Hey guys! Today I am sharing my thoughts on the rest of the Grishaverse, with the Six of Crows duology and King of Scars. If you haven’t read my review on Shadow and Bone I would recommend checking that one out before this on. I will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible or mark any that I do include but keep in mind that the books build on the plot of past novels. Especially King of Scars since it includes characters from past series. Anyway, let’s get into it.
So first we have Six of Crows duology, which includes the books Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. This duology is set within the same universe as Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy but in the country of Ketteram instead of Ravka. Ketterdam is loosely based on 17th century Amsterdam – which is cool because I’ve been to Amsterdam! The story follows six characters: Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper and Wylan. They are offered the opportunity to do an impossible heist that will make them insanely rich if they complete it. This is a young adult fantasy novel.
First I was impressed that Bardugo was able to add another layer to her world. I know some readers were shocked by the differences between Ravka and Ketterdam but it’s pretty historically accurate in the sense that Russia was late to modernize while Amsterdam was ahead. Unlike Shadow and Bone which was from the first-person perspective, this duology was a third-person multi-perspective, which just means that the narrative changed each chapter. I think this was perfect for the heist plotline, since often during a heist many things are happening simultaneously.
Bardugo’s writing has improved. I think the multi-perspective helped speed up the novel. In her previous novels, I had issues with pacing, but that wasn’t present in this duology. There were also so many twists and turns in the novel. Some I guessed but others were complete surprises. I wanted to keep on reading to find out what was going to happen.
I loved the characters in this series as well. Nina is my favourite because I relate to her so much. She physically looks like me (yay curvy, plus-sized rep!) but also her personality as well. She’s described as being loud and bold and fond of sweets – and if that isn’t a good description of me I don’t know what is. But I like the rest of the characters as well.
The second book Crooked Kingdom continues the story after Six of Crows. While I enjoyed it, I didn’t like it as much as Six of Crows. Unlike the first novel which has a strong plot and storyline, the second book was a little less clear. I wasn’t sure where the book was going and therefore wasn’t as excited to read the book.
But by the second book, I had developed a strong emotional bond with the characters so at the end there were many tears shed by me. I liked Kaz and Inej’s relationship because it’s unlike most relationships you read in YA novels. They have both been through some shit, to say the least, and have been traumatized because of it. But it was cute to see them come together and grow.
Overall I have the duology 5/5 stars! (Woo first five-star books of 2020!). I think the first book is stronger but as a pair I think it’s an effective story. The world-building was amazing, the characters were well developed and I had only minor issues with the writing.
And since I was already reading Bardugo’s books I decided to start her next duology. The first book is King of Scars. The sequel Rule of Wolves is set to come out at the end of March. King of Scars follows Nikolai and Zoya (characters from Shadow and Bone) and Nina. I won’t give any other details because I don’t want to spoil the books.
It was nice reading this book because I was able to return to the point-of-views of characters I already knew. There is something nice returning to characters and a world that you’re familiar with. The first half of the novel was a nice return and then the second half it was like the whole universe got turned on its head. I was super impressed that Bardugo was able to add a new layer to her world. Sometimes it can be hard to continue making a series unique and new but Bardugo did it with this book.
I will say that my only complaint was that Nina’s plotline wasn’t very intertwined with the rest. In the beginning, it was a little boring. I can only guess that it will connect in the future and that’s why it’s included. But it wasn’t until the last third that I was really into her storyline.
The ending was also insane. I think fans of the series will like the ending. It made me excited for the next novel.
Overall I give King of Scars 4.5/5 stars. I will re-evaluate my thoughts once I read book two. This might be a while because I’m going to wait until the novel comes out in paperback since I want my series to match. But overall I like it, just wished that Nina’s plotline was a little more interesting and better connected.
I thought I would tact on my thoughts of the series overall so far since the tv show is coming out soon and I’m sure people would want to read it before then. Even though I didn’t like Shadow and Bone as much, I would recommend reading it first. Bardugo does a great job of explaining the world in that series but it drops off by the later series because she assumes people have read everything. I think you would be confused if you read Six of Crows before Shadow and Bone. And read both before reading King of Scars. If you want to watch the tv show make sure to read Shadow and Bone as well because that’s what most of the first season is going to focus on. I think it would be nice to read Six of Crows as well, but the show is mainly going to focus on events that happen before that series.
And that is it for today’s book review. Let me know if you guys have read any books within the Grishaverse and what your thoughts were on the books. And as with all my book posts, let me know if you have any recommendations for me down below.
xoxo
Lea
Leave it to Lea 