Book Review: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

 Book title: King of Scars
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy
Published: July 8, 2008
527 pages
My rating: 3.5/5

“Stop punishing yourself for being someone with a heart. You cannot protect yourself from suffering. To live is to grieve. You are not protecting yourself by shutting yourself off from the world. You are limiting yourself.”

After a bloody civil war, the coffers of Ravka are empty, and King Nikolai Lantsov is determined to forge new alliances and protect his Grisha army from the threat of an addictive drug. But every day, a dark magic in him grows stronger, and he must find a way to kill the monster inside of him with the help of his loyal general Zoya Nazyalensky. Meanwhile in the northern kingdom of Fjerda, Nina Zenik works as a spy, trying to uncover the secrets of Fjerdan army and save the persecuted Grisha.

King of Scars is the first book in Leigh Bardugo’s fantasy duology and the third series set in her Grishaverse. I would categorize this as new adult rather than young adult, as the characters are a little older than in YA books. This duology is clearly written for the fans, and even though King of Scars explains some of the earlier events, it’s easier to follow the narrative if you have already read at least the Shadow and Bone trilogy and possibly also the Six of Crows duology. I don’t think the book does a very good job to getting the reader invested in the characters if you don’t already know and love them from the earlier books.

The two storylines of Nikolai fighting against his demon and Nina spying in Fjerda never came together in this book, and I wonder if it would have made more sense to keep them as two separate stories. We’ll see if they converge in the second book of the duology, Rule of Wolves.

I found the plot okay but a little boring. Nina’s storyline seemed to progress very slowly, possibly because only about one third of the five-hundred-page book was spend on it. Nikolai’s storyline was a little more interesting, but it also revolved around the bad guys resurrecting the villain that was already beaten in the earlier series. I would have preferred to see a new villain rather than a rehashing of an old one.

If you haven’t read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I suggest you read it first to see if you’re interested in continuing in this fantasy world. But if you’re already a fan of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and want to see more of Nikolai and Zoya, you might enjoy this book. Despite my criticism, it was entertaining enough for me to continue with the duology. I gave King of Scars three and a half stars.