Book Review: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Yall. Crooked Kingdom killed me. I wasn't sure if I could keep going... But, my love from Shadow & Bone, Nikolai, was calling, so continue I did!

Shadow & Bone didn't leave much that wasn't wrapped up at the end. But King of Scars brought about a whole new level of problems that needed resolving.

Years after the events of Shadow & Bone, we find Nikolai and a familiar cast of Grisha faces doing their best to run the kingdom. With the question of Nikolai's parentage, strange happenings around the world, and the mysterious shadow monster that didn't quite disappear whenever the Darkling was killed, there is plenty to explore in the next chapter of Bardugo's Grishaverse.

Nikolai is, as always, charming as hell. I adore him. He was the second son of the king, so he has a lot of worldly experience. He isn't a stranger to hard work, and that's what makes him such a likeable character. From the start when we met him in S&B, he showed that he's able to get a seemingly ragtag group of different people together to work toward a common goal. That theme continued in King of Scars.

Along with Genya, Zoya, and David from S&B, Nikolai has managed to stabilize Ravka. But there are some problems. There's a question of jurda parem, which was introduced in the Six of Crows series, and its long term effects. They are working toward an antidote, but until they get it, all Grisha are susceptible to its effects.

Then there's a side story. My darling Nina Zenik is in Fjerda. She's been toting Matthia's corpse (JUSTICE FOR MATTHIAS) around for months, delaying the inevitable burial she will have to go through. She's been working undercover to smuggle Grisha out of Fjerda. Meanwhile, after her recovery from parem, her powers have changed. Instead of sensing and controlling the living, she can control the dead. While I loved seeing Nina working toward the cause, saving Grisha like her who are being persecuted, I knew exactly where Bardugo was going when she introduced a new character named Hanne. I held out hope that we would someday get Matthias back, but all of that ended pretty quickly.

So while Nikolai and Zoya play politics, Nina is playing revolutionary, and there's a shadow monster that could attack at any time. Add in strange blights that are killing everything in its path, and you have a recipe for destruction. Meanwhile, foreign dignitaries have been invited so Nikolai can choose a wife and secure the throne by producing an heir. There's just one problem: he's in love with Zoya.

There are a lot of things I loved about King of Scars, but the ending was not one of them. After Zoya and Nikolai come face to face with literal saints, the Darkling has returned. I was torn. I loved the Darkling in the original series. But how was bringing him back as the villain serving anything? It's sort of like the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Can't we get a new villain?

BUT... it gave me hope that maybe we'd get Matthias back. I had to read the next one to find out...

Abbie

Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Yall. Six of Crows was easily my favorite of the entire series so far.

(Also, ignore my wild eyes... I take this pics in batches and was tired at this point LOL)

Y'all. I was dreading my reread while loving it at the same time. There are some plot points in this novel that I hate, but not because they aren't done well. Because they break my heart!

So, Six of Crows left us off on a slight cliffhanger. Kaz and the Crows were denied the money promised to them for completing the Fjerdan job. You don't cross Kaz.

One of the things I really loved about this series is how artfully Leigh Bardugo sprinkled in the character's backstories. She didn't have these long, drawn out chapters where she recounted the things that happened to each of them. She put in small glimpses of them.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the romances. While the Grishaverse is not romance heavy at all, there's just something about Nina & Mattias, Wylan & Jesper, and Inej & Kaz that keep my little heart racing the entire time.

For most of the book, the Crows are in hiding because they are wanted by nearly everyone. From members of the merchant council to gang bosses in the barrel. Their faces are too recognizable. But somehow, the Crows manage to sneak through Ketterdam and get stuff done.

Kaz proves he is a mastermind. He always has a trick hidden up his sleeve, and you can never be too sure about when he's going to pull out that card. Inej is a badass. From her prowess with knives, to walking the high wire, I adore her strength and dedication to her skills. Jesper is.... *sigh* I just love him. He makes me laugh out loud constantly. Nina is a badass plus sized woman with a taste for sweets and Matthias Helvar. Wylan is a genius with explosives and science. And Mattias....

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT.

Leigh Bardugo pulled a George R.R. Martin.

Mattias was murdered in the final act of Crooked Kingdom. The love story that started well before Six of Crows began. Nina and Matthias fought against all of the odds and finally came back together. Only for him to be murdered by some nameless druskelle. I was heartbroken.

JUSTICE FOR MATTHIAS!

(This will come into play later when I review Rule of Wolves cause... damn Leigh Bardugo...)

Six of Crows is still my favorite, but I love getting to see these characters. They are well written, well developed, and there's just something about anti-heroes that I adore!

Abbie

Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

After reading the entire Shadow & Bone series, I could NOT wait to start on the Six of Crows duology. When I first heard that the Crows were going to be included in the S&B show, I was super excited. Because I knew SoC took place well after the S&B series, I couldn't wait to see what sort of new tales we would get with the Crows!

Six of Crows is Leigh Bardugo's best book. One thing that she does masterfully is write character driven stories. Given that S&B was so plot heavy, I was pleasantly surprised by SoC!. I LOVE stories that are character driven. I want to feel every single thing the characters feel. I want my heart to race alongside the character. I want to want everything the character wants.

In Shadow & Bone, I didn't always feel that way. Alina wasn't my favorite narrator. In Soc, we get multiple narrators. Also, if we are being honest, I like morally grey characters, and what else would you call Kaz Brekker?! From the start, Kaz doesn't give a lick about other people. He believes in loyalty, but if you cross him, you'll never do it again.

It was refreshing to read SoC having already known the plot, because I could appreciate the characters more deeply.

Overall, I love the plot of this book. Firstly, found family is one of my favorite tropes of all time. I believe there is no stronger bond than the people you choose that choose you back. Secondly, Jesper Fahey is probably the most accurate I have ever seen another author to write my favorite trope: smartass, chaotic bisexual who is insanely talented with firearms. If you've read Guns & Smoke, Will Ellis is my favorite character, and Jesper Fahey is just like him. Thirdly, one thing that Bardugo usually doesn't do is a lot of romance. She took two characters that have a bad history and made us root for them so hard!

Six of Crows is a fun fantastical book, where this found family has to venture into an impenetrable fortress to complete an impossible mission. If you're looking for something fun and adventurous with sometimes questionable characters, definitely check out SoC. You don't have to read S&B, but be warned that SoC does provide some mild spoilers for the S&B series.

Abbie