| BOOK REVIEW | KING OF SCARS BY LEIGH BARDUGO

King Of Scars
Author : Leigh Bardugo
Series : Nikolaï duology
Genres : Fantasy, Yung Adult
Publication : January 29th 2019 by Orion Children’s Books

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.

This book takes place some time after The Grisha trilogy ending.I really enjoyed this book and I was happy to be back into this amazing world !

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.

Story

We follow Nikolaï dealing with the aftermaths. He is suffering from a pretty dark curse, a gift left by The Darkling. Zoya is helping him the best she can. Meanwhile, Nina is trying to cope with Mathias’ death while being on a very difficult and important mission.

It has been years since I read The Grisha trilogy and the Six Of Crows duology. I love Bardugo’s writing and the world she built and I am especially fond of the Six Of Crows duology.
So I had a pretty hard time remembering everything, what happened to whom, that kind of stuff.
But I was so happy to meet these amazing characters again. Nikolaï and his great sense of humor, his irony, his witty remarks, despite feeling himself getting darker. He hasn’t lost his good mood, at least in front of people.
Zoya became softer, somehow. She truely cares for him. I was also glad to witness Genya and David’s relationship, how easily it evolved. I really admired Genya’s character in the Grisha trilogy.

The plot is very interesting. Nikolaï being king and facing both his responsabilities and his demon. His crusade to defeat the Beast, his inner fight and his journey to be the one to succeed. His real motive is more about saving Ravka than saving his own life.

Most of us can hide our greatest hurts and longings. It’s how we survive each day. We pretend the pain isn’t there, that we are made of scars instead of wounds.

Characters

• Nikolaï is such a great character. His huge sense of humor, his tendency at being borderline with the laws, with the protocol. I’m very fond of this character.
• Nina is such a badass character and despite her grief, she helps saving many Grishas. She is so impressive ! She is amazing and has such a soft heart well hidden beneath her steel armor she wrapped herself in.
• Zoya is quite intriguing in this book. I didn’t particularly enjoyed her in the previous books but she forced my admiration in this one !

Overall I really enjoyed this book !

About the author

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse (coming soon to Netflix) which spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars— with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Ninth House (Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Fantasy 2019) which is being developed for television by Amazon Studios. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, and graduated from Yale University. These days she lives and writes in Los Angeles.

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