King of Scars (King of Scars #1)

 Synopsis

The boy king. The war hero. The prince with a demon curled inside his heart, Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. The people of Ravka don't know what he endured in their bloody civil war and he intends to keep it that way. Yet with each day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built.

Zoya Nazyalensky has devoted her life to honing her deadly talents and rebuilding the Grisha army. Despite their magic gifts, Zoya knows the Grisha cannot survive with Ravka as a place of sanctuary-- and Ravka cannot survive a weakened king. Zoya will stop at nothing to help Nikolai secure the throne, but she also has new enemies to conquer in the battle to come.

Far north, Nina Zenik wages her own kind of war against the people who would see the Grisha wiped from the earth forever. Burdened by grief and a terrifying power, Nina must face the pain of her past if she has any hope of defeating the dangers that await her on the ice.

Ravka's king. Ravka's general. Ravka's spy. They will journey past the boundaries of science and superstition, of magic and faith, and risk everything to save a broken nation. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried, and some wounds aren't meant to heal.

Loved

**Contains spoilers from Ruin and Rising and Crooked Kingdom

• Nikolai. Ah, Nikolai is just the best and there's no better character to have his own series. He has never let me down yet with his quick wit, ability to think on his feet, dry sense of humor, and ability to pull off the impossible. No matter how dark, despairing and dire the circumstances, Nikolai never fails to pull out a sarcastic or droll remark that lightens the situation and warrants a snort and a smirk from other characters and the readers. I would read anything with him in it because he is so refreshing and witty!

• Zoya. Going into this story I wasn't super excited about Zoya's perspective because she was such a brat in Shadow and Bone, but I actually liked her from the beginning of King of Scars. Ruthless, yes. Haughty and vain, yes. Petty, sometimes. But understanding her background and her thoughts helped me gain respect for her and I found myself rooting for her and really enjoying her development in this story. I'm excited how she (and Nikolai? ;) develop further in the sequel.

• Nina. Now Nina I was excited for going into this, because she is my favorite member of the Dregs and just lovable with her bold confidence, quick sense of humor, and hilarious personality. I love that we watch her grieve Matthias's death (of which I've needed closure for the past 3 years), and that we get to see where her journey takes her as she serves as the Grisha's spy. She pulls off some Dregs-worthy stunts in this, and she does not disappoint!

• The crew. My favorite aspect of the Shadow and Bone series was the Grisha crew because they were so funny together, and we still get that in this series, which I loved! (Minus Alina and Mal of course). This crew is so funny because they handle everything with wit, dark humor, teasing, and the guts to try for the impossible. They are so relatable as they have no idea what they are doing ruling a country as a bunch of teenagers, but make the best of it and rely on each other to get through.

• Isaak. Ah, he is the best. I won't say much to not spoil, but he is just so lovable with his looking up to Nikolai and trying to fit in with the Grisha. He is definitely the most relatable character because he doesn't have any magic or really any remarkable characteristics except that he's kind, fair and wants to step up to help his country.

Didn't Love

• Without spoiling, there is a big part of this that deals with some saints and it takes up a significant part of the plot of this book. I felt like this whole aspect was confusing, distracting, and didn't fit in with the rest of the story. I understand why it was necessary, but I found myself trying to grasp what exactly was happening and why it was relevant to the other parts of the plot, and it felt weird to me.

Content

• Language: 
• Occasional uses of "damn," "hell," and "a**."

• Sexual content: 
•  Lots of talk of Zoya's past lovers. She talks about them and others speculate about how many lovers she has taken. She mentions that they all ask about the scars on her back.
• Zoya pulls her robe down to show Nikolai the scars on her back, and Nikolai feels an "unwanted bolt of desire" at the sight of her bare back.
• An older man is about to wed a child, and he says he won't bed her until she begins bleeding.
• Some jokes with mild innuendo.

• Violence
• A demon is let loose and kills- but unclear to the characters whether he has been killing humans or animals.
• Some secondary characters are killed through poison.
• A man is stabbed and then his murderer stabs herself in a very dramatic scene.
• Dead women and infants are called from their graves to fight in a battle. Much talk of these pregnant Grisha women who have been killed.
• A battle where soldiers are killed with water and Grisha powers.
• Lots of talk of assassinations, war violence, and attempted murders.


• Other themes:
• Some of the characters are saints who have been worshipped for centuries. Talk of cults, fanatics, saints, and icons.
• Pregnant Grisha women are kept in captivity and given parem, a drug that turns them into addicts. The scenes describing these women are children are disturbing.
• LGBTQ+ Rep: Two secondary female characters are married.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this story promised what I was hoping: wit and charm from Nikolai, dark humor and confidence from Nina, understanding and growth from Zoya, and an impossible adventure from the whole crew. While some aspects of the plot felt convoluted and confusing, much of the story was very engaging and compelling. I do wish there hadn't been so much time spent with the saints, but I can understand the function this part of the plot served. I came to this story because of Nikolai and Nina, and was not disappointed-- and pleasantly surprised to have more of the original crew, some Dregs-worthy stunts pulled, and more characters to love. I'm excited to see where the second book takes these characters and the super-cliffhanger ending.