King of Scars (King of Scars Duology, 1)

I have been so hyped for this book ever since I first caught wind of it. Nikolai was not my favorite character in the Grisha Trilogy, but I did love him and I was very excited to see how his story played out! In case you didn't already know, I am OBSESSED with the original trilogy, but didn't much care for Six of Crows. It felt too different, but King of Scars is a nice blend of the two and it was amazing to be back in Ravka! I'm going to try really hard to keep this coherent, but no promises. First, it's important to point out that, although this is marketed as Nikolai's book, the title is literally Nikolai, and the synopsis is 100% Nikolai, this is not really his book. There is so much more going on here, most obviously that about half the chapters are from Nina's perspective. As I said, I didn't love the Six of Crows duology, but I didn't dislike Nina here. Although I would have been just fine with it if her chapters were left out completely, I do think it was a nice way to bring together the two series. So, let's get to Nikolai. He is the prince/privateer we all remember, but a little more grown up. To me, Nikolai was obviously a bit more mature than he was in the trilogy and I loved seeing this side of him. Of course, he still has the snark and remains full of himself. His journey in this book revolves around purging the darkness put in him by the Darkling and it is a long and fascinating one. I loved his struggle with the demon inside him and the complexity it brought to his character. I also loved his banter with Zoya, who I found myself loving even more than I already did! I definitely ship the two of them. Speaking of shipping, there was not much romance in this book and that surprised me. While not every book needs romance, a Grisha book without anyone to swoon over didn't feel quite right. As I said, I loved Nikolai and Zoya together, so hopefully we get some of that in book two! It also seems possible that there will be a new Nina romance, but I won't say anything else to avoid spoilers. My biggest question about King of Scars was whether or not the Darkling would be back. While it seemed a little impossible, we all know what that word means in the Grishaverse. Here's what I'll say about that: This book does a really good job of solidifying that the Darkling was a BIG BAD. I'll come right out and say he will always be my problematic fave. But there was a LOT of focus on how terrible he was in this book and I assume it may have something to do with how many readers loved him despite his being kind of awful. I still love him. As you can see, the story is quite complex. There are multiple points of view and two to three main storylines happening at any one time. I enjoyed the entire book, but there were most definitely points where it dragged, especially the chapters with Nikolai and his crew. His story should be the most interesting, but there was quite a bit of walking and talking and sitting. At 528 pages, this is a big book and I did love it, but it could probably have been whittled down a little. The only other thing I'll say is THAT ENDING blew me away and took this book from four stars to five in a page! I am going to be throwing one long fit between now and when book two is finally published because I cannot wait to see what happens next. I'll admit, this book was a little different than I expected, but Leigh Bardugo knows how to write a great story and I can't wait to read the next chapter!

Spoilers up ahead so turn away now. I just have to vent. K so I'm as big a fan as anybody who's obsessed with Grishaverse. I love it. Couldn't get enough of it, especially reading Six of Crows Duology. I was particularly in love with Nina's and Matthias' storyline. Tears were shed for Matthias. So I couldn't wait to dig into King of Scars to find out how Nina copes without Matthias. Let me start by saying Nina's story in KoS is basically a separate storyline that I'M SURE will come together in the second KoS, I just wish it meshed a little better in this one. However... my biggest complaint with this book was how ridiculously fast Nina was crushing on Hanne. LITERALLY HOURS after putting Matthias in the ground Nina was hinting at how she's into Hanne. What the hell? Matthias was the person she wanted to spend her life with and she moved on THAT QUICK?! I'm pretty salty about it to say the least. I don't feel that was a very Nina thing to do. I just can't get over it. I tried enjoying her story but I was severely disappointed solely because of how fast she moved on from Matthias. Now, Nikolai's story was pretty good. I thought the Saints were kinda cheesy and the way they were described just didn't seem like something that would fit in the Grishaverse, but, hey, who am I to say what goes into a completely made up world? Also I thought Zoya's character may have been trying a little too hard to be cold at times. I'm just being honest, people. All in all, I liked the book. Definitely not as epic as Six of Crows, but still good. I'll read the next one to see how it all comes together. Still salty though.

5/5 Stars “If men were ashamed when they should be, they’d have no time for anything else.” ~ Leigh Bardugo KING OF SCARS was my most anticipated read of 2019, and it did not disappoint. For those who haven’t yet been introduced to the Grishaverse, get acquainted (start with the Shadow and Bone trilogy, then move on to the Six of Crows duology), then find your way back here. Also, know that I’m jealous you get to read these fabulous books with fresh eyes. For those who don’t know, Leigh Bardugo is one of my favorite authors of all time. I literally took the day off work to start in on King of Scars. When it arrived, I ran to the door, grabbed the package from off the floor (while the astounded Amazon deliveryman stared at me with wide, blinking eyes) and started to scream. I mean, little kid on Christmas scream. Between these giggles and high pitched shrieks, I thanked the man, dashed inside, and continued to dance around my living room and kitchen, clutching the package and hopping up and down like a little bird trying to take flight. I was that excited. I was this excited because Leigh Bardugo, without fail, writes stories I want to read, stories I feel were made just for me. Her characters are rich and her world building beautiful. She explores things I’m interested in: different cultures and customs; different languages; different relationships; different loves. But most of all, she is honest. Her writing is honest, and so are her realities. Even in a fantasy realm, she doesn’t cop-out. She doesn’t engage in dishonest tropes and parlor tricks simply to appease the masses. She keeps it real. Oh, and she’s funny. Did I mention how funny her writing can be? King of Scars was no different. Within the first chapter, I was transported. Whisked away, back to Ravka, back to Nikolai, back to the home of the Grisha. I loved King of Scars because it was familiar in a way that Leigh’s writing has become familiar to me. It’s not only the characters, but it’s the truth she speaks. It’s a familiarity that changes, too evolving naturally, because Leigh is one of those writers who seems to always get better. With every story she spins, I see her evolution as a writer, and to me, that is more enchanting even than the Grishaverse. Leigh is the kind of author I aspire to be. And King of Scars is the kind of book I want to write. Let’s just hope that when I do, I can get a cover half as eye catching!

I hadn't read six of crows before I read this book and had no idea who the other persons were in this book. Truly recommend reading the trilogy and the duologies before you read this book. But even tho I didn't know some of the characters and learned major spoils for six of crows I loved every second of it. :)

Ürünün bandrolünü sorgulattığımda alkasız bir kitap ve yayınevi çıktı karşıma en yakın zamanda iade edeceğim.

I am totally amazed by this book. I just finished reading it and i was so happy to have read this.... fantasy is one genre which i really like and this book further strengthens my love for this genre... Kings, demons, genral, spy, secret and amazing powers and all the thrilling schemes and action was amazing... That humour used at places really made me love the book more.... The characters are amazing not only the lead three but all the characters are amazing i loved to read about them all... It did take me a bit of time to get used to the names but after getting through some 100 pages i kind of flew through the book... The different twists at the end has left me shocked.. but ofcourse you have to read it yourself to know what it is... And now starts the wait for the sequel, i am so eager to know what all is going to happen in the story ahead... I will highly recommend this book to every one... it has made my time enjoyable and i hope you will enjoy it too... do give it a try... Happy Reading..

’ 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. Having adored the other two series set within the Grishaverse – and being adamant in my desire to read all three series before finally allowing myself to check out it’s adaptation – I was desperate to read the ’King Of Scars’ duology; especially as Nikolai was one of my favourite characters from the initial series. Admittedly my memories of that are hazier than I’d have liked but I was delighted to find myself reacquainted with some of the characters from the first series and thrilled to fall instantly back in love with this world. Firstly I’d strongly advice reading the ’Shadow & Bone’ series and ’Six Of Crows’ duology before diving into this book. It features characters from both of these series – although mostly from the first one – and contains some pretty major spoilers from both story arcs. The storyline also continues on and contains elements from both series and certain aspects of it will make more sense if you’re familiar with them from the previous books. From the very first line of ’King Of Scars’ I was swept back into the world of the Grisha and utterly hooked upon Leigh Bardugo’s talent for storytelling. No matter how much – or little – an individual features in the text she manages to make them come utterly to life. Everybody feels so layered, detailed and fascinating. Every individual that you meet leaves you longing to know more. And the writing itself contained countless segments that I longed to highlight. Getting lost within Bardugo’s world and revelling in her words is always an utter delight. One of the many features that I loved within the ‘Six Of Crows’ duology was how seamlessly the author manages to merge an individual’s backstory into their present timeline; the two unwinding beautifully in a manner that never fails to leave me starstruck. It’s something that happens again here and once again blew me away. These stories also have a true tendency to hollow you out emotionally and make it near impossible not to feel for the characters in question. Although it’s not just these segments that pack an emotional punch; there are heartbreaking and warming moments – along with the occasional burst of humour – throughout. If, like me, you’re a fan of god-like beings in fantasy worlds then you’re sure to find yourself mesmerised by this book. It’s also highly likely to appeal to fans of villainous characters too. And , upon reaching it’s end, leave you clamouring for a copy of it’s follow up. Needless to say I absolutely adored this book and am planning to pick up ’Rule Of Wolves’ as soon as I’ve finished posting this review. If you’re a fan of intriguing fantasy worlds, complexly layered characters, god-like beings and an abundance of danger then this is absolutely the book for you.

The Grishaverse is my home now. And Nikolai my king (although that was always the case). I was really excited about this book because he's one of my favorite characters and I was even more excited when I learned that both Nina and Zoya were going to be main characters in this story. It felt amazing to dive back into this world with the characters I love so dearly. The story was really interesting and I loved how the characters had evolved since we saw them last. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking to see what they have become and the issues they still face after all this time. Leigh's writing is truly addictive, and I much prefer this more adult vibe to the writing in Shadow and Bone. The pacing was excellent and the different plotlines happening at the same time were very well mastered. I had an absolute blast reading this book and the story really blew me away. I did not expect things to take this turn at all. I felt a lot too, because I'm very attached to those characters and everything they went through was very strong for me as well. I cannot wait to read the sequel although I don't want to leave the Grishaverse... I highly recommend if you enjoyed the other Grishaverse books or even if you're new to this! "To live is to grieve." TW: death, violence, demon, blood, murder, torture, assault, abuse