Rule of Wolves

** 4.75 stars ** - spoilers // I'm so happy to have read this duology this year. Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom and the King of Scars duology achieved something that doesn't happen to me too often when I read: it made me want to be a part of the world that is explored and explained in these books. I love the universe, I love the whole Grisha-system, I LOVE the characters! I love that we get to delve deeper into Zoya's past, while also establishing her and Nikolai's relationship more and more. She's getting more powerful and achieves to "become" the dragon, yet she has also never been more human than after this book. I love how emotionally wise Genya is. How she gently nudges Zoya and reminds her what love is. My heart breaks for Genya and I was actually so shocked that the just happened didn't register until a few pages later. I love Tolya. His big heart and his faith - not just in the saints but also in the people around him. He's quiet and reserved which stands in stark contrast to his muscly form, and I enjoy how he still speaks his opinion and isn't affraid of saying something that might not add to the consensus in the room but rather challenge the other character's thinking. I love Tamar's strong will, loyalty and wit. Her bond with her twin (Tolya) is something special and I think the author does a very good job at capturing their relationship. I also have seemed to thaw a bit when it comes to Alina. I do like her and her role in this book - though their naivity seemed a tad bit unjustified. And of course, I LOVE Nikolai. This character is just so beautifully written. He makes for excellent banter material, and his way of thinking and viewing the world just makes so much sense to me. Also, he can always be counted on to lighten the mood but still keeping his head on straight in (almost) every situation. I'm not sure what to make of the Darkling. Though his sacrifice is in line with his character and his world view, it also came a bit abrupt and I'm not sure how it'll play out - especially with the snippet of information we get right at the end of the story. Ultimately, I gave this book 4.75 stars because, again, I didn't much connect with Nina and Hanne, and I think that there are a few POVs too many in this second book. We could have done without some of the information we gained while joinging some of those POVs. I'm not really ready to say goodbye to this world and all its characters, but there's nothing for it, I'll just have to wait for the next book in this universe.

Ich liebe das komplette Grishaverse! Ich habe es sooo lange herausgezögert, dieses Buch fertig zu lesen, weil ich mir ein Leben ohne dieses Figuren einfach nicht mehr vorstellen konnte. Und nun bin ich durch… Aber es gibt Hoffnung! Das Ende fühlt sich nicht ganz so endlich an, wie bei anderen Geschichten. Man sollte unbedingt mit der Shadow and Bone Trilogie anfangen, um die Entwicklung der Figuren nachvollziehen zu können.

Wieder einmal führt uns die Autorin Leigh Bardougo in ihre atemberaubenden Welt der Grisha. Hier stehen vor allem Zar Nikolai, Nina und Zoya im Vordergrund, aber auch andere alte Bekannte sind wieder mit dabei. Es bleibt unglaublich spannend und der Kampf der Grisha ist noch nicht beendet. Die Figuren gefallen Mitwisser einmal außergewöhnlich gut. Im Laufe der Zeit hat man ja fast so etwas wie eine Beziehung zu ihnen aufgebaut und fühlt sich als Teil ihres Lebens. Und obwohl man glaubt alles so gut zu kennen, gibt es immer wieder so überraschende Wendungen das man das Buch gar nicht mehr weglegen kann. Ich mag den Schreibstil der Autorin sehr, besonders die Dialoge mit ihrem Wortwitz tragen sehr zum Gelingen der Geschichte bei. Kurz gesagt ein fantastisches Abenteuer.

Rule of Wolves may very well be my favourite book in the entire Grisha series.

Leigh Bardugo hat sich mit der Fortsetzung zu King of Scares selbst übertroffen!