Book Review: King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1)

About The Book:

  Title:  King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1) 

  Author: Leigh Bardugo 
  Pub. Date: January 29th, 2019 
  Publisher: Imprint 
  Pages: 527 

  Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy 

  Rate: 4/5 stars 

Synopsis :

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 a 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.

Review:

"They would build a new world together. But first they had to burn the old one down." 

King of Scars is the first book in the new 'Nikolai Duology' by Leigh Bardugo.  King of Scars picks up pretty much right after the ending of Crooked Kingdom. With that being said, while this is being marketed as new duology, I feel that if you read this without reading the Grisha trilogy and Six of Crows duology, you will be supremely lost. Which I feel is different from the Six of Crows duology, which you could most certainly read without reading the Grisha Trilogy first. Ok so anyway, King of Scars is basically just a continuation of the Grisha world we love. We get perspectives from Zoya and Nikolai, as well as from our favorite dreg, Nina Zenik! 

Getting to read these characters again was comforting in a familiar type of way. I enjoyed seeing their development. I once hated Zoya and now came to love her (which was probably what Bardugo was intending). We not only get to see her strength and determination, but her vulnerability as well. As for Nikolai, he was just as likable as he was throughout the Grisha trilogy but we do get to see another side of him, namely a more modest side. I didn't care much for the new characters in the book, I was mostly focused on Nina/Nikolai/Zoya and when that fourth perspective was added, I routinely found myself bored with that character. 

"Who would speak for Liliyana, for Genya and Alina and Baghra if she did not?

Who will speak for me?" 

As far as the story goes, I like that it entwined plots from both Ruin and Rising and Crooked Kingdom. Nina is trying to track down some Grisha parem victims in Fjerda while Nikolai is struggling to maintain control of Ravka and the beast within himself. The pacing really varied in this book and some of the plots did seem a little messy and directionless to me. So, the characters were definitely the highlight of this for me, which really surprised me because plot typically shines for Bardugo.  

All in all, I'm a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo and all that is Grisha. I wouldn't say that King of Scars is my favorite book from the Grisha world, but I loved it all the same. It was great seeing some of our favorite originals we haven't seen since Ruin and Rising. I will definitely be pre-ordering the next book in the duology because I am so invested in the characters and can't wait to see what happens next! 

- Jocelyn