Clare L. Deming

Rule of Wolves is the second book in the King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo, and is currently the last book in her Grishaverse series (paid links). While it leaves the potential for additional stories, it also wraps up all of the vital plot threads and character arcs. You can read my reviews of her other books in this world below:

• Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone #1)
• Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone #2)
• Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone #3)
• Demon in the Wood (graphic novel/prequel)
• Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)
• Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)
• King of Scars (King of Scars #1)

Here is the blurb:

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

That blurb is a great summary of the set up and stakes in this final book. While Nikolai and Zoya’s story has been woven together for most of this series, this book brings Nina’s story into focus with theirs as Fjerda lays siege to Ravka.

The short version of my review is that I loved this book and could not listen to it fast enough! My initial hesitation to embrace Zoya as a likeable character has been obliterated as she becomes the hero of Ravka. Her relationship with Nikolai keeps slowly burning along as they both try to deny it. And Nina, oh Nina! After all the heartache she has suffered, it was wonderfully hard to read her final chapters.

The narrator of the audiobook, Lauren Fortgang, does an amazing job and brings each character to life with her voice. For its full impact, this isn’t a book you can read without starting with the earlier ones in the series. I think that it could work as the final book in the Grishaverse, but Rule of Wolves does leave some political rivalries unresolved and places an antagonist in a magical limbo where he may still be able to influence future story lines. Overall, this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2023.

Have you read any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.