King of Scars | DISCUSSION 

I was feeling confused by the darkling coming back until I realized that meant there was a chance he and Kaz Brekker might end up in the same room and since then I haven't stopped screaming

Honestly, I was just hoping to get the story of the cunning pirate, bastard, monster king -as it was advertised- and his quest to restore his country and cement his hold on the throne. I may just be greedy because he's one of my favorite characters ever, but I just didn't get enough of him. I also don't understand why couldn't Nina's storyline be integrated with that of the other characters, something like having her stay in Ravka to work on her new abilities while searching for an antidote to parem... I'm also worried that bringing the Darkling back will take away from the epicness that was him and Alina. From what I understand Leigh really wants her to end up living a simple life with Mal and will probably have someone like Zoya take him down. (hope i'm wrong though) Why couldn't we just get a Nikolai book??? Okay rant over, I just needed a place to let out my frunstration.

The Darkling part just felt too predictable to me. When he came back, I was like “of course he did.”

The darkling coming back got me like... “I guess we’re just spinning in circles at this point”

if the darkling is back but alina doesnt come back leigh might as well throw the whole grisha trilogy out!! how is she gonna write a whole series abt the two of them and their conflict and then go and bring the darkling back, negating the end of the trilogy, and not have alina back?!?!? I'm thinking abt this now and its making me mad and she hasnt even done it yet

Oh my god, I feel exactly the same regarding The Darkling. 😂 It's not that I made peace with his death, but you know, I've already drained myself dry of tears and 50% accepted that Alina and Him will just be a headcanon in my head. Now, I don't know what to do with this new reality. What...Where....How. And YES, absolutely, YES that Alina should be involved in the next book. LB can't give us Aleks but not Alina, that's like giving us a burger with only the bread and no patty in it! I need a reunion, ASAP, and Mal's death. (Probably never going to happen but Aleks' resurrection might prove otherwise.) This book felt a little too fast for me too. No, scratch that, it's really fast. I cared about Nina when she was still hearing him inside her head, and conflicted about burying him. But after that, I'm like...why are you even still here? I also feel like Zoya and Nikolai won't work out as a couple, idk. I just feel it. The saints were disappointing too. I want to call Inej and say, "Hey, so you might want to start thinking about changing the names of your knives. Because I met your idols, honey, and they're just ain't it."

I love a good redemption story but I'm also SO worried she's going to woobify the Darkling because the fandom loves him so much.

Honestly, I lowkey just wanted a simpler, slightly lower stakes book about Nikolai politicking around Ravka. I didn't need all this stuff with the saints and Nina. I would have much rather have had a book with Nikolai's (and maybe Zoya's) pov just trying to control the monster while keeping it a secret from the public. Just like you said, I always liked the idea of the Darkling surviving but I definitely didn't need it (or like it) in canon. Not the way it was executed at least. I think a lot of my dissapointment lies in how this was advertised as the Nikolai duology and I felt like I hardly got any Nikolai at all. If this had been the Zoya duology i would have gone into it with different expectations and enjoyed it for what it was (considering I like Zoya but she isn't my favorite). I also think this is the weakest book in the grishaverse but I'm probably still going to read the next book. Also, yup I don't care too much for Zoya and Nikolai together. It's fine but it's _just_ fine. I'm not vehemently opposed to it but I also don't find their romance compelling at all. I think they would have a much more charming dynamic if it were treated as platonic. And then there's Nina who is still grieving (in the book it's even treated like she's a widow) and already she has a new love interest. Not to say I don't like her dynamic with Hanne, but it feels too soon for me. I do wish Leigh stopped pairing everyone up, not everyone has to be paired up by the end. She's taking a few too many tips from good ol Sarah J Maas.

The grisha trilogy was ok but six of crows duology was epic and I loved it. Then this book just was sorry to say a disappointment in many way. I loved Nina but moving on to hanne felt a little quick because of how long she kept Matthias voice in her mind. Also her character didn't seem to have her personality just her traits though I liked her side plot it still felt boring. Then Nickolai and zoya love felt so forced though I kinda ship them it still doesn't feel right and how the author is trying to make zoya stronger than alina just feels like betrayal. Alina was so powerful because her power was meant to leave her and it feels like zoya is becoming just a black hair version of alina. Then Isaak story was so lame. The beginning of the book had me so excited then the story seem to stretch and then the last few chapters was rushed. Honestly I expected so much more because of six of crows.

“What are they gonna do!??!?!! BEFRIEND HIM?!?!” 😂😂😂 i totally felt this review i am so conflicted about this whole thing

I think the main problem the majority of readers had with King of Scars was the divergence between expectations and what we got. Plus, the premise of this book is pretty great but worn down by its execution. It would've been so easy to make this a better book. So here's my version of how it could have been: First of all, Isaak. He should have been there from the beginning, being a counterpart to Zoya in terms of seeing Nikolai from the outside. Zoya knows what's going on, Isaak doesn't. It would be quite interesting to see how Nikolai is seen by his employees. We also would be able to examine how Nikolai's decreasing self-confidence affects the effect he has on other people. Then, they should start to visit the places the miracles happened right after the events of the first chapters. It could be a travel through Ravka, juggling political and mystical business. I suppose Nikolai is usually drawn to the political stuff. Therefore, it'd be nice for him to realize that he has to deal with the monster in him sometime soon and "relinquish" his royal duty to make himself capable of ruling again. I think the saints would've worked better being like ghosts, trapped by the Fold and slowly breaking free after the Darkling's death. But their power is linked to the Darkling's merzost and therefore they would have to reawaken his powers to break free themselves. By trying to rid Nikolai of the shadowthing inside him, following instructions the saints have told them somehow, Zoya and Nikolai would free them. Yuri would be able to take the Darkling's power, but not becoming the Darkling as a person. Nina's storyline should've started one chapter before Matthias's funeral and then being a little more fast-paced, discovering what the nuns do in this warehouse, teaming up with Hanne and realizing something that's going on with parem, merzost and what else is part of the "unnatural magic squad" (which we hopefully will learn about in the second book). Then Nina should hurry off to Ravka (being finally able to actively do something and letting the grief for Matthias behind), arrive there for the showdown in the palace and do some necromancy stuff. The outcome would still be quite similar, the question if Grisha powers are irrational magic or limited science could still be the center of the duology, worldbuilding-wise, and the different perspectives would melt better into each other.

I *loved* Isaak's subplot, but that's probably because 'secret identity shenanigans' is my favorite trope of all time. And since I love Nikolai so much, it was hilarious and endearing to have his persona deconstructed by the other characters like that. You really learn stuff about him based on the views of all these other people. Isaak was also so loyal, I was upset when he died and thought it was unnecessary. :(

Zoya is just way too OP at this point

I actually feel that her bringing the Darkling back at all wasn't the best choice. She made this great villain, fleshed him out fully in the original Grisha Trilogy, and there was already so much happening there, I feel that his character arc came to a nice end in Ruin and Rising, and now bringing him back is the lazy way out of creating another antagonist... it's like she didn't feel the need to go to the trouble of fleshing out another antagonist (I felt that Elizaveta actually had a lot of potential) while there was a fully cooked Darkling sitting on her shelf.

I'M A HUGE DARKLINA STAN SO I FELT LIKE BEING ON NINTH CLOUD AT ALEKSANDR'S RETURN AND I. WANT. MY. SUN. QUEEN. BACK. IN. KOS2. omg can't express how excited I am for book 2! Literally can't sleep peacefully at night for that

I just finished the book this second and then immediatly went to your discussion. I agree with everything you said. This wasn't at all what I expected and I don't understand. The Darkling coming back is like my dream but I always pictured it different. I thougt maybe we would get some books set in the past with him or something. But him being resurrected in this so called Nikolai Duology...what? Nevertheless I'm still totally excited for him in the next book. I really hope Leigh doesn't ruin him. I have so many thoughts about this... Also Nina' s chapters felt like a completly different book to me. I did like them but the didn't fit at all. And the romance between Zoya ab Nikolai was weird for me too...I still feel like these two barely know each other...which apparently they do...but we didn't see how they got so close...their relationship felt weird to me.

After reading this, I was like -- I gotta know Sam's thoughts. I was disappointed as well. The Grisha Trilogy and SOC were so plot driven and had clear goals and antagonists and this book didn't. I seem to be in the minority tho cause I loved Nina's chapters and could kind of care less about Nikolai's stuff. I think I'm just more interested in the jurda parem stuff more than amplifiers and Saints, and I like Brum as an antagonist more than the Darkling. But the two stories should have been more intertwined.

Not gonna lie, I skipped some Nina and Isaak chapters because they were boring me to tears. In fact, almost the whole book bored me to tears. What I was supposed to be into, like the saints, or Zoya getting a new amplifier, I wasn't because it was so rushed and all over the place. Like, how convenient that Zoya loses her weaker amplifier and almost inmediately gets a new (stronger) one. I also disliked and was bored by Nikolai/Zoya, because I didn't feel it at all, we don't see their friendship develop, we're just told they're friends and are close and trust each other and the only things we're told to believe that is that she chains him at night and helps him protect his secret and... idk I didn't buy it. Because with Nikolai/Alina what I liked the most was seeing them becoming friends and then the potential for them to be something more. And with Inej/Kaz I think Bardugo handled better the "making me believe they care for each other". I know she can't cover the whole 2-3 years after the trilogy, but a flashback here and there of them becoming friends would've helped me. I was also annoyed of how we spent the whole book about how Zoya is fine as she is personality wise and how people want to believe she is softer and so on, but the tiger cub scene kind of felt... exactly that. Like, hey guys!Zoya isn't bad! she protected baby tigers with her own body! And with The Darkling I felt... it was cheap. Idk, I did have the headcanon that he wasn't dead, like you said. But I wanted that in... fandom, years in the future. Because I think getting him to comeback like that cheapens Alina's sacrifice, that Bardugo only did it because he's a fan favorite, and like you've said, that The Darkling can't comeback without Alina being his obstacle/balance. And for a duology that's supposed to be about NIKOLAI, I feel it is unnecessary BS, she had enough material as it is with Nikolai's feelings of impostor syndrome, inner demons and political conflict and him dealing with a weakened kingdom. Idk, it feels like a mess.

The whole time I was reading this book, I kept thinking 'please don't pair Nikolai and Zoya, please, please, please!' But now I think Leigh Bardugo is determined to get them together and I just don't see it. I agree with every single point you've mentioned in this video btw, especially with Nikolai, it just didn't feel like he was the main character in his own story, which is so disappointing. I was never really that fond of Zoya's character in the original trilogy tbh, and having her basically be the main character in this story just didn't sit right with me. The ending and hopefully MORE of Nikolai are the only two reasons why I'm looking forward to the next book.

I think Leigh is too into Duologies. A lot of these things needed more room to breathe. Now the whole conflict has to be resolved in the next book. I agree about Alina 100%. They talked about her constantly in this book. Bringing up Santka Alina at every turn. They really need to pay that off by having her return. I also wanted more Nicolai. I love Zoya, not mad about what we get from her, but i felt mislead about who is really the main focus. If i was better prepared i maybe wouldn't have been so disappointed for less Nicolai. I'm also around a 3.5 for this. Which hurts me. Because i enjoy the read so much, but its not really DOING anything for me. We'll see how it gets rounded out by the sequel.

I agree with you on so much of this! I feel like this book was several different great ideas for books mashed into one. A book about a tormented Nikolai dealing with a demon inside him? heck yes! A book about Zoya fighting evil saints and learning more about her Grisha powers? I am so down. A book about the darkling returning? Sign me up. A book about Nina freeing Grisha and dealing with her grief? Give it to me now. Instead, all these ideas were mashed into one and nothing felt very fleshed out. I'm still not really sure what it is that Zoya learned from that dragon saint. I really just didn't care for any of the saint stuff. The whole other dimension thing they were in just didn't make sense with what we know of the Grishaverse. And I'm really worried about the darklings return. I feel like the books are going in a direction where Zoya defeats the darkling instead of Alina. I really hope this isn't the case though, not only because I think Alina and the Darkling are great rivals, but because doing so would make Alina's character very pointless. All she would have done is get great powers, fight the man she was destined to kill, but not actually defeat him, lose her powers, and then watch as someone else kills the villain she was destined to kill.

omg, I agree with everything you said! The Darkling coming back was like really? Back to the start -_- and yes, not everyone needs to end up with a partner.

I actually felt sorta cheated and misled by the fact that Nikolai basically became a side character in what was supposed to be his own story? Like from the beginning this has been marketed as A NIKOLAI STORY but like...it's not. Don't get me wrong I love Zoya and Nina but in particular I felt Nina's story completely detracted from the main plot and didn't really add anything? I feel like if we didn't have Nina's chapters then Nikolai would have been able to have more of a focus and it wouldn't feel like he was being shoved to the sidelines in favour of other characters. I guess I was just hoping for a different story to the one we got. I love Nikolai too much.

I do agree with a lot of what you said - parts of this book were rushed considering everything that happens; I was hoping the saints were going to be the new villains in the next book and then... oh, they're all dead NEVER MIND. I adore Zoya, though. She was my favourite character in the original trilogy and I loved learning more about her - I love that she's mean but that doesn't mean she's a villain and I really loved her relationship with Nikolai. I do agree that not everyone needs to pair off, but I do love the two of them together purely because it was a gender reversal of one of my favourite tropes: the prince(ss) and the bodyguard. I actually really liked Nina's scenes. I do agree that there should have been more crossover between their storylines - Zoya mentions not being happy that Nikolai sent Nina to Fjerda, so why didn't we see that instead of going straight to Fjerda? Considering Nina has that heartbreaking moment in the Six of Crows duology where she's super homesick for Ravka, it's a shame we didn't get to see her IN Ravka. For me, though, I loved Nina's scenes because I loved how Nina's keeping her promise to Matthias to help Fjerda by helping the women of Fjerda, especially as Fjerda looks down on its women so horrendously whether they're Grisha or not. I also really liked that this book as a whole was essentially about trauma and how different people deal with different trauma - Nina coping with Matthias's death, Nikolai coping with this demon in him that is essentially feeding on his PTSD, Zoya coping with the loss of her aunt at the Darkling's hands when she used to idolise the man. All of that I did really like, but I do agree we needed a lot more time and we needed to see a lot more of this world. As for the Darkling... tbh he's not a favourite of mine, for someone who's ancient he's quite petty, and more than anything I really don't like it when authors bring back a villain who's already been defeated. I expect a new villain in a new story, which is why I thought the saints were going to be the 'big bad' of this duology. Great discussion, here's hoping the next book is stronger!

Tha Darkling not really dying, being a spirit waiting for a body sounds sooo much like Sauron and Voldemort and it's nothing new and quite cheap

Great review! I also felt a little conflicted after I finished reading KOS. Nikolai and Nina are some of my favorite characters from the Grishaverse, so I thought I would love this book...but I didn't. I thought it was fine. Nina honestly had no part in this story (maybe she should have gotten her own duology) and Nikolai didn't have much to do. I think it might have been better if we were given a Genya POV so we could have stayed in Ravka and been more engaged with all the politics without having to rely on a random POV (sorry Isaak). The second part of the book felt too rushed, which is why the plot twists were too predictable for me. The Darling's return also left me a bit conflicted. KOS spent a lot of time describing how horrible and evil the Darkling was (contrast that to the end of R&R where we were meant to feel for him when he died). So now I'm like, "what am I supposed to feel for the Darkling????" Also, I believe his return means Alina is returning in the next book. Nikolai and co may not seek her out but the Darkling will (knowing his petty ass). Again, great review!

I feel if the Darkling comes back, Alina has to come back too but the epilogue of Ruin and Rising (from what I remember) made it seem like she'd live out a normal life with Mal so idkkkkk. This book felt kind of directionless tbh. Like I was 200 pages in and I was like how would I summarise or blurb this? Like there didn't seem to be any over-arching plot, it was weird.

I think the real problem with this book was the advertisement. It was pitched as a Nikolai book. I expected scandals and a dramatic pirate coming in on his flying ship. What I got was a Fjerdan story that had no connection whatsoever to the main plot, Zoya being the actual real main character, and Nikolai just...being lowkey the reason the Darkling came back. I feel like we're gonna get even LESS of Nikolai in the sequel. which is sad. Also, AGREE on Zoya and Nikolai. I just. Do not need it. I don't find them compatible at all. If Alina isn't in the sequel and Aleks gets taken out by Zoya...disappointing, honestly, and I think that's where this is headed. I would have preferred he stayed dead (or hidden, I shared the same headcanon about alarkling as you)

I felt the same way as you. Honestly, I think this book was a Frankenstein book of ideas Leigh had and it got stitched together cause of the fandom. As for the darkling, I think it’ll be a dynamic between him and zoya in the next book. They’ve hinted at her relationship with him in the book and how she had loved and worshipped him. And now that zoya might be more powerful than Alina, it just makes me wonder if that’s going to be a thing. I also can’t help but think there’s going to be a dark and sadistic attraction between her and the darkling since Nikolai has ehri to deal with now and how zoya kept saying throughout this book how she’s not good enough to be queen because she’s grisha. Ugh!!! I honestly don’t know where the story is going and I am scared. I am the saddest about this whole book being teased as a Nikolai book yet it was nothing like his book. Thanks for your review!!!

I like this book more than Shadow and Bone, but I wish it was... y’know, more about Nikolai - the main character. This felt more like “OP Grisha Zoya Nazyalensky helps her friend/potential love interest with a little problem he’s been having when Zoya becomes the Avatar” instead of what the book’s summary says. However, even though I personally don’t love the Darkling but think he’s a compelling villain, I like the ending and can’t wait to see where it goes in book 2!

i really hope that zoya and nikolai end up together romantically. they are one of the couples in the universe that I LOVE AND NEED

I feel like everything felt rushed bec. This thing is suppose to be a "Duology" when obviously the story scope was to big for just 2 books (unless the 2 books are 1k plus pages long....) idk. I think this whole thing would have been better as a trilogy or even 4 books. One book can even focus on one character like first book Zoya Second book Nikolai third book Nina idk meh. Its sad bec I was so excited for this but my feelings are a mess.

I dont really like the saints. I preferred it when they were teased rather then them being here. I feel as though bardugo could have had Zoya learn her new powers on her own. This would have given her more character development aswell. Have Nicoli doing more reserch snd finding about the thorns from an old myth. We could still have the starless cult and they could have captured Nicoli to bring back the darkling and zoya having to free him. Have Ninas story as a short story book. I also think that Nina should have focused on being herself and learning her necromancy after Mattias died. I like Han but it felt like a forced relationship. They should have been friends. I have nothing against same sex couples I just felt as though Nina was so super depresed and then got a new partner right after burrying Mattias. Too soon is what im saying

I am feeling your feelings my pal. My goodness. This story just needed to he three books long, not two. She could have delved in so much more and ahahgahggg

You have put all my thoughts so concisely. I dont need Zoya and Nikolai together--- like at all. I think that diminishes their friendship. This was such a conflicting book!! Like two in one almost with Nina. Aauugh but goddamnit I have the same feels as you Edit: it's like a prelude?? And I dunno how shes gonna work it out to be much better.

I am so conflicted! I liked it, but half way through I was like THE SIX OF CROWS REFERENCES CAN'T BE MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THIS BOOK! Whats her face being saved by Jesper's mom! Taking on her last name to honor her? UGH. The Darkling has me the MOST conflicted. I don't know man. I wanted him alive but now I'm afraid he'll lose all his badness and I don't want that!

I didn't really care for the Darkling being back because it felt just thrown in instead of built up. I still enjoyed the book but have hope that the second will be better

I felt like it honestly wasn't 'King of Scars' really, also felt like Zoya and Nikolai "relationship" was forced...honestly never expected them to get together. Also agreed that Nina was boring. I was kinda disappointed with this book 🙈🙈💔 Only reason I'm willing to read the next book really was cause of that ending lol

I am hoping for the opposite of what you wish to happenXD that is for Alina to not come back and defeat Darkling for good. Because in the ending, Darkling seems to be half of what his original power is supposed to be?? And the half is still contained within Nikolai?? Honestly I might be wrong, but what I'm saying is that Darkling aint as dark as the one we're familiar with. Thuuuuus, I HOPE for his reapperance to be some kind of personification for Nikolai's internal problem. So the conflict wouldn't be between Alina and Darkling (let the poor poor girl rest), but as a metaphor for king Nikolai to overcome his internal struggle while also waging war, saving his kingdom. And to make us even more in love with our favorite character because we know that suffering is the charm. I also can't accept Darkling becoming a part of the goofy team as Genya and Zoya obviously wouldn't wanna And yes. I'm all for that nikolaixzoya platonic love please thankyou. And for the sequel to be 800 pages long okey

I just finished the entire Grisha/Crows/Scars books based on your recommendations. I have really enjoyed this whole world even if I'm late to the fandom. Does anyone know why Nikolai had silver beads in his coat pockets? Isaak (impersonator) kept finding them in Nikolai's pockets. Great video as always!

Unpopular opinion but the fact that I was disappointed about everything that was going on with Nikolai made me like Nina's arc better. I agree that it felt completely disjointed from the rest of the story but eventually, I just ended up liking her parts more because it was something else entirely and I was not enjoying so much where the rest of the story was going. It's really a shame for this book though, hopefully it all ties well together in the second book.

Idk my love for Mathias didn’t allow me to like Hanne like I should’ve. I understand the importance of the scenes with the saints because that allowed us to fall in love w Isaak 😭 and that whole dynamic w him pretending to be the prince. But the saints and the changing castles and whatever I didn’t feel it. Juris was the only one that made sense

I really enjoyed the Six of Crows douology and agree with you, i just couldn't connect to this book, towards the end, i just wanted to finishing reading it and move on

No one is talking about Leona being the girl Jespers mom saved 🥲

Yes! Nina bored me so much. I was so disappointed, as she didn't feel like herself.

I loved the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology but this book completely lost me. I agree with almost everything you said. Is Rule of Wolves worth the read?

Yeah I think my general feeling about this book is just that I was underwhelmed. Like you said, for a duology that's supposed to be about Nikolai, there wasn't enough of him in it. I honestly would have been fine if this was a more politically focussed book instead of going back into the saints and stuff. Zoya was definitely my favourite character in this but like you said I wish we could have seen more of her, especially her training with Juris because we really only saw them together once and we're supposed to believe they suddenly have this deep bond? And while I love Nina so much, I was also kind of bored with her POV and I kind of feel like she's being set up with Hanne too quickly?? Idk, like you said Leigh seems to have this thing about setting all the characters up with people and Nina literally just put Matthias in the ground and is trying to get over her grief so it seems weird that they're putting her into another romance instead of just letting her be alone for a bit (and I totally agree - not enough death magic lol). As for the Darkling coming back, I don't really like it. In general I just don't like when a previously defeated villain comes back in a story because it just feels cheap, especially in this case since I know the fandom loves the Darkling so much and that's probably a main reason she brought him back. Like if this book had been more politically focussed there could have been a different villain and that would have been better than "oh look he's back". But anyways I'm hoping that the next book remedies some of this stuff and maybe actually focusses on Nikolai more?? (also sorry this was so long i just have a lot of thoughtssss lmao)

Matthias and Nina were my OTP. His death killed any interest I had for this book, especially since Nina is just gonna find another love interest. I don't care.

It wasn't the 5 star read that I was expecting, but I still loved it. Mainly because it finally made me like Zoya. I just couldn't stand her in the original trilogy 😅 I didn't think I would ever change my mind about her.

I dont think leigh will bring alina back to fight him this time. She may place a small bite of her meeting with the others but this time itll be zoya and/or nikolai who'll take care of darkling. Thats what i believe at least.

YES YES Nina was so boring! She really did not feel like Nina from SoC. Did she need to be in here? Honestly I hated The Darkling in the original series-the whole “he’s sooooo powerful!” got real old real quick. It gets to a point where the weaknesses feel too contrived and ineffective. Honestly, you’re right Alina has to come back if The Darkling is back. I was actually pretty intrigued with the war with Fjerda/Shu and and Zoya and Nikolai’s storylines. The Saints should have played a bigger role so the betrayal and their deaths could have a bigger impact. Leigh’s writing and the banter is the only thing that got me through this. Did Nina have a single waffle?! (I didn’t read her last chapter bc I can only handle so much)

Is it so bad of me that I want the Darkling back in full power so he could turn the Shu-Han into a new shadow fold, so maybe that way parem would disappear forever?

ive never found that in any of the books ive read by her, that shes particularly strong in world building or dealing with the political side and motivations of each place or culture. She is extremely character focused. I dont know if thats on purpose, or shes just weak in the other areas or its content she couldnt merge well with plot and it got cut. Part of it seems that her characters tend to be super focused. Like wrapped up in their own personal dramas and dont tend to step back and look at their entire situation and purposes, so they arent really taking in whats happening around them or taking note or being effected by anything that isnt explicit to the plot. So we dont get this rich feeling of culture or understanding of different cultures and governments outside of how it negatively or positively effects each characters specific goals. I enjoyed the books, but they are definitely not great when it comes to lore or any delicious fat. Its all trimmed off and incredibly lean. I was annoyed by the saints, i didnt like them. Its like that stupid trope where they get a realy quick power up teaching session but you get to witness one scene.Like hi, im over here, i want to see HOW their power and mentality grows and how they change because of those teachers.Not just a chapter. How am i supposed to feel anything about the other saints dying? We barely knew them. Why is she always killing things off? Can you not find another way to incapacitate them or remove them from the story? I dont want the darkling back. That story is over and done with. Prequels, more prequels with him could have been interesting. but not after. hes done, he had his chance. Or maybe he could have gotten a new body and stewed about in that for generations building up his power till she tried to overthrow the throne again. Or raised his army of religious nuts. I was prepared for the religious nuts and the outside countries to be the enemies, not a bunch of internal strife.

I definitely agree. I gave the book 4 stars because I enjoyed the experience of reading it and coming "home", back to a universe and characters I love so much, but I found the plot quite weak, mostly because everything happened so suddenly at times and then other things (Nina's pov) felt so dragged out. I loved Nina in soc, but her chapters were so hard for me to get through and they took me out of the story completely. I've always said that characters are Leigh's strongest suit, and I feel I've been proven right. Nikolai, Zoya and the rest of their crew are what made me enjoy it. I loved that we got to see how much Zoya has developed and grown. I enjoyed her pov so much, but I still feel I need the full picture. Still, it did feel more of a Zoya book than about Nikolai. I did enjoy what we got of him, though, every single bit. He is my favorite book character of all time and I just fell more in love with him each page. Also, I am a nikolina stan through and through, but I do enjoy what we got of zoya x nikolai; even if I would have preferred either the other ship or for them not to be paired up. About the Darkling... I am very anxious about having him back. He was such a good antagonist for tgt and his death was a very important and significant part of the story, so idk how I feel about that bit being sort of irrelevant. And I just don't see how can he be brought back without having Alina in the story. I would love it if she comes back, but I don't know if Leigh would do that. (I also wanted to mention how deeply affected I was every single time Alina was mentioned because I miss her and love her so much, and I love how defensive Zoya was about her and her legacy. From Alina hater to one of her biggest supporters, I stan character development)

Agreed, agreed and AGREED!

I AGREE with you on Nina’s chapter! AND I LOVED ZOYA TOO!!! I NEEDED MORE OF HER!!! I also would have loved to see the buildup on her too. Also I didn’t imagine myself shipping her with Nikolai but I do now. I loved their dynamic. But overall I do agree with you on mostly everything. AND I KNEW the Darkling would be making a comeback!!!

I really really was disappointed their stories didn't connect in some way at the end. Honestly, it was two different stories (maybe even three, but at least Issak's and Nikolai and Zoya's were in some way connected) and only at one point, the Fjerdans knowing about assassination plans and Nina reading Brum's papers (you could throw that out and still nothing would change) the book acknowledged that these things are even happening at the same time. I was really hoping at the end we would get some kind of interaction between Nikolai and Nina, not because I ship them, but because they were such fun characters. Nina's story (I'll get into that in a minute) should have been its own separate book and then the second book would weave her in, maybe after she goes off with Hanne and no one knows where the hell she is, Zoya (you cannot tell me she wasn't worried for Nina in KoS) and Genya are worried after Adrik reports and she appears in whatever way she is supposed to in the second book. I think it'd change a story very little. Nina's story was disappointing. It felt like for however long she kept Matthias's body, she was grieving but the moment she buried him, it all went away? No grief, barely even mentioning him and she wasn't suppressing it, it just felt like the moment she let go of his body, many years passed so the grief isn't so fresh. Honestly, the best part of her story was when she messed with explosives and blew up the dam. It was such a ruthless move without care for who or what got hurt, it really felt like she did actually spend some time dealing with Kaz. But then her intentions were so Nina, trying to help the Grisha and changing people's minds like she did with Matthias, that that was the only point that I actually felt that she was Nina from Six of Crows, just with some impact on her from her adventure in Katterdam. Also, she should have used her death magic more. Much much much more. I feel if she had her own book, her story would have been fleshed out more, I would have had more time to gush about Adrik (and he might have had actual character development), her relationship with Hanne would also not feel so rushed cause she would still have time for her grief to age a bit. I really don't know how I feel about the Saints. They and the world they're stuck in just never really felt like it belonged in the Grishaverse world? I didn't understand it and I was always questioning why those three saints still survived? Grisha magic as far as I remember weren't tied to faith and the only reason the Darkling and his mother survived so long were because Ilya Morozova messed with Merzost and corrupted his daughter's (and in turn his grandson's) abilities as well as making her an amplifier. So why these people are still somehow alive, just stuck in another dimension or whatever? They are normal Grisha. They are powerful and ancient, yes, but so was Ilya, and he isn't strolling around the Fold, is he? Overall that story didn't seem to fit into the established world, not like Parem or Merzost. The Darkling I don't know. His resurrection story was unsatisfying but I'm happy about the possibilities that I know will probably not be. Alina has to come back. She probably won't get her powers back but she knows the Darkling like no one else alive. She's probably the only one who even knows his name, not the super drama queen title he took. Also, I love when characters suffer, so for all I care, Alina can kiss her peaceful life goodbye. I just want her back, PLEASE. I don't know how they will make him help but I still have faith this duology can be great, even if KoS was so disappointing. If you read this whole rant, you are awesome and have bigger attention-span than I will ever hope to have. Here's a cake 🎂.

I have just finished grisha trilogy and my tears won't stop cz the darkling died. Now I want peace. Someone just tell me that Aleksander comes back😭. And who is nina

I actually don't mind Nikolai and Zoya together I just wished we had more time spent only on them AND IT HURST TO SAY THAT because I love Nina so much, but you're right it didn't feel like her most of the time. Oh and the darkling at the end? I thought that was a very cheap and overused ending. Like enough is enough, shadow and bone and siege and storm ended the SAME.....I just wished Leigh didn't bring him back again. This would've been the perfect time to introduce a new antagonist but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that everything will tie in with the second book. Once the second book is out I honestly bet, people will enjoy King of Scars more. Listen, Alina was a weak protagonist and she never felt powerful or really like she was better. She mostly was just a convenient counter with the Darkling. I agree with Isaak I did not care for him.

THIS IS SO ACCURATE!! I’m obsessed with all of the grishaverse books and this book was so hard for me to get through tbh. And Nikolai being one of my fav characters was even more disappointing for me 😭 the darkling making a come back can me so many different things.. also Leigh mentioning a writing a funeral scene for KOS2 and a lot of people think it’s going to be Nikolai!! I WILL BE SO UPSET! At this point if Alina doesn’t come back... that will literally go against EVERYTHING that happened in the shadow and bone series.. I’m excited to see what happens and hopefully nina will not get a POV in the next one lol

the entire time i was just hoping for nikolai to come flying in with his wings and being in control of the monster whilst zoya rides in with the wind and they both end up crashing the ball and everyone's just shocked.

I just finished the book and yep yep yep you said it all. Took the words riight out of my mouth. I did however like that twist at the end, I did . I like not knowing how the Darkiling will fit in the next book. I just hope it is surprising and not underwhelming and quite frankly I want him to stay bad really really bad.

I was kind of upset about The Darkling's return. I LOVE him. He's one of my favorite fictional characters. BUT... at the end of TGT I think that his humanity was emphasized without having him be redeemed... which is a good ending for a villain even if I wasn't a fan of the overall ending of TGT. BUT... this felt like a shock-factor that made Aleksander a sort of Voldemort type of villain... and I do enjoy Voldemort. That said, Voldemort started as a one-dimensional villain and his backstory gave him depth. On the contrary, the way The Darkling was treated here made him more of a generic villain even though he originally was an extremely complex and layered character. Maybe that's just me. Honestly, I would love a full video of you commenting just on the twist more extensively.

I totally agree with everything you’ve said! I think if we hadn’t gotten the Nina chapters we could have fleshed out the real plot of this story better. And I just wanted more Nikolai 😫 and yeah no idea what she’ll do with the Darkling...

I think the issue is that we didn't have enough build up and t i m e. Like you have all this plots that could have been something (like Zoya's training or anything by nikolai) but they were all thrown there and now is kinda like a mess. Conclusion: give me more pages and development (English it's not my first language sorry if something is wrong)

I loved Isaak. It was honestly my favorite part of the book, and I think that is because it was fun while the other chapters were almost exclusively angst and drama. Then he died... so... it almost feels like my own fault for loving him. And I feel the same with the Darkling thing! So conflicted! And the saints! So cool but also not. So conflicted!

I'll say this first: this book felt very middle of the road to me, because I just didn't...feel anything? I wish it had picked a thing to be, because like you said Nikolai took a backseat in a story supposedly about him and I adore him. I'd rather it had truly been Nikolais' story or be openly Zoyas' (I've loved her so for long!). I felt the same about Nina, every time she mentioned the crows I just found myself wishing she'd just go back to them and wait for her time to come again with the crows so we didn't have to waste time on Ninas' POV here. I liked her more in that setting, I also didn't care about what happened in her plotline, or really about Hanne either I didn't really believe in her character much and I didn't connect to her much at all. I would much rather they spent that time on Zoya and her training. Agree completely about the saints, definitely a wasted opportunity there. Regarding our bastard boy the Darkling, I had actually felt pretty against it. I don't understand how he fits here, it didn't feel right to me, I find it almost a cop out because the villains in this book fell so flat it was almost like she was scrambling to bring back a good one cause she couldn't come up with a better one. I don't know overall I just felt very, let down by it. I had high hopes for it but it fell flat for me. OH and also, we needed more time to actually see the monster in Nikolai, interact with it, fear it more. Idk. I didn't feel much reading this book which I find quite sad. Didn't connect to the implied relationships either, I find I'd rather Zoya and Nikolai be Power Besties at this point. (p.s. sorry for the essay comment, I finished the book half an hour ago and I have Thoughts and nowhere else to put them)

The Darkling returning worries me greatly. The Darkling and Alina (and also Mal) as charactcers were pretty much my least favorite part of the original Grisha trilogy, so I am less than thrilled at the prospect of seeing any of them again, in any capacity. I still trust Leigh Bardugo's skills as a writer enough to believe she can justify the Darkling's appearane in this book without undermining the entire Grisha trilogy. Apart from that, I actually enjoyed King of Scars, even though it is decidedly unevenly paced and seems like it could have used another draft before publishing.

I totally agree with alllll of this. I personally still gave it five stars (mostly because of the ending and I'll probably lower it to 4 later), but I still recognize all of it's flaws. I listened to in audio which also probably made it more entertaining, but the whole Nina plot point was super random and I hate that there are so many romances like Leoni x Adrik and Nikolai x Zoya just don't really need to happen. I LOVE Nikolai and Zoya as like best friends. I just don't really see either of them being in romantic relationships. Like I liked Alina and Nikolai together more romantically, but even then. When the whole thing happened with the dragon too I had to relisten to it cause I was just like okay... yeah that just happened. I'm trying to live in this cloud of happiness over the Darkling's comeback and ignore everything else, but the book itself is kind of messy. This book series should've definitely been another trilogy like Shadow and Bone to give everything more time. But UGH THE DARKLING IS ALIVE AND NOW SO AM I.

If you're needing more death magic in your life, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is A M A Z I N G

I came for Nikolai. I stayed for Zoya. Nina got robbed.

This is all true and you Should say it! I loved Nikolai as well, and though I started off disliking Zoya, by Ruin and Rising she had grown on me. I think them ending up together would be really cruel, because as far as we can see through this book, their trust and friendship is borne out of circumstance and it’s more of a working relationship. I liked the scenes where they came in synch in order to protect the country, and when that focus turned into hints of romance it came off as fake. Not only am I convinced deep in my heart that Nikolai is AT LEAST bi, the chapters focused on Zoya made me think that romance is not just something she doesn’t want, but also something she doesn’t need. She has friends! She has a king that trusts her! Why does Leigh hate single people? Nina’s story was strange but I eventually came to enjoy it, once I got over the whiplash. It certainly doesn’t belong in this book though, and I just really fucking hate Fjerda, to be honest. Now, the Darkling... From early on I knew this entire book was leading there but I wished Leigh took a bigger gamble with him, and that, if she didn’t want Alina coming back to rehash the original Grisha trilogy, that she would at least make the whole “a part of the Darkling is alive within Nikolai” concept a bigger deal. My expectations were low but I was still disappointed.

I really don't like the return of the Starless One. As you, I really liked the Darkling as a character and he is one of my favorite villains, but I feel like he's had his time and at this point, I feel like she can't do him justice. Either he's going to stick around as villain that I think Nikolai is going to try to use again the political enemies and then obviously the Darkling is going to betray them - which feels too obvious. Or he's going to be a lame duck - either defeated too early or be part of the gang. Which then ruins the characters. A friend of mine and I were talking about this at length and we couldn't figure out how his character can be used satisfactorily and the only conclusion we came to was that this 'Darkling' isn't really him and is some echo/shadow of him.

Personally it’s my third favorite grishaverse book after the six of crows duology (crooked kingdom is my personal favorite) but that’s only because I didn’t enjoy the grisha trilogy at all, except for the darkling and nikolai which is probably why I liked this book more than I would’ve expected. I did find this book to be disappointing but I didn’t think it was all that bad, but the sequel is one of my most anticipated reads because even though I might’ve not loved king of scars, it left me wanting so much more. I hope we get more nikolai in this next book because I completely agree that this felt more like zoya’s book, and I’m actually excited to see the dynamic between nikolai, zoya and the darkling and a potential alina comeback. also I’m hoping for some more six of crows cameos... perhaps Inej coming back because she’s a world-traveling badass?

I'm very conflicted about the Darkling being back. It feels a bit to me like Voldemort still be relevant to the plot in The Cursed Child. But besides that I loved this book! I think a lot will depend on how the next book plays out.

holy shit i have the opposite experience with you, hahahhaah. i had fun with nina, every chapter with her was exciting with me.

I agree about the book feeling rushed. I gladly would've read an extra 100 pages to have it built better. I disagreed with Isaak and Nina's chapters! I loved the BTS stuff! I could see the betrayal from the saint coming. It didn't shock me. I also really hate that the darkling is back. Like it doesn't excite me. I don't really get where she's going with the series but I can't wait!

I totally agree with your point about not getting enough time with Zoya's training!! It felt so rushed and wasn't satisfying enough for what we got to see her do. I kinda wish this was a Zoya series 😂 I love her so much. I found that Isaak and Nina's parts dragged quite a bit.... I lowkey didn't care about anyone but Zoya in this book RIP

I was never an active member of fandom so I had no idea that people shipped Nikolai and Zoya even before, so I was actually pleasantly surprised. I like them as a couple. When the book was announced I thought that Nikolai and Nina will be a thing, so now I'm just happy that she will end up with a girlfriend instead.

I was watching the spoiler free review and then I was like pfft this is stupid who I am and I can over to the spoiler review. It means very little to me except that I enjoyed seeing you have emotions.

Sam, I got into the Grishaverse because of you and so I really, really enjoyed this video and hearing your opinions. I agree with a few, although I did love the book and gave it a 4.5/5. To me, the question at the end was more, what is The Darkling going to do with them?! I don't buy him being all calm in someone else's body, and like tied. He's got to be planning something big, right?! I hope so, anyways. I want to see Team Nikolai have a worthy adversary because, as you said, the Saints were a bit meh. Also, Nina bored me to tears. I even preferred the Isak chapters to hers because at least with Isak we got politica intrigue and plotting.

For me it just felt like there was a disconnect between nina's chapters and zoya/nikolai's chapters. Weirdly enough the most touching/stand out part to me was the r/s between juris and zoya like it felt like just the right time where zoya needed to realise what path she should head on And idk i just wished there was more of king nikolai then tryna save himself nikolai because dont we all love ourselves nikolai being charming and all. Nina just felt out of place and if anything i would have preferred a seperate book with also adrik/leoni's POV because they're doing everything but we're not being shown what they're doing in fact it might have benefitted if these were just two simulatenous series maybe like king of scars - nikolai/zoya Then another series/duology about nina,hanne and fjerda

I think Leigh Barudgo said that in Book 2, we're going to Shu Han.

At first I thought Nina was going dark and she’d turn into the villain, I thought that would have been cooler.

I totally do not agree but I can see what you’re saying, I felt the pacing problems a lot and I did have problems with the antagonists too. I wasn’t really disappointed..... but..... I don’t know, I really only had a problem with the saints, I still loved Nina.

Oh man I agree so much! I actually skimmed through alot of Nina's chapters due to their pointlessness, and ultimately nothing she did actually mattered. If Leigh wanted Nina to have a role in this book, she should've been in Ravka studying the range of her powers. This book honestly ruined Nina for me. Also the relationship drama was annoying since there's no payoff for either pair. I was also really excited for the party with all the nations but surprise, Nic isn't even there for it and again, nothing happens! The Saints and Fold stuff was kinda confusing since ii havent read the original trilogy , but overall ii liked it. Def agree that we needed more of Zoya's training and actually seeing her as a dragon, but oh well. Being my first real introduction to him, Nic was a pretty cool character, even tho he got sidelined in his own book... :/ I feel she should've taken the first 1/3 of the book condensed it to a few chapters, then used all that extra space and add it onto the ending. It was way too rushed and cliche. Also would have liked more scenes exploring Genya, David, Tamar, and Tolya(?) ii think. One of the main reason ii liked the Issak arc was simply getting to interact with them. All in all this book was very lack luster, and simply boring. Seems like partway through writing Leigh forgot a good story needs relevant plot progression and not just witty banter and sarcasm x1000. (3/5 for me)

I enjoyed this book, mainly because of Zoya and Nikolai. However, I felt like it all happened kind of fast so it didn't really get time to sink in. Nina's point of view felt almost irrelevant to me.

I'm actually only 53% in but I'm so tempted to DNF this book. Because 300 pages and nothing is happening??? I love Nina but why is she sent away? Her chapts and the others caused such a separation that threw off the pacing. Im so disappointed and so bored to the point that I'm creating headcanons in my head about new characters and making this more Nikolai book. I do like Zoya but at the same time, I dont care, you know? Even Tolya and Tamar and Genya are just there. They dont even bring anything to the story. Dont get me started on the RoMAncE. Zoya and Nikolai, really? We didn't see any development and suddenly Leighs telling us they like each other? I really dont like their romance. Even their 'flirty' banter was off. I wasn't feeling it. This book is full of telling and not showing. Throughout I skimmed a lot and muttered to myself, I dont care. Plot was weak and the characters (which Leigh usually major in) was off. They are a bit OOC and I keep telling myself these are not the characters I love. I dont know why the back stories didnt work. Like in SOC, I really felt connected but in here, I'm like 'Sure, Jan.' I felt the ending was a regression. We have more important things to look into like Jurda Parem, the Kherguud or changing the mindset of Fjerda BUT INSTEAD, WE GET THE DARKLING AGAIN. COME ON. I do love him as a villain but like, i moved on already, man. Overall like you said, this is the weakest book in the Grisha verse and that's extremely disheartening as it's supposed to central Nikolai, my fav Grisha character, but even his 'own' book didnt do justice.

I want redemption for the darkling...🤠

First, I agree about Nina's chapters and I was so sad about it ! And about the darkling.. I really didn't expect it. When the last pages came I have to admit I asked myself what will Leigh do with the Darkling ? Like he's not going to be the big villain again right ? And IF ALINA DOESN'T ALSO MAKE A COMEBACK I WILL SUE! Anyway in conclusion, my excitement about his return won over my doubts about his future role, like I legit had butterflies when I read these last pages and thought about it all day 🤙🤙

I actually really do understand your views on Zoya and Nikolai, the only reason I do ship them is because they’re my favourite characters from the original trilogy and Leigh bardugo kind of gave us a romance but it was kind of weird especially because it was mostly if not enirely in their heads. I feel like with the whole force’s marriage thing Lego bardugo might put and enemies to lovers trope in there even though the shippers will be pressed😂. But regardless I feel as though Zoya and Nikolai might not even end up together verse in some ways they’re whole relationship would be unrealistic as they’ve talked about it in the book e.g her growing stronger while he becomes old and frail. However, this could be turned on its head as I’ve been hoping that the monster within Nikolai gives him some sort of strength of prolonged life but at the same time if the monster continues to live inside him while he grows weaker it maybe easier for it to take over his body. It’s really a difficult situation idk how I feel about yet 🤷‍♀️

The Isaak chapters were pretty much pointless to be honest considering he died in the end. I feel bad for not liking this book as much as I hoped, especially with all the hype.

I agree this was by far the weakest of this universe and I was a little disappointed too. I wanted more of Nikolai and his amazing self but I just didn’t get it. Zoya is amazing and all and I LOVE her even more now, but it seemed to be too much about her. Nina is an amazing character! I just didn’t like how she was here... idk. Her dynamic with the SOC characters was perfection and I guess you can’t have that with everyone you meet but... her connection to these new characters (or lack thereof) seemed like an afterthought. Idk I was bored by her chapters and I wanted more of a tie in to what Nikolai was doing over in Ravka. Like we’ll probably get it in the next book but I felt I needed it now. I also really wanted an appearance of the other characters (Alina, Inej, Kaz etc.) An Inej and Nina interaction would be nice. Especially now that the darkling is back! Alina needs to come back. (I kinda don’t like that he’s back in general cause it feels like all those tears and emotions I went through with the grisha trilogy means nothing) But yeah for the amount of content and depth I feel is necessary with all of this new stuff, it would need to be a trilogy to fit it all in.

I’m not happy about the Nikolai/Zoya thing not am I happy about the Darkling coming back but I want a Darkling/Nikokai/Kaz scene soooooo bad! Can Kaz pickpocket the Darkling please? Also what ever happened to my Nikolai/Nina hopes after CK? On a happier note, the David/Genya scenes made my heart happy.

Can an amazing second part to a duology make up for a lack luster first book?

true. true. TRUE.

Till the very end I was thinking "damn, is this book going to be my disappointment of the year?" But then - THE DARKLING! It was kinda obvious for me, but I'm still thrilled! And now? I acctualy don't care what she's planning in next book BUT if she's going to kill him AGAIN I'm going to be so pissed! I hope in the end he's going to be ripped of his power entirely and will became just a mortal :D But untill then I can't wait for him and Nikolai to have some verbal skirmishes. It's going to be epic! Anyway I also think this was the weakest book from Grisha Universe.

I wonder how much of your discontent is tied to decisions Leigh had to make since the book is marketed as YA? Specifically it being a 500+ page first book in a duology instead of a huge 1k+ adult fantasy? Because let's be honest with ourselves here, there was very little about this book that was YA apart from its length. Anyway, I loved it but I didn't love the OT as much as you and I'm not as involved in the fandom so 🤷

I HAVE BEEN ROBBED