUGEST responsibility not to be taken lightly because that power can easily be abused as seen with Ravka’s bordering nation **cough cough Fjerda in particular cough cough** So the way Nikolai has never ever shown a hint of being greedy, selfish, or power-hungry shows so much character that other men twice his age and size don’t even have a smidgen of.
I loved how much he loved his country even though his country is broken and has been the battling ground for too many wars.
“Ravka was many things to him: a grand lady who required constant courting, a stubborn child unwilling to stand on its own, and most often, a drowning man–the more Nikolai struggled to save it, the harder it fought.”
(pg. 56)
I loved how Leigh Bardugo described Ravka, because let’s be honest, Ravka wasn’t too hot 😂. I mean, Ravka had the freaking Fold for however many years, then the Dark war, and now the Fold is some cursed land. And let’s not forget about the Blight happening now or the fact that Fjerda wants war with Ravka because they believe that Nikolai is not suited to be king because he’s a bastard child. I mean, what truly makes a king? Bloodline? Loyalty? Devotion? Love? What makes a king a king? Because everyone can say what they wanted about Nikolai being a bastard and unfit, but he was someone who loved Ravka and wanted a better Ravka and let alone nation and to go about everything with diplomacy, and in my eyes that is the absolute epitome of a king—someone who is honest, who knows his people, who actually cares to do right by his people, and someone honorable. Where is the honor is war or greed or hate?
Nikolai was more of a king than any of the people that bordered Ravka—by miles.
And the fact that even after EVERYTHING, Nikolai still saw something worth saving. Wow. Even just the way that Nikolai seamlessly stepped up to try be the king Ravka needed was commendable.
I loved loved loved the Nikolai backstory of why he wanted to be the most honorable king Ravka ever had 💙.
I just wanted to ball my eyes out because of how sweet Nikolai was and how I felt his heart was in the right place, and still is.
Nikolai was always seen as the child who needed more attention and he was always breaking things apart and putting them back together. I loved this detail of Nikolai tinkering when he was younger, knowing who he was today. Vasily, his brother, was training to be king, and Nikolai was like Vasily’s shadow in doing what Vasily was doing but Nikolai wanted to do everything better, which is such a brother thing to do. Vasily would ignore Nikolai and that caused Nikolai to misbehave because he wanted more attention. Nikolai also had tutors, and in his class a boy named Dominik showed up one day. I loved how eager Nikolai was to make a friend because he didn’t know many people his age, especially since he was ensconced in the palace walls. When Nikolai played a prank on his tutor, Dominik was the one who got punished for Nikolai’s misbehavior.
I wanted to SCREAM ☹️.
How dare they use another child as a whacking post for Nikolai’s behavior. That’s HORRIBLE. I guess, yes, they couldn’t hit royalty, but gosh, beating a kid???? I don’t agree with abuse. I don’t agree with the parents who willingly sent their child to school with Nikolai to get beat. I’m sorry, did they know that their child was going to be a punching bag or were they just promised he was going to be learning with Nikolai???? If they knew, JAIL. If they didn’t know, I would have pulled my child out of that class afterwards. My gosh. I understand times were tough and the family got compensated well, but that’s horrible. I would never succumb my child to the possibility of being beat even if it meant money to live a stable life.
I couldn’t believe that the royal family or whatever even agreed to such vile punishment to condition Nikolai.
“‘I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,’ he told Dominik. ‘I will never let it happen again.’
‘It’s what I’m here for, moi tsaverich. Please do not feel badly.’
‘You’re here to learn to read and write and add sums, and that is all,’ said Nikolai. ‘I’ll do better. I vow it.'”
(pg. 210)
I loved loved loved how Nikolai made a promise to Dominik 💙. I loved how Nikolai kept his word.
Nikolai did behave better, yet I wanted to roll my eyes at how everyone was like, “Wow, you really did a miracle because he’s more tame.” Yea, because abusing another child is a miracle ☹️????? I detest. But what I loved even more than Nikolai keeping his word, was how they became friends. I loved how they still laughed tighter and had their own little pranks or jokes. I loved how Nikolai felt like he didn’t need to be a royal, but just Nikolai, and that’s the greatest gift a friend can give you.
You know, no one could ever say Nikolai wasn’t a man of the people.
I LOVED how when Nikolai was older, he would spend time with Dominik’s family and help them on the farm—that here was a royal, doing the work with real people. Knowing Nikolai used to be “farmer Nikolai” 😉 (if you get it, you’re the best) made my heart so warm because doing such honest work probably inspired Nikolai to become Strumhond in the future; Nikolai wanted to know his people and help them. I loved that he just worked side-by-side with his people like a true king because he knew the struggle that they faced and he wanted to make life better for them—seeing the struggle first-hand.
I HATED when Vasily told their parents what Nikolai was doing and then Dominik was no longer allowed in the palace to learn with Nikolai. Also, that meant no money was going to Dominik’s family to support them. However, I loved how Nikolai found a way to help Dominik by starting his charming ways. I loved learning why and how Nikolai became so debonair—he knew he was liked, and he used his allure to further charm people to get sway. What a smart man 👏🏼. I mean, yes being charming can have its negative powers, but the way Nikolai used his charm was always for the good. I liked seeing how Nikolai sort of built rapport and trust with different dignitaries/important figures because he was learning the ways of trying to be more than just another royal, but possibly someone who could have influence to actually do better.
“But above all else, he did it because he knew he needed to rescue his country. Nikolai had to save Ravka from his own family.”
(pg. 214)
I LOVED this sentiment 💙💙💙.
He knew how ignoble his family could be and he wanted to do better and be the change that Ravka needed. I loved that he realized from a young age that he wanted to save Ravka from the destruction of his family who were never going to do right by its people. It takes a lot for a person to realize such a heavy sentiment, but also a lot of character to step into such a powerful role.
Gosh, but the story of Dominik not rising again really did something to my heart strings 😭. There was something so special about Nikolai fighting alongside Dominik in the Halmhend battle because they grew up together and they fought together. Dominik took a bullet and lost his life that day. Nikolai was there with his friend in the end, and I loved how Dominik sacrificed his life for his country even though his country never treated him with kindness. When Nikolai held Dominik, Nikolai promised to do better just like her promised all those years ago 😭.
Knowing the reasons that Nikolai wanted to be king—knowing his heart—made me love him so much more. Nikolai is such an honest man with noble character to keep his word for his friend and himself—to save Ravka.
How could you not love this man?
I don’t know. Genuinely. He’s so amazing—a golden heart indeed.
But a golden heart with some darkness.
If you read my Ruin and Rising book review (you should read it, it’s a good time), you would know I had a whole a** rant about how I didn’t understand why Nikolai turned into a flying monkey because I thought Nikolai the monkey was just so he could be gone most of the book. But wow, did that flying money plot really come to bite me in the butt now 🤪. I guess, I didn’t understand the severity and repercussions of what happened when the Darkling used his dark power on Nikolai. Because now some of the Darkling’s power was in Nikolai—a darkness. It was said that the monster was merzost, an abomination, because the power was cursed or unnatural.
Nikolai had the monster in him and he didn’t know how to control it.Zoya would chain him to his bed at night and unchain him in the morning. Nikolai could barely leave the Palace in fear that he would transform and people would discover his secret. No one would want a monster as a king.
There was a scene where Nikolai’s monster got free and Tolya, Tamar, and Zoya raced to catch Nikolai before he killed anyone or anything. In this scene, Zoya fought Nikolai’s monster, however, the fight was terrifying as Zoya wasn’t fighting Nikolai, she was fighting this abomination that had no rhyme or reason but blood. Nikolai was able to change back before anything bad happened, but before Nikolai found his way back to himself, the monster spoke and said Zoya’s name. When Zoya said she was startled by the monster speaking, I felt like she heard the Darkling’s voice because nothing else would scare Zoya so much. I couldn’t even begin to fathom what was truly inside Nikolai.
After that, they had to give Nikolai heavy sedatives to knock him out so he wouldn’t escape again. I felt for Nikolai in how he said that taking those sedatives felt like losing his pulse and being brought back to life. The other sedatives he took felt like he was knocked out, like a normal sense of knock out gas. But the new one had to have made him feel even more inhuman than he was, and I hurt for him.
Nikolai shifted into the monster to save Zoya in a surprise khegaud attack, making him feel the lines blur between monster and man.
“The monster is me and I am the monster.”
(pg. 194)
My heart broke thinking Nikolai perceived himself as a monster 😢.
He was not a monster. The Darkling was a monster. Nikolai was a person who had darkness inside of him, but he didn’t let that darkness take away everything that made him human. And that’s something that can be said for all people. You know, we all have a little bit of darkness or hurt within us, and that’s okay. Life can do that. But it’s what we choose to do with that darkness or how we handle that darkness that decides who we are going to be—if we let that darkness hurt us and others or we let that darkness strengthen us to be more.
I loved the internal battle we see with Nikolai about battling this monster inside of him and wondering if he was the monster or was becoming a monster—if he was more monster than man. I think that’s hard when he carried a literal monster in him to not feel like he was a horrible person, but he couldn’t blame himself because he didn’t choose his darkness. He just chose how to carry it. And I liked seeing him struggle with his morality and himself.
Towards the end, Nikolai had to fight the monster, and I felt there was a lot other metaphor within that 😅. I liked how we saw how the monster used Nikolai’s weaknesses and insecurities against him to really hit Nikolai where it hurt—his heart. The sentiment of monster versus human was emphasized in the internal battle. There was this beautiful moment where Nikolai was fighting his monster and he reflected on his imperfections and faults to realize that he was not perfect, but that was okay.
“Nikolai knew. He was a king who had only begun to make mistakes. He was a solider for whom the war would never be over. He was a bastard left alone in the woods. And he was not afraid to die this day.”
(pg. 445)
I loved the way Leigh Bardugo made the darkness within Nikolai a living, breathing thing because we see Nikolai as a golden boy with a golden heart, but he too had his demons—literal and figurative. Nikolai’s monster was a metaphor for all his faults or ghosts he carried, but knowing that just because you are not perfect, doesn’t mean you are not a bad person—that good people can make mistakes and do wrong. Also, people who come from nothing never had to be nothing—that they could make something of themselves, even if that self was imperfect and becoming. Nikolai accepting who he was as monster and man was touching in the way that he didn’t run away from the darkness he had within, but accepted it. We all have darkness within us.
I could also sense this sort of peace within Nikolai that even if he had this monster still in him, he knew how to control it so he was more human.
“And if he let himself become more monster than man, it would mean he had failed.”
(pg. 218)
I wonder if Nikolai will ever truly rid of the darkness within him or if he will learn to live with it like a reverse amplifier 😅.
I also must say how much I loved how Zoya and Nikolai’s arcs matched in both battling demons or a darkness from their past and learning to accept that part of themselves in knowing that darkness doesn’t have to mean a bad thing—it can be a bold thing.
⚡️👑🐺 King of Scars Storyline ⚡️👑🐺
I give Nikolai credit. Being a king is rough 😂.
There was soooo much war jargon and talk that sometimes the book felt heavy (not just literally). I couldn’t imagine how much pressure he felt when everyone was counting on him to bring them peace after so much darkness.
Truly in the great words on Nina Zenik, Fjerda could kiss my Grisha a** because why are we out here starting a war????
I get it though, but still. Can we just let Ravkans live in peace after everything they had been through? Like seesh, Fjerda didn’t have to deal with the Fold or the Darkling as directly as Ravka did. Cut these people a break. Honestly, cut Nikolai a break.
All jokes aside, if everyone did just leave in peace, imagine what good the Grisha could actually do with their powers if it weren’t spent on war or what good Nikolai could focus on instead of protecting his people’s safety. The whole situation just sucked.
Fjerda wanted war with Ravka because Ravka was already weak, so if they attacked now, Ravka would be easy to take and control. Fjerda also wanted to overthrow Nikolai because they saw Nikolai as the bastard king, so they claimed that they had a Lanstov that could take over as rightful king. The Fjerdan’s even had the love letters to prove that Vadik should take the throne. But even if Vadik took the throne, Vadik would be highly influenced by Fjerda because Fjerda kept him a secret for a reason.
It was up to Nikolai to ease the escalation of all out war while protecting Ravka. That meant making allies, which was tricky in the climate that they were in. Obviously, Ravka couldn’t ally with Fjerda; Kech, Novyi Zem, and Shu were possible allies. However, Kerch and Novyi Zem were at a cross roads because Novyi Zem were creating their own trading ports, which posed a threat to Kerch because Kerch had the monopoly of trade in the ocean—they were in the middle. So Kerch was angry at Novyi Zem because they were going to take some of their business, and if there’s anything we know about Kerch, is that money is their greatest love. Nevertheless, Ravka needed Kerch as an ally because Kerch was ballin’ 😅 with money to fund them to create weapons like the izmars’ya (basically a camouflaged submarine) that will fight against Fjerda. But if Ravka became allies with Kerch, then Ravka ruined its chances of being allies with Novyi Zem because Novyi Zem were fighting with Kerch. Ravka didn’t want to be on Novyi Zem’s bad side either because Novyi Zem is where jurda grows in abundance, and jurda is the cure to jurda parem, which the Shu use to make these as khergud monsters 🙃.
So royally forked over is the term.
That was just a cluster truck for me to write too. No matter what Ravka did, they were in a bad position because they needed help either way. It was just a matter of who do they strategically align themselves with.
What also sucked was how Nikolai had to appease the Apparat. I swear, I thought we got rid of this guy because he was a sicko 🤪. But the Apparat is alive and well and he still had many followers because the Apparat fought with Alina. Ravka is known for believing in Saints, and the Apparat only aligned with people he believed would be successful and garner the most belief.
I kind of wanted to crack up in hysterics when they found out that there was a cult for the Darkling. Excuse me 🤮!?!?!?!?! You want to worship this MONSTER????? THIS LOSER?????
I know the Grisha universe is all about saints and making people saints when their martyred, but this REPULSIVE, A**hat???????? Yes, praise Santka Alina, but the Starless One??????? I’m about to fight you at the alter because this man did not derisive worship. He deserved absolutely nothing. I will admit, it was interesting that there was a group of people who believed in the Starless Saint (ridiculous as they were), but I kind of felt like there had to be those kinds of people who believed in him even after he passed. I don’t blame Yuri for being young and dumb 🤪 because he just wanted to believe in something greater. Also, he was low-key being manipulated, so that’s something to talk about later. But I understand how when you lose all hope, you try to find hope in anything. I also understood how they were drawn and dazzled by a man of great power, but sheesh who they worshipped was someone they should have condemned. I just felt for these people who honestly believed that the Starless One was good. I mean, the Darkling started with sound reason with wanting a better world, but truly at what cost? I mean, how could they worship this man after all he did? I know they tried to justify what he did, but I couldn’t even fathom how they would believe the words out of their mouth to say what the Darkling did was okay. No.
The Darkling did not deserve worship. That sucker is a loser 👏🏼!! There’s a reason Santka Alina said bye bi*** 🤪. He was the sacrifice and the world was better off without the Darkling’s power.
As mentioned, Nikolai had leftover darkness in him from when he got turned into the equivalent of a flying monkey. The darkness was only getting stronger, and if Nikolai were to be a trusted king, he needed to rid of the darkness.
How?
You know, for being a revolting kid, Yuri was onto something; I mean, his knowledge was good. There was a Blight taking over various parts of the country even if the Fold was gone. I would have thought that the Fold would have become green or something after being destroyed, but I could understand how the Fold land was cursed after all these years. Although, that was a lot of land the Fold occupied, so it would be nice if the land were green to grow and build life on. But honestly, I would not want to live where the Fold used to be 😅. With the Blight, there have also been strong occurrences of a miracles like a bone bridge or other things near the Fold. Every miracle was near the Fold because the power within Nikolai was telling him the solution is in the Fold—that there is still power within the Fold. The Fold having residue power made sense considering the Fold was this living wall or darkness for so long.
The way to rid Nikolai from his monster was this ritual called the obisbaya or The Ritual of the Burning Thorn. The Ritual was based on folklore, which if there’s anything The Mortal Instruments taught me is that all the stories are true haha. But the story was that Yaromir, the first Lanstov King, was in battle with Fjerda and the Shu, so Yaromir prayed to the saints. The saints gave him monks who had powers to take on the shape of a beast. When the fight was over, these saints couldn’t turn back into man, so they had to go through the obisbaya ritual to turn back.If the monk turned back into man, they stood by Yaromir in office, and closest one would be the Apparat. Everyone else woudl be the Priestgaurd to worship saints.
So basically, Nikolai needed to go to the sacred place in the Fold where the Making of the Heart of the World took place and fight his monster to separate monster from him. Then Nikolai needed to drive thorn wood through his heart and the beast. If Nikolai is successful in fighting the beast, the darkness will be gone, but if not . . . Nikolai would have just taken a thorn to the heart.
When visiting the sight in the Fold, Zoya had a raging moment at the followers of the Starless saint, that there was this moment where I felt like she zapped them into a different space or time—she unleashed something—because now Nikolai and Zoya were stuck in this other Fold dimension with living Saints.
The Age of Saints indeed.
I thought that finding all these Saints to be true was so cool because we have heard their stories for so long. Especially in this book, I noticed that Leigh Bardugo really hammed up the Saint folklore, which made me feel like there was going to have to be something with saints later on. So I like an idea come to fruition. We met Santka Juris who slayed the dragon and the other Santka Grigori who was this bear thing and had a bear robot. Sankta Grigori was a healer who also trained the first Grisha. He was sent to the forest to be killed because they thought he was selling dark magic, however Grigori played a lyre, and the the bears did not kill him. They kept sending Grigori back to the forest without his lyre and the bears were not as friendly. I quite liked Sankta Juris and Grigori because they seemed like nice honest men when we meet them. There was also a tender softness to Grigori that I liked.
Sankt Lizabeta or Elizaveta on the other hand????
I got some bones to pick with her 😂.
Her saint story was that she ran into a meadow with white flowers and used bees to attack soldiers who were raiding her village. She saved her village and was martyred a Saint. You know, she seemed nice enough until the end when she was a backstabber ☹️.
Before I get to that, there was the part where Elizaveta used Zoya fro training Nikolai to fight his monster and would put Zoya in this weird hive bubble thing. First red flag 🚩. I didn’t think anything of Elizaveta using Zoya because Elizaveta obviously knew Nikolai’s weakness and what extent he would go through to save someone he loved, but I should have seen the whole scene as a red flag. Then there was this conversation she had with Zoya that seemed innocent in how Elizaveta said she was okay and ready to give up her saint powers to walk the world and live out her days. If Nikolai was successful with the ritual, then hopefully the Blight would stop spreading and the monster would be gone, however, the Saints would lose their power and would have to enter the real world to live out their days. I understood how living with so much power and then giving that power up is daunting and the least favored, but I really believed Elizaveta when she said she was going to be okay because she lived for so long. Second flag I should have seen 🚩🚩.
OOOOOH, but the end!!!!!
This sis was doing the worstest!!!!!
Nikolai had the beast out and was going to pierce its heart and his, but Elizaveta pierced Nikolai’s hand with the thorn because she didn’t think that Nikolai would be successful. This bi*** wanted to raise the Darkling and put the Darkling in Yuri’s body 😳. I’m SORRY, WHAT?????!?!??!!?
Nikolai’s darkness meant that part of the Darkling’s power/essence was still alive, so if Elizaveta put that darkness into Yuri, she would basically be raising the Darkling again. And to think all this time Elizaveta and Yuri had been planning this because Elizaveta had been hinting that everyone would have a part to play, and this was Yuri’s. What a sick, sick situation.
No one wanted the Darkling alive again, at all. I could feel Nikolai grappling with wanting to get rid of this darkness, but also knowing the only way to rectify this situation and not have the Darkling rise again, was to fight Elizaveta by becoming the monster—something that was strong enough to take her. Once Zoya took Juris’s power, she helped with the fight, and gosh, was it a glorious fight. I loved when Zoya went all up in the battle and attacked Elizaveta with Elizaveta’s own freaking thorns and she charred the Darkling essence thing that was starting to take shape to go into Yuri’s body. You know in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters movie where at the end, Luke had Kronos in a box and put the fleece over the box. I imagined something similar in this moment where the Darkling was taking shape while everyone around him was fighting, that I was like, someone needs to stop this man from rising because no one wants a repeat of this loser’s monstrosities. I COULD NOT with the ending and how Zoya said she saw a little bit of darkness escape when she was burning the body that was forming as the Darkling, and how that little bit of darkness went into Yuri.
Yuri really said I believed in the Starless Saint, now I am it.
NOOOOO.
I did not like the fact that he retuned. I guess, when the Darkling said he was immortal, he meant it 🤪.
Sucks.
Just knowing the trauma and damage he caused, I could only imagine how galling Zoya, Genya, David, and Nikolai felt to see this man who hurt them, manipulated them, and nearly broke them come back to life—like someone who could haunt them literally.
In terms of plot, I liked the idea of the Darkling being back. I know some people were not for the Darkling’s return, but I liked that he retuned in the sense of just wanting to see what he could or couldn’t do now that he was alive again and the world was so different. There was no Fold this time, there were no people who absolutely worshipped or revered him except a few lunatics, and he had no powers—or not a lot. I wanted to know what a powerless Darkling would be like or would feel like. I also wanted to see all these characters have closure with the Darkling after everything he did because much of their literal darkness came from him. If these characters like Zoya, Genya, David, Alina, or Mal wanted to fully move on, I felt like they needed that closure to make peace at was.
Also, this was probably far-fetched, but maybe the Darkling’s return could be some sort of redemption even for someone so irredeemable. Who knows? I do feel like it would be cool to see Alina and Mal in the next book to see how they feel about his rise and how they could play into the situation. I do know that in my heart, we needed to get rid of this dude for good 😅. I mean, a repeat of everything he caused is just an absolute no. I don’t know, but Zoya being the one to do it this time would have a lot of meaning in how she felt like she failed so many people because of him, so being the one to, you know, would give her peace? But also, Zoya’s not a murderer as much as people think her a monster. I don’t know, all I know is that I don’t want the Darkling to stick around in this universe for 400 more years 😅.
Let there be peace, my gosh.
In the time that Nikolai was trapped in this Fold place, someone had to take the throne to look like Ravka was doing alright.
Can I just be the first one–okay, maybe not the first one—to say that I loved loved loved Isaak 🥺
Leigh Bardugo did him dirty 😭.
I loved how Isaak was just a normal boy who became one of Nikolai’s most trusted guards. Isaak served in the battle of Halmend, and Nikolai spoke to him in the infirmary. They spoke about normal things like Isaak’s life and how Isaak knew multiple languages. Isaak had a difficult time finding a new job after serving, and one day he came home to a letter from Nikolai asking if Isaak would want to be in his royal guard. Honestly, that was so sweet of Nikolai to talk to his people after the battle, especially a battle where he lost his best friend, and make sure they were okay. Nikolai truly treated people as people, and I loved how he changed Isaak and his family’s life with this new job offer.
With Nikolai missing, the Triumvirate asked Isaak to play at being a king. Nikolai wrote Isaak as one of the people who could pretend to be him if there was ever need to do so–they were the same height and Isaak knew languages. I loved how Nikolai trusted Isaak with such a role even if Isaak didn’t know Nikolai listed him as one of the people. But gosh, I felt for Isaak because he went from being a small-town boy, a solider, guard, and now a “king.” He wasn’t raised as a king, and certainly didn’t know the mannerisms and speak of one. I felt so bad for Isaak and how he literally did not know what he was doing, and yet he tried.
I loved how Isaak took on the role for Nikolai because Nikolai helped him in his time of need, and so he would do the same. Also, Isaak was loyal to his country because of Nikolai’s kindness, so I loved how Isaak took up the role without a doubt. There was fear though, which was undqerstable because he could say or do the wrong thing and people would think that was Nikolai doing or saying these things. Like when Isaak stepped to the side during one of the dinners, which is something a guard would do, not a king. I laughed at how pained Genya felt at the whole plan because Isaak didn’t know much. I mean, Isaak wasn’t raised to be a king, and was no Nikolai with his confident charm; Isaak was more demure and shy.
I give Isaak credit for trying to play up the charm and be commanding. I also laughed when one of the women “fell” into the pond and Genya was like” go jump in and save her”, and Isaak was like” I can’t swim.” I mean, it’s not like there’s an ocean near where Isaak grew up to have ever learned such a skill. I loved when Genya told him to jump in and still do it, and then the squallers helped him reduce the girl by helping him breathe and move in the water. I also laughed at any moment Genya tried to coach or train Isaak. A sweetie.
The minute Isaak started talking to Ehri, a Shu princess, I knew that he was actually going to fall in love with her. This was the first girl as Nikolai that made him feel confident and himself even if he wasn’t himself. I thought Isaak’s personality was sweet because he loved easily with his crush on Genya who was kind to him and now Ehri. I also thought Ehri was going to fall in love with Isaak as Nikolai only to realize that Nikolai was Isaak and then the whole situation be complicated. So nothing, absolutely nothing prepared me for how Ehri FREAKING STABBED ISAAK IN HIS HEART!!!! 😭
JAIL. TREASON. LITERAL DUNGEON with Zoya the dragon.
How dare she?!?!?!?!
I knew that sneaking off to see her was a stupid, stupid idea. Isaak, let I understand you were in love, but someone already tried to kill you once, don’t be dumb and have it happen again. I just didn’t think it would have been Ehri who I felt actually liked Isaak.
How dare she literally stab him when he loved her.
She stabbed Isaak with a Fjerdan blade to frame Fjreda and to start a war with Fjerda and the Shu. I’m still kind of confused though why a Fjerdan blade on Ravkan land. Like how is a Shu killing the king using a Fjerdan blade make any sense? I guess, they hoped that the guards would find Nikolai with a Fjerdan blade and assume someone from Fjerda assassinated Nikolai and then Ehri because Ehri also turned the knife on her, which was this whole Romeo and Juliet moment but more morbid.
But what made this whole situation worse was that Isaak wasn’t Nikolai the King, he was Isaak 😭. He took a blade for his king and he fell in love with someone who didn’t love him enough to not hurt him as so.
When Nikolai retuned and heard what happened to Isaak . . . sorrows sorrows prayers prayers 😭.
I sobbed, like hold my tissue box as I break down in a corner sob. Isaak!!!!!!
Not Nikolai joking too about how they would never have someone pretend to be him when he wasn’t there, and yet there they were. And Nikolai saw what “Princess Ehri” was going to do before she even did it. He saw his friend get murdered wearing his face to protect their nation 💔.
If my heart wasn’t already hurt and broken, there was the whole revelation that this freaking Princess Ehri was not in fact the real princess, but was an assassin Tagard solider named Mayu, and the real princess was playing solider. I don’t understand why they switched or why they would leave the princess to play solider when she could have gotten hurt, which I guess was the point.
Mayu survived and was no kept in custody because they could use her for answers. Also, with Nikolai being the top-notch king he was, he made a deal with Ehri that he won’t start anything with her if she agree to an engagement and a deal between Ravka and Shu. Seeing the position she was as in murder of the king and the secretes he knew now, that didn’t leave Ehri much choice. But Ehri didn’t know what Mayu was going to do, I don’t think. It’s hard to tell. But truly, who could we trust these days.
I just wanted justice for Isaak or a peaceful ceremony after everything he did for Nikolai and his country. Like who’s going to tell his brother? I mean, where did his brother think he was all this time? What boat his family? Justice for Isaak, or heck, Santka Isaak.
I have more questions than I did starting King of Scars.
My first question is did the monster truly leave Nikolai or is it still inside Nikolai? I think the darkness is in Nikolai because Nikolai hinted that he felt it inside of him, but I thought the ceremony kind of worked until it didn’t.
My second question was about the Lastov imposter and if he was really a Lanstov or not? How was he going to play into the next book with the war with Fjerda?
My third question was how were we going to win this war with every nation literally feeling like a dead end solution? I just didn’t know, but I had hope.
My hopes for Rule of Wolves is that
1. Nina take down Jarl Brum and blow up the Ice Court. I mean, it’s been a long time coming and Brum has no hope for him left, and this Ice Court just needs to go away because no one truly likes it.
2. We need to defeat the Darkling again—- I don’t know when or how or why or what, but he’s got to go. It’s going to be a no from me.
3. We need to end the war with Fjerda and the other nations because gosh knows Ravka can only endure so much, but also people want more peace than they do war or fighting. The only people who want war and fighting are those hungry for power, and after everything, ain’t nobody got time for power and selfishness.
4. Stop the Blight. This can be accomplished with defeating the Darkling again and taking out the darkness leftover in Nikolai.
5. Getting rid of the darkness in Nikolai if that’s what he wants or needs—doing the Thorn ritual again.
6. Seeing old characters like Alina and Mal because it would be so lovely to see them and how they are doing. I wish the circumstance for meeting them were better, but . . oh well.
7. Nikolai and Zoya need to take that slow burn and start a bonfire because my gosh 😂. I loved their banter and just the subtle ways you can tell they love and care for each other. If only they could be honest with their feelings and live in a world where they could be together if she were not his commander and he not the king. But they will find a way because I like to believe Leigh Bardugo loves love and a satisfying ending.
Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? What did you think of the book?
Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕
I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.
And as always, with love,
Rating
4.78 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: I loved seeing everyone again, but also getting a deeper, honest perspective of these people, especially Zoya and Nikolai. And let’s just take a moment for Isaak 🥺
Plot: The plot was slower in terms of discussing what the world looked like after the Dark War and how we were rebuilding the world. I felt this book was more to set up the events in Rule of Wolves—like a precursor to the main event.
Writing: Leigh Bardugo always writes with a touch of magic—her Grisha power. Oh wait sorry, not magic, small science 😅
Romance: I’m about to light a match and add more fire to the slow burn that is Zoya and Nikolai. All jokes aside, I like how the slow burn fits their delicate relationship and situation to give this gentleness to what is forming between them, and what they are trying to allow themselves to feel.