I am a Leigh Bardugo stan and will read anything and everything this woman writes in order to chase the feeling Six of Crows gave me.
Synopsis: King Nikolai of Ravka is trying to pick up the pieces of his country after the civil war ended with costly losses. He is working to rebuild his coffers, make allies, fix his weakened borders and stop a rising threat against his magical army of Grisha. Nikolai, along with his top Grisha General and a young monk journey to the darkest parts of Ravka to vanquish an uncontrollable growing dark magic inside of Nikolai that may cost him his country and his life.
Plot: Honestly just being inside of this world again and reading from these characters' POV was all I wanted. Bardugo knows how to world-build like no other and the Grishaverse is a world so rich with culture and context that I feel as though we're only scraping the surface with what she has to offer. The magic system is of course creative and indulgent and growing darker and darker with each book in this universe. This was filled with clever nods to previous characters and storylines, unseen twists and turns, HUGE cameos and heartfelt backstories that make me love these characters even more than before. Her ability to make her characters and world feel so real is unmatched in the YA genre.
Characters: Nikolai is everything, but you already knew that. Zoya though, was a character that I never really loved in the other books. However, she is a main focus here and I adored every minute. Bardugo can make you understand and sympathize with even the harshest of characters. Told in multiple POVs like her other stories, which not only leaves you with cliffhangers every chapter but also a more well-rounded and carefully crafted story.
The cameos had me screaming, the ending had me grabbing the next book and the creativity was as fantastic as ever.
Bardugo is a master storyteller and I can't wait for more.
5/5 stars.
Duh.
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