OVERALL

4/10

PREMISE

Everyone does his/her own thing and Zoya is the universe’s favorite.

SO…

*Potentially unpopular opinion ahead

Until now, it still baffles me how two books with such epic covers could turn out to be the exact opposite of epic.

To make it short:

If you love the Grishaverse’s characters as they are in Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, I do not recommend the King of Scars duology.

If you expect a story of Nikolai Lantsov fighting to protect his throne and rebuilding his kingdom, definitely skip this.

If you are a mega fan who is just happy to see the Grishaverse’s characters on the pages – especially Zoya and Nikolai, go for it.

Now let’s get to the problems in these books.

*SPOILERS for King of Scars, Rule of Wolves, and Ruin and Rising ahead.

TOO MANY POVs

You know the feeling when you open Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, expecting it to be a novel, but then realize that it’s actually a stage-play?

Reading the King of Scars duology is kind of like that. We expected it to be about Nikolai’s grand adventure to rebuild Ravka: instead, it’s a jumble of POVs and plots that try but fail to emphasize Girl Power.

Leigh Bardugo’s writing is addictive. Her battle scenes and action sequences are always the best.

Regarding the characters, however, it’s hard to tell the voices apart this time; this is largely because these characters are not as distinctively different from each other as, for instance, the Crows.

Throughout this duology, the characters are also too often used to speak directly to the readers in response to fandoms, criticism of previous books, or to convey what Bardugo believes is “correct”, making them out-of-character and redundant, disrupting the flow of their stories. At times, the inner monologues are so overly dramatic that I thought I was reading Sarah J. Maas.

SO IS NIKOLAI “PRINCE” OF SCARS NOW?

Nikolai is the sweetheart of the Grishaverse fandom. He has been most people’s favorite since his first appearance in Siege and Storm and he is certainly likeable in here.

Which is why it is extremely disappointing to see that Nikolai’s duology is not about Nikolai at all.

Nikolai starts out as an ambitious king who believes in himself and is eager to do what is best for his kingdom. He ends up being a lovesick puppy who suddenly believes that Zoya is the solution to all.

Unless this is all part of Nikolai’s secret plan – giving up the throne to Zoya temporarily then playing some big trick on his court?

In which case, I am eager to read more.

TOO MUCH POWER CAN BACKFIRE, UNLESS YOU’RE ZOYA NAZYALENSKY

Zoya as a character adds a great amount of charm to the Shadow and Bone trilogy and I was frankly appalled at all the negative feedback directed at her. Her character is even more intriguing in Crooked Kingdom, and she is no less interesting at the beginning of the King of Scars duology.

Zoya is a character of great potential, but what ruins her potential is the fact that she is made into a literal god.

Serious, is there anything that Zoya can NOT be?

The strongest Grisha who covers most Grisha skills, a Saint, a dragon, and ultimately the Queen of Ravka. Girl power? Splendid. But due to Zoya being overpowered, her also becoming the Queen of Ravka is power overkill.

And it’s more of a “sure, why not” moment than a “wow, our girl did it!” moment.

Not to mention that not one intelligent person in these books seems to truly consider whether Zoya is the best choice for a MONARCHY. An immortal with unchecked magic on the throne? The danger is valid. But of course the Ravkan court accept her, because… what else could people possibly do? Battle a dragon?

The entire Grisha trilogy is about how power is a source of corruption and how it comes with a price. Alina pays that price, the Darkling pays that price, and Morozova has paid that price.

But Zoya? No, she’s the exception to every rule in the universe with I’m-too-stubborn-to-use-my-magic as her only flaw.

In the end, Zoya is not about empowerment, just power.

WHAT IS ALEK DOING HERE?

It’s King of Scars, why do we still have to worry about the Darkling and the Shadow Fold??

Overall, the Darkling serves no purpose in this duology except to tell the readers “you should not romanticize this guy.”

At one point in Rule of Wolves, Alina says these exact words:

“I don’t believe the Darkling has earned forgiveness.”

Yes, I get it. I’m pretty sure everyone on Reddit and Tumblr thinks the same thing, even the Darkling-Alina shippers would agree with this. But we also think that he is a great villain who deserves to stay dead and be remembered as a great villain.

And if we have to endure him being back, perhaps have him do something other than not having a solid plan and camping in treehouses?

THANK YOU, MAL AND ALINA, WE KNOW THE DARKLING IS A VILLAIN

During their meeting with the Darkling, Alina and Mal take turn to crack jokes, pointing out to his face how he has gone wrong, forcing the readers into a lecture we don’t really need.

Alina is completely nonchalant when she faces the Darkling and converses with everyone around as if he had not just returned from the dead. Putting aside their emotional bond, a man she stabbed in the chest (heart?) and watched burn is walking among the living, some reaction is warranted?

Ruin and Rising might have a lot of flaws, but the book is somewhat successful in establishing the complicated Heroine and Villain relationship between the Darkling and Alina. In the chapter of the Darkling’s funeral, for instance:

Who had tended him? I wondered, feeling an ache rise in my throat. Who had combed his dark hair back so neatly from his forehead? Who had folded his graceful hands on his chest?

— (Ruin and Rising, 410)

Where has all of this gone? The understanding Alina and the Darkling shared despite their being on opposite sides; the agony of loosing someone she could have been friends with and even shared her life with; the sympathy for the forgotten boy who went down the wrong path?

The legacy of Ruin and Rising is somehow ignored in Rule of Wolves so that the readers can be told again that Mal is good and the Darkling is evil. It is quite surprising that this subplot for the Darkling was written by the same author who wrote The Demon in the Wood.

Although, to be fair, not everything about the original trilogy is nullified. Mal still has no personality; and whatever Alina says, he nods along with. So yes, we still have that.

THE CROWS’ CAMEO?

As glad as I am to read about the Crows here, their appearance as well as the Darkling’s make this universe seem small. And ultimately, I’m just happy none of the Crows gets killed for dramatic effect the way David does.

NIKOLAI AND ZOYA’S ROMANCE

Where do I begin with this?

As established above, I adore Zoya and only have the best things to say about Nikolai as a character. But Zoya and Nikolai being together is the second most unnecessary thing in these books.

Zoya and Nikolai are both sassy. They banter, they trade jokes, which is entertaining at first; but at one point, the shameless flirting and self-assured attitude that contribute to Nikolai’s charm in the Shadow and Bone series become excessive and repetitive — so does Zoya’s response to them — that Zoya and Nikolai’s initial chemistry is just not there anymore.

Both Zoya and Nikolai try their best to crack a joke every time, and as a result, it’s difficult to tell them apart in their conversations.

Zoya and Nikolai barely interact with one another in the Grisha trilogy and seem to only be paired up here because they’re both… here. Why force a romance on them when their chemistry is so brilliant as friends and as king and general?

Also, here’s the real question: Why does everyone has to be paired up in these books?

BOTTOM LINE

I will pretend I have not read this series at all and that the followings are endgame:

• Only two people in this universe know the Darkling’s name.
• The Darkling is not living in a tree.
• David and Genya live happily ever after.
• Nikolai always has a plan he’s not telling people about.
• Zoya and Nikolai are very, VERY good friends.

And Netflix, please, no tree.