But, since this is Ravka, things only seem to get worse as the story progresses.

Their stories intertwine along with several others, showing how the fate of a nation can rest in the hands of not only its leaders, but also the people who get swept up in events along the way. Nina is trying to lay her old lover to rest even as she glimpses the possibility of a future with another. Zoya is trying to atone for following the Darkling by serving her country as its general. Nikolai is trying to keep a country together, even as he is torn apart by the monster instead. Leigh Bardugo’s masterful storytelling is at its height here, as she weaves together the stories of several characters, each with their own hard choices to make. I was glad to discover that Rule of Wolves continues to explore the fraught relationships between people and nations, rather than trying to recreate the storyline of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. This uncertainty, this fragility is what makes the book so interesting.

Though readers may be rooting for Nikolai to be king, the people of Ravka do not know him, nor are they sure they want the kind of future he represents. King of Scars feels novel in that it depicts a country unsure of the future after the collapse of the old regime. Few series seem to treat the aftermath of a war, preferring instead to close with the “happily ever after” of an enemy defeated. The ending of King of Scars left me disappointed, fearful that the sequel would retread old ground instead of moving forward with the story about a nation rebuilding. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible. 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. The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

Rule of wolves leigh bardugo