[Review] King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Series: Nikolai Duology #1

Rating: 4.5 stars

Published: January 29th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

The monster is me and I am the monster. - p. 89

What a pleasure it was to jump back into the Grishaverse again!

This time we're back in Ravka (and also in Fjerda, a new change of pace), with three POVs: Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina. Nikolai has to fight to contain the monster that's within him from the time he was captured by the Darkling's creatures in the original trilogy. Zoya, General of the Grisha Army, is there to protect him. Nikolai's got to consolidate his rule by finding a consort, and eventually have an heir. Meanwhile, Nina is off in Fjerda saving missing Grisha and trying to lay Matthias to rest. But while this is all happening, a young priest, Yuri, wishes to expand his worship of the Darkling to the rest of Ravka.

[Review] The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 4.5 stars

Published: September 17th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.
Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Leigh Bardugo's fairytale retellings set in the Grishaverse are actually deliciously wonderful and full of that dark, wondrous awe that retellings tend to have. I'm going to individually review each - I must say, the last story, When Water Sang Fire, was my favorite of the collection and essentially made the book for me. Also the illustrations came to life and weren't stagnant - they transitioned as each story progressed!

There are many unexpected and dark plot twists here, and I wouldn't say they're really children's fairytales because they're so twisted.

[Review] Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Series: DC Icons #1

Rating: 5 stars

Published: August 28th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:

Daughter of immortals.
Princess 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 mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.
Daughter of death.
Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. 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.
Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Leigh Bardugo's books are auto-buys for me, and though this isn't Grisha-related, Wonder Woman proved to be nevertheless a great read. Plus the movie was also (two thumbs up)

Bardugo's book places Diana as a teenager in the modern day. Living on the isle of Themiscrya, she and the other Amazons are isolated from society, until one girl crashes through the border. Turns out, Alia Keralis descends from Helen, and is thus known as a Warbringer, who brings destruction and strife wherever she goes. In order to cleanse this power from her, the two girls set out to Greece, but are met with many obstacles along the way.

[Review] Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 5 Stars

Series: Six of Crows #1

Version: Advanced Reader Copy

Release Date: September 29th, 2015

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Game of Thrones meets Ocean's Eleven in this brand-new book in the world of the Grisha by New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.
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. 

Six of Crows is set in the world of the Grisha, which may be familiar to those that have read the Grisha trilogy. I never actually read the trilogy, so I was afraid that I would be a bit confused but I wasn't at all. Six of Crows has an ensemble cast of Kaz, Matthias, Inej, Nina, Jesper, and Wynn as they go on a near impossible quest.

I can imagine how challenging it would be for Bardugo to write from the views of five different people, switching back and forth but she pulls this off flawlessly. The transitions were smooth and it was interesting to hear from the different characters (BTW, did anyone notice Wynn didn't have any chapters?). All of the characters are all so well developed! We learn the backstories, or at least partial backstories, of all six characters and we discover their traits through both explicit and implicit characterization. I found myself liking all of the characters (both Kaz and Matthias are my favorites, of course ;). Basically, the characters are beautiful and I love them all.

THE PLOT! I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book and there was never a dull moment. Leigh Bardugo is truly a master storyteller. The world building, such as of Fjerda and the Ice Court, is done very well. As someone that has never read the Grisha series, it was fun trying to correlate the different places with real world countries, like Ravka/Russia, Shu Han/China, Ketterdam/Netherlands, etc and it was fun how she based them off actual places.

The romance in Six of Crows is the best I've read in a while, and particularly the romance between Kaz and Inej (or maybe the lack of it?) Bardugo proves that romance does not need to be the central story line of a YA novel. Although it is fairly evident that Kaz and Inej care for each other beyond just loyalty as Dreg members, their feelings for each other aren't initially obvious and is quite subtle, which makes it all the better. Kaz's attitude toward Inej proves that he can be someone beyond just "Dirtyhands" and that HE DESERVES TO BE LOVED (it's okay, my love for him is enough<3). I think their relationship will definitely play a bigger part in the next book.

In summary, I love this book; I love the characters, the plot, EVERYTHING. I hope Leigh Bardugo does a novella or something about Kaz because I can't get enough of him.

Our Favorite Books of 2015... So Far

2015 is already officially halfway over, and we have rounded up a list of our top three favorite books that we've read in the first half of 2015. 

Yiling's Picks
  

1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

2. Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond

3. Fairest by Marissa Meyer


Alice's Picks
So 2015 has been an amazing year in YA lit for me, and I've read so many amazing books! In fact, most of the books I've read this year have been rated over four stars! :) It was definitely hard narrowing down my list.



1. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (review to come!)

3. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir


What are your top 3 books of 2015 so far? Let us know in the comments!