I’m finishing up my Leigh Bardugo review series by talking about the last duology in the Ravka series, King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. These books focus on three main characters, although the secondary stories are just as thrilling. The main focus of the story is Nikolai Lantsov. As the newly crowned king, Nikolai battles insecurities, political uprisings, mass cult worship, and his darkest fears. Both in mind and body, our charming rogue fights to vanquish the evil threatening his beloved country. Along the way, he makes a startling discovery. Just maybe, the darkness is much closer than we think.
One thing that stands out for me about this book is the second point of view – our “Heroine.” If you have read the original trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, you will remember Zoya, a brilliant Grisha general. She was the ‘Mean Girls” character from the first trilogy! From the first, she derides Alina (the original heroine) and is rude, arrogant, and condescending to… Well, pretty much everybody. Everybody except the Darkling. Due to her traumatic childhood, the Darkling is able to mold Zoya into a dark, intense weapon of fury and confidence. Her personality is already honed before the first book even starts. We meet Zoya the Warrior, Zoya the Strong, Zoya the Cruel. But sometimes, don’t the hardest outsides cover and protect the softest, most vulnerable insides? Her story and character development were my favorite parts of these books.
Our third point of view is from Nina – a combination of Lara Croft, James Bond, and Nancy Drew reimagined in the feisty fantasy mold. I love her. Without giving away plot twists from the first books, I will just say that Nina is hurting. She throws herself into her work to avoid facing certain heartaches and tragedies. In true Nina fashion, she finds the underdogs throughout her travels and fights to right any wrongdoings and cruelties. Her arc does tie to the main story, but she is a long distance from her friends, both physically and mentally. It seemed a bit disconnected at times, but without her actions and deeds, the story couldn’t progress.
I still say the Six of Crows duology was my favorite part of Bardugo’s series. The adventures of Kaz, Inej, Jaspar, Mattias, Wylan, and Nina resound in me.
I read them as fast as I could while still trying to savor them. But King of Scars and Rule of Wolves brought a nice conclusion to a lot of subplots and the overall story. Some reviewers were upset at what they saw as an abrupt ending to our story. But I liked it. As a writer, one of my hardest tasks is deciding when to end a story. With this cast of characters and the breadth of the landscape, Bardugo could write twenty more books! And I would read them all! But all good things must come to an end, and I liked how she ended these adventures of some dearly beloved characters. (Plus there are rumors of a third Six of Crows book! They have been floating around for a long time, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed!)
*As I mentioned in my first review of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Netflix has turned our story into a series. The first season was a runaway smash, and season two has officially been announced. Yay!
