#Review - Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo #YA #Fantasy

Series: King of Scars Duology (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 608 pages
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Publisher: Imprint
Source: Borrowed Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

The wolves are circling. And Ravka's time is running out.

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall. 

“A king with a demon inside him. A monk with the Darkling inside him. A general with a dragon inside her. We’re all monsters now”

Rule of Wolves is the second installment in the King of Scars Duology, and the seventh installment in author Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. Once again, the story focuses on three main characters: Zoya Nazyalensky, Nikolai Lantsov, and Nina Zenik with one other narrative which I'll not spoil since many of you have already read the ending to King of Scars. As I am apparently the latest victim to write my review for this book, I shall do my best not to repeat what has already been written. There are some interesting appearances in this book.

Especially since they really don't bring anything exceptional to the table. They will and always will be Alina, Darkling, and Mal and just a brief appearance in this story doesn't actually help or hinder the story. As with King of Scars, more than half of the book orbits around Zoya and for very good reason. Zoya is now one with the dragon and the spirit of Juris which makes her the most powerful character in this story. What's interesting about Zoya, is that we finally get an understanding of her past, and how she came to the Darkling and later help Alina

Nina is still in Fjerda with Hanne who has become her world. No, that's not a slight at their relationship. Nina has gotten past the loss of Matthias Helvar, and now it's time to do what's best for her. She is above all, a spy who wants to destroy her nemesis once and for all. Meanwhile, Nikolai once again gets pushed behind Nina for the second most storyline. The one positive is that Nikolai has accepted his demon, doesn't give two craps what anyone else thinks about what he's become as long as Zoya is next to him. He tries to keep his people safe, but knows that a miracle will need to happen so that Ravka doesn't fall. I would also LOVE to see him return permanently to his Strumhond personality that was awesome.

This story has almost everything. A wedding, but not between who you think, a war with massive casualties, a shocking and unnecessary death, a blight that ravages almost all the countries in this universe, an an open ended cliffhanger. Yes, you heard me, this story, even though it's part of a duology, leaves readers with a cliffhanger ending which apparently will go back to the Six of Crows crew (Kaz, Wylan and Jesper) which makes an appearance, as well as Inej who has become something of a badass. While I'm not a fan of the cliffhanger, I do believe that the final chapters were just what fans of Grishaverse asked for.  

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#Review - King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo #YA #Fantasy

Series: King of Scars Duology (#1) 
Format: Hardcover, 528 pages
Release Date: January 29, 2019
Publisher: Imprint
Source: Gifted
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Face your demons... or feed them.

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 magical gifts, Zoya knows the Grisha cannot survive without 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. 

King of Scars is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's King of Scars Duology. King of Scars splits perspectives between three main characters – Zoya, Nina and Nikolai. If you haven’t read the Shadow and Bone trilogy or the Six Of Crows duology, you'll likely find yourself asking about possible spoilers in my review. Sorry! The Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, and The Language of Thorns—with more to come. The story takes place 3 years after the events in Ruin and Rising. The country of Revka is still in crisis and now they’re on the verge of a new civil war which could destroy them. 

Nikolai Lantsov is trying to restore the former glory of Ravka but not many people are willing to follow a young King who some believe is illegitimate. He might’ve survived the war, and the torture at the hands of the Darkling, but he’s still battling the darkness that is starting to grow stronger with each day. People are still fearful of Grisha and are capturing and killing them regularly. Grisha are also still becoming addicted to jurda parem, and many different variations of it, which enhances their powers but at a cost. Nikolai and Zoya travel back to the Fold where bad things happened, but perhaps they can find an answer to curing Nikolai of his darkness.

"Nikolai had always understood that he and Ravka were the same. He just hadn’t understood how: He was not the crying child or even the drowning man. He was the forever soldier, eternally at war, unable to ever lay down his arms and heal" 

Nina Zenik, along with Adrik, and Leoni, is on a secret mission to Fjerda to help emigrant Grisha's who’re confused about their powers. She knows very well the dangers of parem, and what it does to Grisha. If you forgot who Nina is, she's a legendary Grisha, a heart render, and an unrepentant killer twisted by parem. She who would love to get revenge on Jarl Brum and his Grisha witch hunt. Nina is taunted with phantoms of the beloved dead. She meets someone who may play a huge part in her future; a Grisha living in secret keeping her abilities hidden from her own family.

Zoya Nazyalensky has devoted her life to honing her deadly talents and rebuilding the Grisha army. Despite their magical gifts, Zoya knows the Grisha cannot survive without 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. Zoya is one of the strongest Grisha's ever (Squaller, of the Etherealki Order) and is an incredible fighter and leader. She was also the Darkling’s favorite until she chose to help Alina. Zoya is a character who does not trust in love, and seeing her consider letting someone back in was heart-wrenching. Zoya and Nikolai meet three new characters who I shan't spoil since they play a huge part in what happens to Zoya and her amazing new powers.

Some other names you'll likely recognize play important parts in this story: Genya Safin used to be the servant to the Queen, and was treated so very terribly. She is much happier now, but still is living with the torture that the Darkling inflicted upon her. David Kostyk is a very skilled Fabrikator who helped make things to hold amplifiers. Tolya Yul-Bataar & Tamar Kir-Bataar are Twin Grisha's who help guard Nikolai. Isaak is the common solider who will impersonate Nikolai while he is away with a young Priest named Yuri who is part of the cult known as Cult of the Starless who pray to the Darkling. 

My favorite character is Zoya. Nina has a long road ahead of her, while Nikolai apparently is being left behind. If you are wondering why so many of us are talking about the ending, read the book! If you thought you had issues with the Six of Crows duology, just wait! I dare say that it was a shocking way to the end book. Thankfully, this series is a duology and you won't have to wait for long; Especially if you read the books together!

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#Review - Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo #Thrillers / #Supernatural

Series: Alex Stern # 1
Format: Hardcover,480 pages
Release Date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Source: Library
Genre: Thrillers / Supernatural

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living. 

Ninth House is the adult fantasy debut novel by author Leigh Bardugo. Bardugo re-imagines the secret societies at Yale to be teaming with dark magic, works of alchemy and the occult. 20 year old Galaxy "Alex" Stern is a HS drop out and a girl who got deep into drugs which ended up with her in a hospital and an offer that she couldn't turn down. Lethe House aka Ninth House, most notably Dean Sandow, promised Alex that if she could help them regulate the magic of the secret societies, she would graduate from Yale without any debt.

She's now a gritty, feisty Yale freshman who takes crap from nobody while also trying to get by as a student. As Lethe House's Dante, Alex keeps an eye on Yale’s 8 secret societies whose practice of magic to manipulate politics, the stock market and more is both chilling and dangerous. What makes her special? She is one of the rare ones able to see ghosts in color called grays. The same grays who have haunting her since an early age. What starts innocently enough, becomes a murder mystery when a Tara Hutchins, a townie, shows up dead on a street corner. When the easy answers don’t satisfy Alex, she realizes how seriously she takes her new job.

Alex's near obsession with finding the girl's murderer causes a series of events that test magic in depths that Alex never thought were imaginable. To make things even more interesting, Alex's mentor, Daniel Arlington, went missing after one of the houses prognostication. Could the two events be connected? If so, which house(s) might be involved? As we are reading the story, Alex gives hints as to what happened in the past that lead up to Daniel's disappearance. Alex's only real allies are a reluctant Pamela Dawes who is a occult grad studies student and Detective Abel Turner who is supposed to be centurion and help Alex whenever she needs the police involved. 

Turner and Alex are more antagonist towards the other than actual allies until she puts together a valid point to investigate. Alex is an instrument of justice, and doesn't care who she ends up stepping over in order to find the truth. I think this book does well to show Alex's induction into the ritualistic, privileged, magical underworld of Yale's secret society network as a member of Lethe, the designated gatekeepers and rule-enforcers of the societies. I think the ending leaves lots of room for exploration of many angles as to what happens next and if Alex can find a way to get Daniel back. 

As an FYI, Leigh is herself a graduate of Yale and a member of one of the campus’s oldest secret societies (which she declines to name). I think this fact gives the story a bit more of a feeling of actually being there in Alex's shoes as she walks the streets of New Haven, and explores the fabled secret houses of Yale which includes some American presidents, and others of Wall Street and others.

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Friday #Review - Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo #YALit #Fantasy

Series: DC Icons # 1
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult \ Superheroes

The highly anticipated, entirely new coming-of-age story for the world’s greatest super hero: WONDER WOMAN by the # 1 New York Times bestselling author LEIGH BARDUGO.

She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning….

Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.

Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer, by author Leigh Bardugo, is the first installment in the DC Icons series. The book comes on the heels of the mega hit movie Wonder Woman featuring Gal Godot. Bardugo, who is apparently a huge Wonder Woman fan, takes readers to her own world, her own creation, and her own look at 17-year old Princess Diana aka Diana Prince. Let's get some things straight. If you think this book ties into the movie, you'll be disappointed. If you think this book ties into Lynda Carter's version of Wonder Woman, you'd be wrong.

If you think that Bardugo opens the book by having Diana saving a man, you'd be wrong. If you are a diversity reader who would have preferred that Diana have a ship with the female character, you'll be disappointed. If you are looking for a solid story with lots of action, adventure, and friendship grown out of shared experiences, then you'll love this book. 

This book takes place in MODERN times. Meaning not World War I version like the movie. It features a teenaged Diana, not the adult version. A rather large distinction between the movie version. Does that still not make her as likable as the movie version? Nope. This Diana is very interesting, but it's not entirely her story. Capiche?

There's another character who plays at least half as important role in this story as Diana does. Where do you think the Warbringer aspect comes from? Aha! The light has just gone on! The story starts with Diana on the Amazonian Island of Themyscira where she is gearing up to run against her older, more hardened & battle tested sisters. Diana makes a choice to save a human girl from dying after she sees a ship going down off the coast of her island thus breaking all sorts of Amazonian laws which could have her banished forever. Diana soon discovers that her bravery may come with an even bigger cost, not just her banishment. 

It may come with the destruction of her island, and the world itself because of a mixed race girl named Alia who was on a boat when it exploded, and may be the legendary Warbringer after Helen of Troy. After speaking to the Oracle, Diana decides to find the place where Helen of Troy was buried, and in doing so, saving not only her island, but the life of the girl she knows little about but is drawn to helping. From 

Themyscira, Diana and Alia end up NYC where things get really interesting. Along the way, Diana and Alia pick up Jason, Theo and Nima, who is Alia's best friend. In the end, we end up in Southern Greece where the action really kicks into high gear.

Bardugo is all in when it comes to strong female characters, and strong friendships between female characters. In this case, you have not one friendship, but two. Diana and Alia, Alia and Nima who is adorable and the perfect character to bring a bit of balance and laughs to story. The message being sent with this story is that it is OK to embrace the themes of good vs. evil, coming of age, and super heroes from unexpected places who are determined to achieve seemingly impossible dreams.  If you are lucky enough, the first printing actually included a poster of Diana. Since I borrowed this from the library, I can't exactly steal it, can I? 

Story Locale: Amazon Island of Themyscira; Contemporary Greece, and NYC

Series Overview: DC ICONS SERIES: 4 standalone novels each by a bestselling YA author (Each book will include a poster in 1st printing. Collect all four to create the complete DC Icons poster!)

August 2017: Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo
January 2018: Batman by Marie Lu
August 2018: Catwoman by Sarah J. Maas
January 2019: Superman by Matt de la Peña

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#Wednesday Review - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo #YALit #Fantasy @LBardugo @HenryHolt

Series: Six of Crows # 2
Format: Hardcover, 536 pages
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Crooked Kingdom is the final installment in author Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology. The story takes place in the same world as the author's The Grisha series. Kaz Brekker, and his crew have done the impossible. They've gotten in and out of one of the most dangerous places on the planet, and survived. But, they can't sit back and celebrate their achievement or rest until they get one of their own back. What's worse is that Kaz is given 7 days to give up his prized possession Kuwai Yul-Bo or lose the Wraith forever.

Once again, Bardugo alternatives narratives between Kaz's crew. That includes Matthias Helviar, Jasper Fahey, Nina Zenik, Wylan Van Eck and Inej Ghafa who is being held hostage by Jan Van Eck as the book opens. What's even more curious, is that she even has a few guest appearances from The Grisha series which makes things really interesting for Nina who has spent the past year away from her home and believing she would one day be dragged back to face the music. 

Crooked Kingdom is a dark story that finds our unlikely heroes who've become an even more unlikely family, up against nearly everyone in Ketterdam. It becomes a cat and mouse game against not only Van Eck, but everyone else who is looking for a bit of payback against Kaz and his gang. I have to say that chapters 39 and 40 really stung. They stung so badly that I found myself angry for reading two books back to back that left endings that tore my heart into bits and pieces. But, that is to be expected from Ms Bardugo. What's sad is that this series is only two books.

What's good is that this series is only two books so that I don't have to wait around for another year to find out what happens to my favorite gang of misfits and dregs. What's also curious is how Bardugo is able to weave equal couplings between the group. Kaz and Inej have danced around each other for so long, that it was a nice ending that was actually warm, and not open ending. The coupling between Jesper and Wylan was unexpected but curious nonetheless.

I liked having Jesper's father along for the ride. If gave Jesper's character more depth and I could understand why he became the person he was. The most heartbreaking coupling is the one I can't speak about without tearing my heart apart at the seams again. I'm not sure what the point was. I'm sure there was some way to prevent the ending that was written. But, I am just a lonely book reviewer who actually likes Happy endings. I loved that Bardugo gives a peek into each character's background. I love when author's complete the entire story and not leave us wanting to know more.

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#Monday Review - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Young Adult, Fantasy)

Series: Six of Crows # 1
Format: Hardcover, 465 pages
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first. 

Author Leigh Bardugo returns to the land of the Grisha with a new series called Six of Crows. The story is set in Ketterdam (Kerch), a place where anything goes, and anything can be had for the right price. A place filled with convicts, thieves, runaways, and Grisha hiding from those who want to hunt them down and kill them.  

Six of Crows is essentially a story about a group of six misfits who are thrown together in order to break into a heavily-guarded prison and smuggle out a person of high interest. In order to do so, they will need to get in and out of the one place that is nearly impossible to escape from: the Ice Court of Fjerda. But, in order to survive, all six members must put away their own ideas, agendas, and personal issues in order to walk away with more money than they can even imagine. 

Six of Crows switches narratives between Kaz Brekker (the leader of the Dregs who is on a mission of revenge and isn't afraid of any job no matter what the risk is); Inej Ghafa (the one known as the wraith who can get into and out of any place without anyone knowing she was there); Nina Zanik (formerly of the Second Grisha Army and a Heartrender), Matthias Helvar (a trained witch/Grisha hunter), Jesper Fahey (the sharpshooter who can never walk away from a bet), and Wylan Van Eck (the son of a wealthy merchant who approaches Kaz about an impossible mission). 

I dare say that Kaz is probably the most entertaining, and the most interesting character in the book. What I love about this book is that Bardugo does flashbacks to the important parts of the characters lives. For Kaz, this flashback is what drives him. It is what makes sense to him that drives him to getting his revenge. It is what makes him so dangerous that he can get in and out of trouble without being caught.

Inej is my second favorite. Inez is probably the most pivotal character in this book. She's got a whole lot of skills and attitude. Without her ability of getting in and out of impossible places, the mission wouldn't even get off the ground. I loved her attitude, her desire to break free from her past, her desire to find and reunite with her parents that she was taken from, and I nearly died after a certain scene that has left me itching for a copy of the next book. 

We could talk about the romance. Okay, but let's say that it isn't all that important to the overall enjoyment of the story. There are definitely issues, and feelings for two couples; Kaz and Inej also Kaz is emotionally shallow. Mathias and Nina. I would love to grab hold of the later couple and knock some sense into them. They may be from different cultures, but the heart loves who the heart loves. Let's not drag this out, shall we? There is also a thing called forgiveness. 

Six of Crows is such an insane story, with so much action, suspense, diversity of characters, darkness of the setting, magic, and adventure, that I felt as though I had just gone 10 rounds with an MMA fighter by the time I was finished reading the book. I have read other reviewers mention that Six of Crows is similar to Ocean's Eleven. I'm okay with that actually. Makes sense when you think about it. 

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