"I've always known Ravka is broken, and I've seen it the way it breaks people in return. The wars never cease. The trouble never stops. But I can't help believing that somehow, I'll find a way to outsmart all of the kings who came before and set this country right."

King of Scars

Leigh Bardugo

4.7/5 ⭐

Okay, first of all, this book was an enjoyable read though it's not as enticing as I hoped it to be. The story was quite confusing at first and I have thought about a dozen times to put it off.

I missed Nikolai's banters with everyone. I was excited to read about his childhood and found out that we had some similarities. I loved the passage where it said that Ravka was Nikolai's first love, and we can see in the book that he is indeed willing to do everything to help Ravka rise again.

I was also glad to see a different side of Zoya. I've always known she was a strong girl when she first appeared in Shadow and Bone, and I fell in love with her more in this book. I hated her at first, but as I dove deeper into her story, it made me sympathize with her. I am even glad that Juris decided to train her, to show Zoya her true potential as a Grisha, and what she can do as Ravka's general.

Nina's story didn't strike me as interesting until she infiltrated the factory and saw the girls that Brum was experimenting on. I had to take a minute on some of the parts of her story because it was just disturbing. She's a strong girl and I love her for that. It was her love for her people and Matthias that she managed to save them all. I am looking forward to the rest of Hanne and Nina's story.

I was half-expecting it, but it still surprised me when the Darkling got revived because of Sankta Elizaveta's help. The last few chapters of the story I felt were kind of rushed because it was as if they were squeezed together, all events ranging from Nina, Isaak, Nikolai, and Zoya. But all in all, it was a good read.