20 Thoughts I had (mostly incoherent screaming) while reading King of Scars

I have many thoughts while reading books, but I don’t often write them all down. It’s mostly incoherent screaming and cursing, and King of Scars was no different. Here are some of the thoughts I had while reading. BEWARE: This post is dark and full of spoilers. And I also apologise in advance for my gratuitous use of capital letters. HERE WE GO!

1. Saints, my body is not ready for this book.
2. Sobs about Matthias
3. MARRY ME NIKOLAI
4. Sobs about Nina. Someone give the poor woman some waffles.
5. Nina constantly thinking about food makes me hungry.
6. WAFFLES
7. NIKOLAI LOVES TO READ. HE READS NOVELS.
8. Listen, Nikolai could step on my throat and I would thank him.
9. THE TENSION BETWEEN NIKOLAI AND ZOYA SOMEONE JUST END ME.
10. No one is allowed to touch Zoya. She is a precious baby that must be protected.
11. We stan one witch.
12. KAZ BREKKER MY BEAUTIFUL MURDEROUS BOY.
13. Nina learned so much from him. I want the Dregs back.
14. Gross sobbing
15. TRASSEL! He’s such a good boy.
16. Can someone just murder the priest?
17. JUST KISS HER!
18. This book just turned into Dungeons and Dragons
19. SNAP THAT BITCH IN HALF
20. GET THE FUCK OUTTA TOWN. The Darkling is BACK!

Mini Review

I have decided not to do a full review because I can’t seem to get my thought in order. But I will be touching on some aspects of the book.

Title: King of Scars

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 5 Stars

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Imprint

Date Published: 29 January 2019

Goodreads Description: 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, 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.

Thank you to PanMacmillan SA for giving me a review copy. All opinions are my own. 

The Points of View

First of all, I gave this 5 Stars because that’s what Leigh Bardugo deserves. She is our Queen and I love her writing. Nothing brings me greater joy than the Grishaverse. However, King of Scars might be my least favourite book in the series.

Here’s why: It was slow. For a book titled ‘King of Scars’ we see surprisingly little of Nikolai. It feels like this wasn’t his story. I would have been fine with a dual POV between him and Zoya, but Nina’s POV was a tad much for me.

Don’t get me wrong, a lot of fantasy books follow multiple POVs that don’t always deal with the same storyline (eg Game of Thrones), and I absolutely adore Nina. BUT I thought her POV dragged the story out. I found myself bored with her chapters. I would have rather followed Zoya and Nikolai, as this is HIS series.

I’m hoping that the second book brings all of them together and that we get more of Nikolai.

The Worldbuilding

All hail Queen Leigh, because once again this book did an amazing job at furthering the worldbuilding of the Grishaverse. We get a tad more information on Fjerda and the Shu and I am grateful for it.

Leigh also has a particular way of pulling at the threads of her own universe, especially with the Grisha powers. I love Zoya’s ARC and all that she learned. She could become a Saint in her own right, although I know that’s not what she wants.

The Ending

I’m not a fan of the ending. I love The Darkling. He’s one of my all-time favourite characters, but bringing him back to life was a bold move. He’s arguably the best villain Bardugo will ever write, and I understand why she would want to bring him back.

If I was Alina, however, I would march down to Os Alta and kick his ass. Even though her ARC is complete, The Fold is gone, I felt like the sacrifice she made by giving up her power was a too high price to pay. Bringing The Darking back makes that sacrifice meaningless and that makes me a little sad.

This book felt like one long setup to something bigger, and I hope that pays off in the second book.

Let’s Chat

What did you think of King of Scars?

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