Rule of Wolves review (NO SPOILERS) (In anticipation of Shadow and Bone on Netflix)

A non spoiler (kind of) review of Rule Of Wolves:

Ahhhh the end of yet another Grishaverse book. I had to read it before Shadow and Bone because I don’t want some new additions from the show getting mixed up with the original story in my head. Now that I’ve read this book, I can’t wait for the show.

This book in one word : CRAZY. I’m not even sure if I love it or hate it.

A very short recap of King of Scars: Darkling is back in Yuri’s body. Isaac is dead. Nikolai has made peace with his demon to an extent. Nikolai is going to marry Ehri. Mayu Kir-Kaat is recovering in Raavka. Zoya has the power of Juris.

The book picks up right where we left off in the King of Scars. The book starts off with Queen Makhi receiving the wedding invitation from Nikolai. She is left wondering what went wrong and why her sister, Ehri and Nikolai are still alive.

This book mainly has 3 different plots happening parallelly.

1. Nikolai and Zoya trying to save Raavka from Fjerda’s attacks. They manage to save themselves the first time because of Nina’s warning. Fjerda is not going to stop. As the blurb says, ” 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.

2. Nina and Hanne are trying to convince people of Fjerda that Grisha are not evil. They are staging different miracles and Saints are becoming popular. In the middle of this, they get a new mission from Raavka. Find out everything about the Lantsov pretender in Fjerda.

3. Tavgharad, the khergud program, Mayu and everything that happens with Queen makhi and her kingdom. (They’re all spoilers so I don’t want to mention exaclty what.)

Coming to my thoughts, I’m really not sure what I feel. I really liked all the politics in three different (four if you include Ketterdam) kingdoms in this one. It was very intriguing and I would definitely be up for a Grishaverse book with just politics of all the kingdoms in the universe.

I lived for all the Zoya and Nikolai scenes. Man the slow burn is totally worth it. 100% worth it! Nikolai is obsessed with Zoya’s ribbon and when he finally takes it off. That was EVERYTHING.

“Nikolai cut her a glance. She’d tied back her black hair with a dark blue ribbon. It was eminently practical, but it had the unfortunate effect of making him want to untie it.”

I didn’t really care about the death that happens in this book. It felt mostly pointless and served no purpose at all. It was also predictable because of the extra attention the character got in the beginning. If you read, you’ll know.

Also, why is Genya and David sidelined again??? They were sidelined enough by Alina in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. They could have had more significance in this one atleast. They were there ofcourse but made no real addition to the story.

This book had Darkling’s POV. That was very very intriguing. He goes by Aleksander in this book btw. I would have loved more of it but it really didn’t add much to the main plot and felt as an unnecessary POV. Darkling’s fans will absolutely love his arc tho.

“Aleksander couldn’t help but think of the first army he’d built. Yevgeni Lantsov had been king then, and he’d been at war with the Shu for the entirety of his reign. He couldn’t hold the southern border and his forces were stretched to their very limit. Aleksander had gone by a different name then. Leonid. The first Darkling to offer his gifts in service to the king. “

I’m not sure how I feel about Nina and Hanne’s relationship. It went from 0 to 100 real soon. I do like them together but the ending of their story was disappointing. It just did not feel like Nina. The Nina we know wouldn’t just be someone else. I did like Hanne’s arc. She finds herself and what she really wants to be. I don’t really understand why she helps Raavka though. I understand her wanting to help Grisha and their cause but she is now straight up a Raavkan spy. She is Brum’s daughter. How does that happen so easily???

My favourite Nina quote:
“She could almost hear Kaz laughing at her. Shut up, Brekker. Talk to me when you’ve done something about that terrible haircut. Maybe he had by now. She hoped so for Inej’s sake.”

Leigh Bardugo really went hard on the fact that this is the last book in the Grishaverse. (I hope not). You get all the cameos in this – ALL. I was so so so happy about some and some felt forced.

** SPOILER **

A heist by Kaz and Nikolai together felt like everything when it started but it was slightly underwhelming. I understand that it was just a part of the larger story but it could have been more. Their negotiations tho was EVERYTHING. Jasper and Wylan were everything I imagined.

“A word of advice, from one bastard to another: Sometimes it’s best to let the demon have its day.”
The cable dropped and Kaz Brekker was gone.

** SPOILER OVER **

I stand for Zoya supremacy. Her story was more than just satisfactory. That ending was worth reading all of the Grisha books. I loved it but I didn’t like the conflict with Juris. It felt very similar to Nikolai’s demon arc. Speaking of Nikolai, he fought so hard and so long for the crown but is that what he really wanted? As always I thoroughly enjoyed reading Nikolai. He did get the story he deserved in this book. Thank god for that. He was sidelined in his own book in King of Scars.

Though all the plotlines came together in the end, it just felt like one too many characters and stories too keep track. It made sense in Six of Crows because in the end they were all part of the same linear story of the heist but with stories of their own. It was still okay in King of Scars – it had Nikolia and Zoya on one hand and Nina on the other.

Do you see how many things are happening in this? There are tons of POVs. When I was almost at the end of the book, I was really worried that there is no way that all threads can be tied in with satisfactory endings and character arcs. Leigh managed to do it. That alone is amazing. As always, her writing, especially character depth was *chef’s kiss*. (except our waffle queen Nina this time. It’s not fair. 😒)

Leigh just set up for Six of Crows 3 with the ending. That was awesome. I’m all for it!!!!! SOC 3 is what we need to deal with 2021. Leigh Bardugo, I will literally do anything, please give us SOC 3!!!!!

Did you read Rule of Wolves? What did you think about it? How would you rate it?
I would say, I’m not sure but I read it in 2 days because I just couldn’t stop. It is VERY fast paced especially compared to King of Scars.

My conclusion is if you have read all the Grisha books, this is something you don’t want to miss!

In other news, I CAN NOT WAIT for the Shadow and Bone on Netflix. It looks SO SO good. I am so excited for a prequel of SOC where they interact with Alina. April 23 can’t come soon enough!

What did you think about the trailer? I’m very curious if people like the changes to the original story.

Omgg Kaz and Inej!!! And Matthias 😭 (Crooked Kingdom review)

Six of Crows was an amazing book on its own but Crooked Kingdom was a blessing I didn’t know I needed. It left me heartbroken and hopeful in the end. The book was just so so so so good. I rarely say this but it was totally worth the hype.

Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts 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.

If anyone is hesitant to pick up the duology because of the the hype, trust me that for once the hype is totally worth it.

Has anyone noticed this whole city is looking for us, mad at us, or wants to kill us?”
“So?” said Kaz.
“Well, usually it’s just half the city.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

The book picks up exactly where we left off. Inej has been captured by Van Eck and the crew is weakened but don’t worry because Kaz’s brain is still intact. I will not spoil the story so I won’t be telling exactly what they plan and how they do it.

I can’t believe that Inej actually believed that Kaz wouldn’t come for her if her legs are broken. She doubted that anyone would care to save her. It broke my heart. Kaz and Inej are two people who have gone through so much in life that they can’t even touch each other without going through hell. It is what makes them such rich characters and their growth through the books is remarkable.

I lived for Kaz and Inej scenes. If Leigh Bardugo ever decides to revisit their story again, I’d literally buy 10 copies of it.

I would have come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

This quote from the Inej is everything! I love the series because our heroes are nothings and nobodies but nothings and nobodies who are ready to take on the world.

Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

Also also, Kaz called Jesper Jordie!!!??? Omg the implications of that. Kaz considers Jesper his brother. Kaz is so hard on him because he doesn’t want Jesper to be as naïve as Jordie.

This book finally gives us the story for Wylan that we needed. His character had so much development this book but I did hope it would have been nice to have his perspective even in the first book, Six of Crows. I definitely cried when he goes to his mother’s grave.

You’re stupid about a lot of things, Wylan, but you are not stupid. And if I ever hear you call yourself a moron again, I’m going to tell Matthias you tried to kiss Nina. With tongue.”
Wylan wiped his nose on his sleeve. “He’ll never believe it.”
“Then I’ll tell Nina you tried to kiss Matthias. With tongue.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

Wylan seriously became my favorite character. Jesper and Wylan are just so adorable. Their pairing also seems meaningful because you get two opposite kinds of fathers reacting differently in similar situations and how much it changes for the children. The story arc of Wylan and his mother was really great.

He thumbed quickly through the ledger and said, “When people see a cripple walking down the street, leaning on his cane, what do they feel?” Wylan looked away. People always did when Kaz talked about his limp, as if he didn’t know what he was or how the world saw him. “They feel pity. Now, what do they think when they see me coming?”
Wylan’s mouth quirked up at the corner. “They think they’d better cross the street.”
Kaz tossed the ledger back in the safe. “You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

HUGE SPOILER ALERT

I can’t even start talking about Nina and Matthias without ending up crying.

Meeting you was a disaster.”
She raised a brow. “Thank you.”
Djel, he was terrible at this. He stumbled on, trying to make her understand. “But I am grateful for that disaster. I needed a catastrophe to shake me from the life I knew. You were an earthquake, a landslide.”
“I,” she said, planting a hand on her hip, “am a delicate flower.”
“You aren’t a flower, you’re every blossom in the wood blooming at once. You are a tidal wave. You’re a stampede. You are overwhelming.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

I guess his death makes sense but it is still really sad. He had actual plans to change the world and live the life he wanted with Nina. 😭😭

I wasn’t disappointed even a bit. I watched readywithcindy’s video review and I agree that maybe Matthias was the shadow of the person who killed him. Every character in the book had a shadow or was a shadow for someone like Inej and Dunyasha and Kaz and Pekka Rollins. I was really curious about how the story of Pekka Rollins would end.

I don’t hold a grudge. I cradle it. I coddle it. I feed it fine cuts of meat and send it to the best schools. I nurture my grudges, Rollins.

Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

This book was the perfect read. If you were on the fence about picking up this book, I hope I’ve convinced you to pick up the duology.

Have you read this series? Who is your favorite character?

Which is your favorite fantasy book/series?

October Wrapup (Six of Crows duology, Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, One Arranged Murder and more)

How are we already at the end of October??? 2020 has been really long and really short at the same time.

Anyway, I read only 5 books this month (excluding review copies and ARCs). I wanted to read more but I was busy in binge watching 👀.

1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I would definitely give it ten stars if I could.

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

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

I love this world and this book so so so much.

Oh my, oh my why didn’t I read this book before!? It is the perfect read for me. A heist with six outcasts, sign me the hell up! I love morally grey characters and especially theieves and survivors in a fantasy setting.

Checkout my review of it https://ahthebookfeels.home.blog/2020/10/26/finally-reading-six-of-crows/

2. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Six of Crows was an amazing book on its own but Crooked Kingdom was a blessing I didn’t know I needed. It left me heartbroken and hopeful in the end. The book was just so so so so good. Expect the detailed review soon.

Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

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.

3. Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2)

🌟🌟 This book was unfortunately very disappointing. It messed up everything that was built in Serpent & Dove.

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

Nothing happens for 80% of the book. The group decides they need allies if they’re going to fight this and go to meet different people for it. That’s it, that’s the story. It’d have been so much better if the author could cut that part short.

Most importantly, I felt like Reid and Lou were different poeple from the last book. Character growth is good but completely changing characters? Lou did magic in the last book too but there was no point where her magic was hsrmful or destructive. But this time around everyone is worried about Lou’s magic. I also thought the growth in Reid’s character is supposed to be the realization that magic is not inherently evil but it could be used to serve evil purposes. Now if we say that Lou becomes evil the more she uses her magic , won’t that make magic evil???

If you’d like a rant review, here it is.

https://ahthebookfeels.home.blog/2020/10/09/what-the-fuk-even-happened-in-blood-honey-serpent-dove-2/

4. One Arranged Murder by Chetan Bhagat

🌟🌟 This book was as bad as you would expect. It had so much fat shaming and that much more bad writing. It was clearly written keeping a movie in mind, Chetan Bhagat could have skipped the book and directly written a movie script. I’m in the process of writing a rant review. Expect it soon.

Keshav has set up an investigation agency with his best friend, Saurabh. Can the two amateur detectives successfully solve another murder case that affects them personally? And where will it leave their friendship?

‘Ever since you found Prerna, I lost my best friend’ is what I told Saurabh. Hi, this is Keshav, and Saurabh, my best friend, flatmate, colleague and business partner, won’t talk to me. Because I made fun of him and his fiancée. Saurabh and Prerna will be getting married soon. It is an arranged marriage. However, there is more cheesy romance between them than any love-marriage couple. On Karva Chauth, she fasted for him. She didn’t eat all day. In the evening, she called him and waited on the terrace for the moon and for Saurabh to break her fast. Excited, Saurabh ran up the steps of her three-storey house. But when he reached…

Welcome to One Arranged Murder, an unputdownable thriller from India’s highest-selling author. A story about love, friendship, family and crime, it will keep you entertained and hooked right till the end.

5. Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

I love V.E Schwab’s writing so much. I became a fan when I read A Darker Shade of Magic series but this book took it another love. Her writing is poetic but it’s not too much. This book was just perfect.

This was my October. How was yours? How many books did you read? Which was favorite?

Finally Reading Six of Crows

Kaz leaned back. “What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?”
“Knife to the throat?” asked Inej.
“Gun to the back?” said Jesper.
“Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina.
“You’re all horrible,” said Matthias.

Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

I read the book first time in June this year and that’s what I felt but I didn’t know how to review it. I just finished listening to the audiobook of Six of Crows and I decided to just write what I felt while listening to the books.

The following is less a review, more what I felt while reading it. There will definitely be mild spoilers ahead.

I had actually read the chapter 1 before. It is mildly interesting but I don’t even know why I stopped reading there before. This chapter is from the perspective of Joost. I didn’t understand what was happening at all in the first 50 to 80 pages because I haven’t read the Grisha trilogy and didn’t know anything about the magic system actually anything at all. So if the book wasn’t so popular I probably wouldn’t have continued reading it. I just wish the book could’ve started off differently. Or maybe it’s already perfect. I don’t know.

Another thing I felt while reading the book was that, it is impossible for Kaz Brekkar to be 17! I don’t think the whole crew is teenagers. I’ve imagined them all in their 20s in my head. Jasper and Matthias would be in late 20s, Inej, Wylan and Nina in early 20s and Kaz would be in his mid 20s. It just makes more sense to me with all they’ve gone through in their life and how they think.

A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.

Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

Speaking of Kaz and Inej, omfg, I love them so much! They’re my favorite couple although it’s hard to believe that all six people in the crew are paired. I lived for all the Kaz and Inej scenes. God I wanted more. I wanted so much more. Also, I love Inej because she recognized that she wanted more from Kaz for her to stay and she chose her dreams over it.

He needed to tell her…what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he’d begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near. He needed to thank her for his new hat.

Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.

Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

I love the book more because it takes all cliches of a fantasy story with a choosen one and throws it out the window. Kaz and Inej and Nina and Matthias and Jasper and Wylan, none of them are chosen. They are the opposite of chosen. They are all just survivors trying to live their life. I also would have definitely loved a separate book on each of these six people. They definitely all had enough story to tell.

Let’s talk about Nina and Matthias. I absolutely love enemies to lovers. Since I read Serpent and Dove before this, I felt that they’re literally Lou and Reid. But this is better because Nina is not some kind if a princess, she is a soldier fighting for a cause and so is Matthias. I just loved the dynamic and everything between these too. Nina is also my waffle queen!

Wylan and Jesper weren’t the focus in this book but the development in Crooked Kingdom is amazinggg. So I don’t have much to talk about them here except that I love them ofcourse!

The heist was very clever and interesting but I was drawn to the story because of the characters and their development. Kaz was my absolute favorite. Who was yours?

I can’t believe the ending. I’ve just started Crooked Kingdom for the second time and I’m so excited.

Have you read Six of Crows? Did you enjoy it? Who was your favorite character?