It is no secret that I'm a HUGE Leigh Bardugo fan. I previously reviewed her first three books, SHADOW AND BONE, SIEGE AND STORM, and RUIN AND RISING. However, she's also written Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, and The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic. I may review them at some point, but I've definitely read and LOVED them.
However, you definitely need to read the trilogy Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising plus the duology Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom before reading this book, King of Scars. It may seem like a lot of work, but the Grisha universe is pretty intricate, and a lot of characters in King of Scars are from previous books. It does include some backstory for different characters, but you definitely don't get the full flavor of the character without reading the previous books. ...which is probably a weird way to phrase it, but... I don't care. FIGHT ME.
An amazon summary, "The Grishaverse will be coming to Netflix soon with Shadow and Bone, an original series!
Face your demons...or feed them.
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, the young king 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 Squaller, 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.
Enter the Grishaverse with King of Scars, from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
So, in the amazon summary it indicates that the first trilogy will soon be on Netflix as an original series. ....I just hope they get it right. Enough said.
Nikolai has been running the country of Ravka after the events of the previous books, and he's doing a pretty decent job.... but he's also turning into a monster in the middle of the night randomly for no apparent reason.
His general, Zoya, is steadfastly by his side, determined to see Ravka do well once more. Zoya is also pretty powerful, takes her position seriously, and doesn't take any crap from anyone. She is admired for beauty, but feared for temperament and power.Nina works for Nikolai by going under cover in different parts of the world to rescue Grisha. Nina's powers are still altered (see previous books) and she's also been taking Mathias around with her to try to find a proper place to bury him... and also find the strength to finally say goodbye.
That's enough summary since a lot of this story is told through the rich history woven throughout all the books. They're so good.
Anywho.
I really liked this book. I thought each narrator had a unique enough voice that I didn't have to read the chapter title to know who they were. I kind of wished we were given a consistent fourth voice from somewhere else in the world to give us a more balanced view of the state of Ravka. We only got to see it from people who are wildly loyal to Ravka. I think it would have been beneficial to see what was going on from someone who was trying to thwart Ravka and why. ...I know, I know, I can't have it all, but I can at least express what I want. ...I digress.
It's still the same great storytelling as the previous books, with a refreshing reminder about key pieces of information for the lore that...even if you read the books when they first came out...and it may have been a while since reading the original trilogy, you won't be lost. *weak cough*
But yeah. Would highly recommend. Leigh Bardugo's books are also ones I frequently recommend to people.
Happy reading!
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