Read Dates: April 19, 2021 – June 26, 2021
Date Published: March 30, 2021
Source: Owned Hardback
Synopsis from Goodreads:
The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.
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.
First of all, that synopsis gave me chills when I first read it. How could you possibly read that and not want to dive right into this book!? Ughh.
Secondly, that cover art. Especially after reading the book and understanding why the image made the cover. *More chills*
And lastly, *sigh* Leigh Bardugo, you little minx. You have a large piece of my literary heart. I can’t imagine life on a planet without this woman’s books.
So this is the second in the King of Scars series by Bardugo. We’re still very much in the Grisha universe, we’re just quite a ways down the line book-wise. Ya know, like 8 books down the line. (Holy moly. I just turned to look at my bookshelf where Bardugo’s books sit and counted the 7 books before this one. Am I really that deep into this!?) Anyway, King of Scars follows Nikolai’s story. In King of Scars we met the privateer/prince of Ravka become King. He’s witty, he’s full of jokes, and he can’t take many things seriously. From the beginning, he became one of my all time favorites in the Grisha universe. Though, I was just a little sad as to where I felt his storyline would end up. Boy was I wrong. YOU. LITTLE. MINX.
“Men who see too much have a way of losing their eyes.” “And queens who trust too little have a way of losing their thrones.”
Ravka isn’t doing too hot in the military area and they’re not very plentiful when it comes to friends either. The Shu-Han Queen, Makhi plots against Ravka as do the Fjerdans and their brutal general, Jarl Brum. But with a super witty King and a relentlessly powerful Grisha Squaller general at his side, what could go wrong? Right?
Again, and I feel like I always say this but… Leigh Bardugo does not romanticize war. War is war. She understands that and she writes it as such. I went into this book knowing that good and well from the previous 7. We’ve lost many characters along the way and I knew this book would be no exception. It wasn’t. I found myself shedding actual tears for these characters I’ve known for so long who ended up hurt or worse, killed. But I can appreciate this kind of writing because she’s not pulling punches. She’s giving us the reality of the situation and we sort of have to live with it. I think that’s beautiful. Sad, but beautiful.
Tell me it’s more than war and worry that makes you speak those words. Tell me what they would mean if you weren’t a king and I weren’t a soldier. But she didn’t want to hear any of that, not really. Sweet words and grand declarations were for other people, other lives.
Zoya has also grown to be one of my favorite characters. I really wanted to choke her out the first few times we meet her and deal with her but she’s grown so much. Her character, I think, is one of the biggest character builds in the entire series. I love her strength and her honesty. Then there’s also the bit of her vulnerability that we get to see. She’s come so far and she’s finally developed friendships and opened herself up a bit to love. We also finally get to learn about her roots in this book which was incredibly moving for me.
Ahhhh. The Queen of Mourning. When I saw that in the synopsis, it gave me chills. Nina truly has gone through so much pain and what a title that absolutely fits her just right. Nina is undercover in Fjerda trying to gain access to their military strategies and secrets so that she might send the information back to Nikolai so he can prepare. She’s living under the roof of the man she hates the most, Jarl Brum. Along with his wife and his daughter, Hanne who Nina has come to be close with. Nina is always so much fun to read. Her quick wit and sharp tongue make for some fun chapters. I have to say, hers was one of the storylines that ripped me apart in previous books. I felt like *I* was the Queen of Mourning reading about her life and all the tragedies that befall her.
I just can’t get enough of the Grishaverse. There are so many elements that come into play that make me so excited. I think I mentioned in one of my previous reviews how the possibilities are absolutely endless and they still are! Bardugo knows that and she makes these possibilities come to life. Giant war machines, altered Grisha, monsters, flying contraptions, and secret underwater weapons. It just never ends and I am here for it!
I thought I had this book figured out. And I guess I did for some of it but about 60% of the way through the book, I found I was wrong. So very, very wrong. I didn’t see any of it coming but now that it’s happened and it’s over, I can’t imagine it happening any other way. Bardugo does it again. She took a situation where there was seemingly only two ways out and added a third option that was soooo much better than either of the other possibilities. This really was a pleasure to read.
“I have a surplus of bad ideas,” said Nikolai. “I have to spend them somewhere.”
At this point I am definitely invested in these characters. There is very obviously going to be a third book in this series. The end left things wide open so I’m super excited to see how this plays out in the end. Though part of me is kind of like, “No! Leave things how they are. We don’t need to go out and risk our lives anymore for that stupid Darkling!” But I must admit, I’m excited for book three! I’d love to know when it’s coming out at the least! Ughh..
I know it took me a while to read this one and I’ll tell you why in just three words. Elder Scrolls Online. I’ve gotten back into it and I’m a bit obsessed. I bought Blackwood and I’ve been tearing through all the DLC’s content. It’s been so much fun but it hasn’t left me much reading time. I’ve recently found some balance though. I’ve got a lot of books in my queue that I’m dying to read so ESO is just going to have to be content with only having me for maybe 2 hours a day. Ideally, anyway.
If you haven’t already, check out the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix! Shadow and Bone was the first book in the first series Bardugo wrote in the Grisha universe and it is sooo good. Mind you, the show is soooo different from the books. There are some likenesses but ughh. Don’t get me started. The show still works though and it’s really good so go check it out!
Keep spreading kindness! ✌💛
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