Rule of Wolves
Ratings199
Average rating4.3
I think this book is perfection! I had read some reviews that said Rule of Wolves title wasn't accurate... I can see that but I also stand by the title given by Bardugo. It is because AND later thanks to Fjerda that we have a great story happening at all in this book.
Without spoiling anything my thoughts with spoilers are marked below I enjoyed the book, at the end of King of Scars I wasn't sure I'd like Rule of Wolves, to be honest I felt tricked into the same story of the S&B trilogy and just wished Bardugo had more creativity than that.
I can't say I give it to her, that she came with a brilliant plot in RoW, because I still think it could have been something greater than that... I don't enjoy echoes throughout the whole series and Leigh has done it 4 times already so it gets old and some might even call it lazy.
What I can say is that the main plot and its different POVs alongside some interesting retcons and plot twists make this book perfection to my eyes. If you are someone that has already read the other books, I think you'll like this one better, even if you didn't like S&B trilogy, or LOVE too much SoC and CK... also fills in some gaps left in past books of the series.
Now here come some spoilers that you can skip if you don't want to miss out on the surprise
REVIEW WITH SPOILERS
I still can't get over the fact that the Darkling was brought back...again... the retcon wasn't enough to justify it.
The Darkling's fate at the end of the book was grounded in the fact that he was strong and eternal enough to keep the tear closed, but still in the last two pages a completely different solution was on the table, so... that is my only no no
I loved Nina and Hanne's story ever since they met in KoS, and how they developed in RoW had me hinged, I am fully invested in their relationship. I was so upset when they made us believe she was unalived by Prince Rasmus but when “he” spoke at the assembly in Os Kervo I started suspecting what eventually was revealed and I cried so hard over that scene when Nina and Hanne finally speak alone (Hanne as Prince Rasmus)
I also felt thrilled when Alina and Mal came back, and that brief scenes with the Crow Club. I expected Kaz to rely on Zoya when they ended up in the Suli camp, but I wanted more Jesper and Wylan, although this was not their story so I can understand the chapters in which the crows were involved.
Zoya's character development was amazing, she grew to be the Queen Ravka needed, the soldier she aspired to be, and the woman her aunt expected to become. Some readers didn't get why Zoya and Nikolai's romance, but if you have spent most of your time with one individual, it is natural you grow to care for each other. Now Zoya didn't care for him that way at the beginning, but keep in mind it's been 3 years of Zoya's care (day and night) and chase of the demon, so that is more than enough time for them to get very close. Nikolai really valued having Zoya keeping him (and others) safe that long, and Zoya felt seen for who she really is, so I can see their romance happening with no problem to the story.
Also Zoya is a badass of a queen, who humbled herself to the point of working with people she didn't want to and ending up feeling nothing less than respect for them (Alina, David, Genya, General Pensky, Adrik...)
Speaking of David, I didn't expect him to die, not on his wedding night, I was torn and my heart ached for Genya, I was grieving the whole time
When I wrote my review for King of Scars I kept it spoiler free but I can't write this review without spoilers so if you haven't read this duology yet I highly recommend you skip this review. From here on is going to contain major spoilers for both books.
Just like in the first book we get multiple POVs with the main ones being Nikolai, Zoya and Nina again but we also get some other POVs throughout. Also once again this book is a bit slow going for the majority of the book. It wasn't until things started happening that it became action packed and fast paced. I'm happy to say that I continued to love Zoya in this book. I didn't like her in the Shadow & Bone trilogy at all. Her character started growing on me in King of Scars and by the end of this book she became a favorite and someone I could root for. Nikolai and Nina are their same old amazing selves. It wasn't until I was reading this book that I realized how very similar Nikolai and Kaz are. I didn't really notice this until one of my buddy read partners pointed it out and after that it became so obvious.
This is where things are going to get very spoilery. At the end of King of Scars we learn that the Darkling has come back. I said in my review that I wasn't expecting it and it was definitely shocking but I felt like it was a huge set back in the overall Grishaverse stories. I was so worried about how he was going to play a part in this book. Here's the thing I had had enough of the Darkling by the time the Grisha trilogy ended so I absolutely hated that he was back. What I hated even more was getting his POV in this book. Luckily it was only a handful of chapters but every time his chapters came around I just got mad. I was so worried that he was going to be the one to save the day in the end like she was trying to write a redemption story for the Darkling and I just wasn't having it. And what happens in the end? He ends up playing a part in saving them. I loved everything about this story aside from the Darklings part which is really affecting the way I feel about this book.
The book wraps up the story nicely but it does end on a cliffhanger. I loved seeing how things ended for everyone and that all pretty much went the way I was hoping but I wish Hanne didn't have to pretend to be someone else they deserved better than that. Overall this duology is probably going to be my least favorite of the Grishaverse books but I am happy that I read them and I would totally read more books with these characters just please no more Darkling. !!
A good, but not great conclusion to the duology. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending (although it does have a nice hook for a possible sequel series that I'm interested in reading).That said, there was a series of chapters in the last third or quarter that were so engaging that I just sat around staring at the wall and listening to a few extra chapters. I think if I had liked the ending a bit more this would have been a 4.5 star book.This series had some really great character growth and some nice surprises. It was a solid addition, but still not as enjoyable as [b:Six of Crows 23437156 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) Leigh Bardugo https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651710803l/23437156.SY75.jpg 42077459].The narration is once again quite good. I've done all of Ms. Bardugo's books in audio and [a:Lauren Fortgang 3144008 Lauren Fortgang https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1393207484p2/3144008.jpg] does a great job with them. I'd highly recommend the audio version if you're into that sort of thing.
I can't bring myself to read the last 40 pages , love Nikolaï with all my heart but i didn't like it
Don't recommend
If stupid me had read this book in a sitting, instead of in short shifts over the course of a few months, I would've liked it more.
—spoilers—
That one chapter with David broke my heart so bad. I was on the verge of tears there
Absolutely outstanding, even compared to King of Scars. Definitely a highlight for Bardugo and for the Grisha saga. A fantastic conclusion to the duology and a great conversion point for the rest of Bardugo's books, can't wait to see what's next!
Not the best book by Leigh Bardugo in my opinion. Great story for Nina but the romance between Nikolaï and Zoya will just earn a meh from me.
I sympathize with the author: she's written a compelling world with characters people are fond of, and she's a writer: of course she'll keep writing. I cared enough about the characters to read this, and there were a few good twists, but overall I can't help feeling like there aren't enough new ideas to justify this size of book. Perhaps her level of success means her editors can't be as strict, but these books keep getting longer without getting better. Cutting a handful of YA cliches and about 200 pages would have improved this duology a lot. I still love the Six of Crows duo, so fingers crossed for the future...
rating - 3/5
review contains major spoilers
kinda wanted to write a super detailed review because most of my grishaverse reviews are LoNg, but honestly i could sum it up for you:
i like it and i don't?
the plot wasn't my favourite, but my love for nikolai and now zoya, carried me through this book.
AND zoyalai. THE SLOWBURN please- i waited two entire books for somethiNg, ANythINg to happen. the tension practically killed me.
things that just weren't for me:
-while i liked the crows' cameo and it kind of told us about what they were all doing currently; as of writing this review, i'm not sure how i feel about this. Alina's cameo on the other hand just felt very off character to me.
These just seem unnecessary and forced in this already complicated and hard to follow plot.
-The alternating point of views were disorienting because they were just so different and kind of broke the flow/ narrative for me?
-THAT DEATH Leigh has to stop killing off characters out of nowhere. David:'''(. Genya has already been through enough:( that just broke me.
basically, this book is a 3 star read solely because of Nikolai and Zoya. period. did not care for any of the other characters as much.
–(not so sure about Hanne and Nina's ending but the grishas ruling fjerda plotline is pretty cool. LOVE that)
–(don't even get me started on the darkling: in my head, he died at the end of ruin and rising.)
Most of what i said in my king of scars review applies here too, hate that it completely undermines the grisha trilogy since it's one of my favourites. But THE WAR scenes were so beautifully written. loved that this book had a war setting since all the previous books hint at immense conflict and this would have lead up to nothing, otherwise.
Also the last line- SOC 3?????!!
anyways, going to go cri now because i'm done with the grishaverse:(( and i'm so attached to these books and characters.
This book felt entirely like fan service to me. Occasionally Bardugo's writing genius shone through, which I think peaked with the SoC duology, but more often than not the plot felt too convoluted and predictable.
Including the Crows with a thrown-together heist subplot felt completely unnecessary, out of place and added little to the book overall, other than appeasing the part of fanbase who are mainly into their books. Kaz was portrayed largely OOC, relying on information he could have no way of knowing, which was conveniently explained away by “he's Kaz he knows everything”. If we really had to have this needless side trip to Ketterdam, I'm glad at least we got a glimpse into Jesper and Wylan's domestic life.
My other problem is the absolute zero palpable chemistry between Nikolai and Zoya. They were just two characters at hand, shoved together for the sake of romance.
I liked Nina's quest in Fjerda the most, but even that gave me regurgitated SoC Ice Court heist vibes at times.
Initially rated it 4 but then reread it and nope. Just what the hell was this?
It almost felt like leigh bardugo wrote 592 pages to convince the darkling fans that hes evil. And yet, she simultaneously proved that ravka could only be saved by him to the point that it IS him who ends up saving it at the end. I wanted to feel happy reading this because i felt starving for more after the Grisha trilogy but i felt that it was better i didnt?
I love the grishaverse. I admire every character, but i will not ignore the characters' stupidity like alina's and the rest. Sorry for the rant.
This deserves less than 3 stars but half are for darkles and the other half for nikolai
“This is what love dose”
OMFG I LOVES THIS BOOK‼️now I can understand people not liking this book, it was kinda slow and boring at times. but literally everything else makes up for it.
the romance between Nina and Hanne is KEEPING ME ALIVE
Also the darkling can burn in hell
Idk what to rate this so I'm gonna just give it four stars. That might change but like it might not. Don't trust me.
Zoya and Nikolai's storyline is one of the easiest 5 star ratings I'll ever give out. I still can't believe Leigh Bardugo did that. We don't deserve her talent. The Saints have truly blessed us.
I am in love with Zoya so much. Her character development is unmatched and urgh I love her. And Nikolai? If Zoya doesn't marry him, then I wil.
that heist scene with Kaz and Wylan and Jesper???? I can't. I just love them so much. And the ending? That last line? I know that Leigh Bardugo said this is going to be the last Grishaverse book for awhile but I need an entire saga of Kaz Brekker trying to steal that heart please and thank you.
But Nina's storyline? I just didn't care that much. I am glad she found love again, and Hanne is a really, really interesting character and I love that a lot, but my heart is just too loyal to Helnik.
Anyways, this book does justify my four-possibly-five copies of it because someone has to pay Leigh Bardugo's paychecks
Anyways, I am absolute trash for the Grishaverse. Stream Shadow and Bone on Netflix
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This gave me SO MANY FEELINGS!!!!!!! I just want to scream and scream and scream!!!!!! This was a BEAUTIFUL way to end the King of Scars Duology!!!!! On the one hand, I'm so So sad it's over, on the other hand, that was FANTASTIC!!!!! Leigh Bardugo's writing is so So beautiful, and I really can't praise this enough!!!!! I can only hope she writes the next Six of Crows book here soon!!!!!!
WHAT A BOOK!
I've read King of Scars last year and the ending left me speechless, so reading this book felt like fresh air for me. I loved going back to the Grishaverse and reading about Nikolai and everyone else again, the story flows beautifully in Leigh's usual style: she keeps us alert, she doesn't let us relax. If you start this book, you're going to want to finish it ASAP. I didn't have the time to read it in one sitting, it took me such a long time to finish it, but I loved it nonetheless.
I won't say much about this because I want to avoid spoilers, just know that it is an amazing book and it definitely deserves 5 stars!
There was never any question that I was not gonna pick this up on the day of the release. Grishaverse is probably my favorite fictional world and I have waiting to jump back into it. The anticipation for the Netflix show in a couple of weeks only hyped me up more. To be honest, I don't know what kind of expectations I had from this book - which is possibly the last one in this world - but it only left me happy, and I guess that's enough.
If I am being truthful, this book is definitely not up to the same standard as some wonderful debuts I've read recently, but that is also not why I was looking forward to reading this one. After more than an year of feeling awful and sometimes wanting to give up, returning to this world was more of a comfort and I love it for reminding me so much of those better days from the past. I have always loved Leigh's writing for making me feel thoroughly emotionally attached to the characters and it was no different this time around. The plot itself may not be a strong point because there are too many POVs; a story spanning three kingdoms, their prejudices and their desire for world domination; too many political moves and countermoves where no one's trust is confirmed - I think this would have made for a much more powerful story if we could spend enough time savoring and processing the various subplots, twists, and cons. It just felt very rushed at parts, some significant events happened off page which lessened my reactions to them, and because of all this, I will never stop wishing this was a trilogy instead so we could have gotten a more tight knit story. But I also have to commend the author for giving us a more detailed look into two more kingdoms and their cultures, and now I feel like I have a much more comprehensive appreciation for the Grishaverse. And despite whatever complaints I may have, I also didn't wanna keep the book down and read almost three quarters of it in a single sitting. I also listened to the audiobook for a while and it was a good companion, the full cast of wonderful narrators reminding me how much I love the audios of the SOC duology.
But this review will be incomplete if I don't talk about the characters because they have always been the strength of these books. My disappointment with the fact that this is called Nikolai's duology when he is probably the one main character who gets the least POV chapters, will never leave me. But the author made me completely fall in love with Zoya who was definitely not someone I liked in the trilogy, and for that I will always be amazed at the writing skill. This is really her story - how a child abandoned by her family and taken in by the Darkling found refuge in the small science; how she learned to cultivate fear in others so that she would never feel powerless; how the betrayal by her trusted mentor traumatized her and hardened her heart to love forever; and how she emerges from all of this with a profound love for her friends and her people, and a desire to do anything possible to secure peace, even at the cost of her own heart.
Going hand in hand with her through this process is my beloved Nik, whose abiding love for his country and people and his desire to see a peaceful and prosperous Ravka, made me emotional so many times. Even with a monster inside him, and rumors about his parentage leading to many a disdainful exchanges with others, he remains steadfast in his goal, fighting against all odds, never abandoning hope. The Crows as an ensemble may be my favorites, but Nikolai will always have a special place in my heart. And his beautiful, angsty, full of yearning relationship with Zoya is my favorite part of this book. My only complaint is that there were so few scenes of them together.
Nina's story felt quite disconnected to the main plot in King of Scars, but it was much more significant this time around and I liked how it connected to the overall war with Ravka. I was also finally able to feel engaged with her relationship with Hanne. Both of them had some of the riskiest tasks to accomplish in the story and while I was quite excited to see them be successful, it all did feel a tad bit too convenient at times.
The Darkling is obviously back but I don't wanna talk much about him because I still don't know how to feel about him. I absolutely adored his character in the trilogy and sobbed when he died, but I did realize over time with multiple rereads that he will always remain a gaslighting mass murderer despite all the love we readers have for him. And despite whatever happens to him in this story and his character arc, that truth never changes and he remains incapable of repenting.
And of course, I can't not mention how much delight and comfort I found in meeting so many of favorite old characters, even if only for a short glimpse. I am very sure some readers will complain that this was unnecessary fanservice or set up for new books in the world, but I was literally giggling with happiness when each of them showed up and I'm glad the author did it.
I don't know how to end this review, because much like the open ending of this book, I feel conflicted - happy because the endings for each of the characters was quite interesting and unexpected (even if a bit convenient); but also sad at the prospect that I may not meet them again. There was also one character death which I didn't see coming at all and I still wish it hadn't happened. In conclusion, I thought this was a good end point for the Grishaverse - each kingdom having a significant change in the mindset of the rulers, which leaves us with hope for peace in the future. And that is probably what I was looking for in this book. I know I will definitely revisit this world because that's the power of nostalgia, but for now, all I can do is eagerly wait for April 23rd and a Shadow and Bone binge watch.