This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of other publications from Leigh Bardugo here: The Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, Little Knife, The Tailor, The Witch of Duva, The Too-Clever Fox, and Ninth House.
After binging the entire season two of Shadow and Bone on the day it released, I knew that I had to read King of Scars as soon as I could. It has been years since I read the Six of Crows duology and Shadow and Bone trilogy, so I was a little rusty on some of the events that took place, and with the show straying a little from the books, I was not too sure what I was remembering was book accurate. But alas, I am a sucker for a blonde male lead, even more so when he has got a demon inside him.
This book had so much potential, and I was hoping to like it just as much as I enjoyed the Six of Crows duology -- I was expecting action and lots of demon Nikolai, and what I got... was not that. I am always a fan of world building, but throughout the entire book, it felt like we were given the same information over and over again, along with constant reminders of how Ruin and Rising ended. I was surprised to see how heavily Nina was involved in this book -- I did not expect to see her at all, and when she is basically the first character of importance we encounter, it threw me off and had me imagining that I picked up Six of Crows again by mistake.
For the sixth book in the Grishaverse, it just felt like there was actually too much backstory to have it drag on through the whole book, especially when the pacing was less than ideal. The first day I began to read this book, my eyes were drooping and I was barely on page seventy. The pacing is honestly the hardest thing to deal with while reading, because the lack of major battles or really any major conflicts besides Nikolai and the demon, are not present. In all honestly, it felt as if this entire book was just being used as a set up for Rule of Wolves instead of developing the plot and characters in the moment.
I wish Nikolai was more heavily involved in this book. I understand that it is an ensemble cast, and while I did enjoy reading some of the other perspectives, it was Nikolai's chapters that had me the most invested in finishing the book. His perspective was so interesting to read, whether he was confronting his life with this demon inside of him, or thinking about how his life has been affected by Alina, Zoya, and so many others. Nikolai had so many funny moments and serious ones as well, but I felt like we barely got to explore his personality or really dive deep into his feelings and how he was handling the demon within him.
The main thing getting me through this book was Nikolai. I won't even lie about it. He is hot and kept getting hotter each chapter... what's a girl to do? Half of the time things were moving so slow I had convinced myself that I was reading the same page over and over again, but it was just repetitive writing. I basically forced myself to speed read the end of the book because I did not know how much longer I could take it, which was so surprising to me because I really enjoy Bardugo's books and writing.
Isaak's chapters were also a personal favorite, providing a lot of comedic relief in between Nina and Zoya's -- to be honest -- solemn chapters. Both girls were going through a lot after the events of Crooked Kingdom and Ruin and Rising, but their perspectives were at times so sad or lacking good pacing that it felt like more of a chore to read than actually enjoying it.
After finishing the book, I really hope that Rule of Wolves picks up the pace -- and the action -- by at least 50% and makes the characters have more exciting journeys than what took place in this first installment.
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