King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Fantasy and Young Adult

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: 29th January 2019

Rating: 3.5/5

This book takes place 3 years after the end of Ruin and Rising where Nikolai has ascended the throne and is trying to juggle politics and his inner demons. It also follows Zoya who is one of the commanders of the Second Army and is always by Nikolai’s side helping to control the monster in him that has a penchant to come out at night. Their story runs parallel to that of Nina who is sent on a mission by Nikolai to Fjerda to find Grisha who are persecuted and send them to Ravka for their safety.
Although Nikolai fronts that everything is under control, we find out that Ravka’s finances are depleting and they are losing allies. The only way to save the country he cherishes is through the prospects of marriage to a foreigner of noble birth.

Synopsis → https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36307634-king-of-scars

The good:

·        I appreciated how the book explored what lurks beneath the surface as Nikolai is not all he seems. We get to see how he navigates the throne and interacts with his people and stays ahead of them with his wit, charm and calculating nature. I appreciated him for the hard work he puts into being the monarch while still grappling with a literal monster inside of him.

·        I got to revisit the world that I liked so much with the stories about the saints and what became of the people post war and how they were before it. Leigh has a talent with her words and can keep readers hooked till the very end because you want to know what happens next. 

·        She handled Nina’s grief in a real way – her love for Matthias and the sorrows of losing him were palpable as she tried to find a suitable resting place for him.

·        I really liked Adrik and he reminded me of the good of the previous books and its characters. Yuri was also interesting because it was unexpected to come across someone who is a devotee of the Darkling and is petitioning that he gets granted sainthood despite his heinous actions. 

·        The source of Grisha power, a concept known as the “making at the heart of the world” expanded in this book which gives room to explore it further and I am interested in the extent of it.

The bad:
Anyone who is a fan of the Grishaverse would go into this book with high expectations as I did, but sadly I was let down. Leigh said that readers do not have to have read the other books set in this world to start reading “King of Scars” and I am interested in founding out what someone who read it before having read the others books thinks about it because my reading experiences of the other books ruined this one for me. I think it is necessary to have read the other books to have a context of what is happening in this one.

·        The title is misleading because the story is not entirely on Nikolai which I wish it was.

·        I just don’t think that the amalgamation of the Shadow and Bone cast with the Six of Crows cast is necessary because they almost were two different worlds and I personally find it unnecessary for them to have a crossover especially when it was not well done.

·       I had a soft spot for Nikolai since Siege and Storm though I did not love him because my heart was with the Darkling and I was hoping to find out more about Nikolai which to some extend I did, but it was not fulfilling. Additionally, I unapologetically hated Zoya in the other books but we get a glimpse into her past which shed some light into why she is the way she is. These two characters could have been explored much better had they had more internal monologues because most of what we get is them interacting with other characters in a very superficial sense, lacking depth and ultimately leading to an unsatisfactory reading experience. This was especially true after about 150 pages where the characters seemed detached and the dialogue felt less like a story and more like a script, if you know what I mean.

·        I had issues with the pacing because everything happened in the last few chapters in a rush. I feel like the ending felt forced and was premature and so much more could have been done. Heck, this book could have not been a duology as all could have been sorted out in one book instead of prolonging it because I would just be satisfied with a story about Nikolai by itself.

·        The plot is so scattered with Nina’s POV interrupting the flow of what’s happening with Nikolai and Zoya which was very frustrating to read. I get that Leigh may have plans to converge the two plots, but I don’t find it relevant to the story yet.

·        I would have loved to see more of the political intrigue between the neighbouring countries, but Nikolai was missing in action when those interactions happened.
It also would have been nice to have deeper conversations between Nikolai and Zoya because every time there was a sense of anticipation that they might reveal their feelings or backstories to one another, the scene just got cut off. 

Spoiler:

·        Finally, it feels like the book did not lead up to anything but the resurrection of the Darkling which was sadly very underwhelming, and I am so mad at Nikolai for just choosing the Shu princess as his bride.

Despite all the negative things I said about the book, I would still read whatever Leigh publishes because I love her writing and I want to know where she wants to take the story. I just really hope that we get more of Nikolai in the next one 🤞.

Favourite Quotes:

“There had been a time where words had been the only place he could find solace. No book ever lost patience or told him to sit still.”

“There is nothing wrong with softness.”

“Progress is a river. It cannot be called back once it leaps its banks.”

“I suppose the secret is that I cannot stand being alone. But there are some places no one can go with us.”

“Desperation makes people do ugly things, and it is always the girls who suffer first.”

“If you listened to a man’s words, you might learn his wants. The trick was to look into his heart and discover his needs.”

“Who didn’t want to think fate had a plan for him, that his hurts and failures had just been the prologue to a grander tale?”

“Most women suffer thorns for the sake of the flowers. But we who wield power adorn ourselves in flowers to hide the sting of out thorns.”