Book Review – Rule of Wolves

19 Jan 2024 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

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.

Book Review – King of Scars

17 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in another duology set in the Grishaverse (paid links). I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Lauren Fortgang. You can read my reviews on other books set in this world here:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

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.

I think that Nikolai’s character is a fan favorite, and he certainly is one of mine, so I was excited to find out more of his fate in this book. Even though the Darkling was defeated by Alina in the finale of the Shadow and Bone series, remnants of his evil magic still linger in the world. Ravka has been weakened by that recent struggle, leaving it vulnerable to those same enemies that the Darkling purportedly schemed to protect them from. And the grisha-enhancing/enslaving drug jurda parem is still out there, despite the efforts of the Crows to destroy it in the previous series.

This book is told through the viewpoints of three characters: Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina. The blurb above makes this out to be Nikolai’s story, but I think it is more of Zoya’s story, especially in the next book (but that will be my next review). At first I had mixed feelings about this, because Zoya was never a friendly person in the earlier books, but her character grew on me. By the end I understood why she had developed that personality and empathized with her.

Nina, one of the “six” from Six of Crows, is also a highlight in this novel (paid link). In that earlier series, Nina suffers some devastating changes and losses, so it makes sense to see her again in a new story, because her tale isn’t done. Her plot gives us a new look inside Fjerda where she tries to deal with her grief while staying true to her mission.

I was shocked by the ending of this book, but I can’t say anything else for fear of major spoilers. Have you read it? Let’s discuss that ending in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

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