#i really really really just want to read the king of scars duology

[waldensblog]

Reading Ruin and Rising

So I have finished The Grisha Trilogy! Overall, I quite enjoyed the book series after watching the show, and I will continue on to the Six of Crows Duology and then the King of Scars Duology. Below the cut are my thoughts on the final book in the trilogy.

TL;DR:  -I liked how Alina grew more ruthless, really was full fledged. Her ending is tragic. -The Darkling basically won, and was taken down by his weakness: love. Still a Darklina stan, what a tragic romance they had.  -I like Nikolai overall, and his ending is likewise sad, as he now is possessed. Kind of Darkolai ending for him. I like Nikolina too. -Mal isn’t the literal worst the entire time, but I’m not a fan of him still. I think he was not a true amplifier but a curse to whatever Grisha killed him. His happy ending comes at the expense of literally everyone else’s and the good of Ravka. -Story is overall a tragedy. A good tragedy, but a tragedy nonetheless. 

Alina: Although she once again starts in a position of weakness, underground, recovering from the Chapel fight, I found myself loving the start. Alina’s developed into a morally grey and ruthless character, and I love this. She’s stuck with the apparat, but biding her time. 

Her tether scene with the Darkling shows how far she’s come. She reached out to him, which surprised him, and stroke his face, taunted him with their love story - hell yeah, it was a very strong start for me. 

When escaping the apparat, she almost kills (again), but only ends up branding someone. Again, loving this gray and ruthlessness, and all the inner thoughts about how very much like the Darkling she is becoming. 

Alina eventually meets back up with Nikolai and they’re at the Spinning Wheel, where she trains more with Baghra, and gets stronger and stronger. During the escape from the Spinning Wheel, she uses the cut to kill someone, for the first time. She is disgusted with herself in part because yeah splitting someone in 2 would be pretty gorey, but also because of how... easy it was, how good it felt. She knows she’s going down a dark path, and I personally love to see it - because it breaks the hero archetype, giving her more an anti-hero arc.

I’ll discuss the ending itself further below, because I have a lot of thoughts on that, but to keep it brief here: the end of Alina’s story is, to me, tragic. She’s a tragic hero to me. I overall like her character, though I definitely have gripes about her at times, mostly, the Mal addiction. 

The Darkling: My favourite still. The Darkling is to me an anti-villain - he does bad things for the right reasons. In another story, he may have been the anti-hero, not the one Ravka deserves perhaps, but the one Ravka needs (*Batman theme plays*).

The Darkling has basically won by the start of the story. He’s ruling Ravka, he can expand the Fold any way he wants, the King is on the run. He can ensure Grisha safety, stop the wars... he’s won. His weakness is what he always said: wanting, or more specifically: love. 

When his mother jumps off a cliff, it’s because she knows this. She knows he would go after her - try to stop her from dying. Alina feels him try to pull her into the tether afterwards, and can feel his overwhelming grief. She refuses the call, but she knows. And in the Fold, when Alina loses her power - she doesn’t need the tether to feel his grief. Her metaphorical death there was too much for him. It wasn’t only about loneliness, but love. He wanted to rule with her - he wanted to his soulmate by his side. He wanted a partner. He goes about it poorly - having learned cruelty and abuse from his mother, and never breaking the cycle.

It was clear to me that they loved each other deeply as much as they hated the fact. In the tether, when he kisses her neck as she’s against him, the attraction, the pull, is very strong. At the end, she’s crying as he dies, and he just looks at her and is happy to know at least someone will mourn him - that he was loved. 

I absolutely lose my mind about the fact that his body was burned alongside Ruby’s-disguised-to-look-like-Alina’s, because that was absolutely not for Ruby - who probably would not like that - it was not for him - because he probably wouldn’t like that either (though would be happy she respected his wish to burn the body) - it was certainly not for Ravka, who complained about it - this was for Alina. Alina asked for a Grisha effigy of herself to burn next to him. Her metaphorical funeral. Side by side. The immortal rulers of Ravka that could have been. As she watches this, she whispers his name in a sob. Dear.God. what a tragic lovers-to-enemies romance this is. I do wish there were more tether scenes, but I loved the ones we did get. 

Nikolai: Nikolai starts on the run, and without tether scenes, we don’t get to see him for quite a while. When he finally does show up, I cheer. Yey! Our pirate prince is back! I loved all the scenes with Alina, and found their chemistry intriguing. I do feel that they could have been happy together, King and Queen of Ravka - a Grisha Queen which may have helped bridge the gap between Grisha and otkazat'sya, even leading to a Grisha king if they had a son. Certainly, that’s what both Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising were saying was supposed to happen. I would have accepted this end, even if it wouldn’t have been my favourite, because it would be a bit status quo-y. As good a King as Nikolai may be - a great one with Alina at his side, he is still ultimately a monarch, and a mortal man. His descendants may not been as good - we could hope, if they’re Grisha, that they would be. He would have died as Alina remained ageless, so this would still have a tragic end for her. I like Nikolina, but it’s still a second choice to me after Darklina.  I did have a pretty big gripe about Nikolai at the Spinning Wheel though: when it came to Genya. Sure, it’s great that he took her side, but his punishment to his father is so... what a slap on the wrist. Oh you abused this woman, well off to a warm retirement you go, I’m the King now, dad! To me, the fact that he didn’t stand trial kind of tells me the nobility will always get away with more under his rule than peasants would. He may not be the Worst, he may be a good and great king - but at the end of the day... a monarchy is still a monarchy. 

The Darkolai vibes here were great - fucked, but great. The Darkling saw Nikolai at the spinning wheel, Mal too - and could have a) killed one or both, b) infect them with nichevo’ya. He specifically targeted Nikolai for option b - instead of killing the King, instead of killing Mal or infecting him. Why? Jealousy because Alina showed interest in him? Because he never saw him during tether scenes and therefore knows Alina does have genuine feelings for him? Or because... secret option C? I mean the tendrils down the throat is bit... not-hetero. They both ultimately want the same things, and in another story, another life, they may have been allies. At the end, Nikolai is still ultimately scarred, and the shadow demon-ness is not gone. A part of the Darkling lives on inside Nikolai’s body, so we... sort of have a Darkolai ending, don’t we? 

The Darknikolina-ness of no tether scenes when she’s with Nikolai, the shadow demon and emerald ring, trying to cure via her light, the tendrils down the throat. My god. I am still on about this, yes. Imagine the possibilities... 

Mal:  Mal was not the literal worst in this book like he was in Siege and Storm. He’s finally gotten past being a drunk, angry, asshole, and now sees himself as a tool in a war. I’m glad he’s had some development, and that he’s accepted a position as not-Alina’s-lover. I find his tracker abilities absurd at times - what the hell do you mean he can target a beetle and shoot it to make a bomb explode?! WHAT? What in the world does that have to do with his being the firebird anyway?  On that note, I posted this elsewhere, but I have a theory that Morozova’s third amplifier - the firebird - Morozova’s daughter and her bloodline, so Mal - is actually not a true amplifier, but a curse. Any grisha that dared kill the firebird would lose their powers, and a bunch of nearby otkazat'sya would get them. Kind of a monkey’s paw situation (you want power? wish granted - they get the amplified power, not you). Not that Mal would know that. I also think that this curse is partially why Alina was so drawn to him. It’s a bit tragic really - they think it’s a sincere affection, but it’s really the amplifier, a trap, pulling her in, luring her. It’s unfortunately dismissed immediately by Mal when Alina brings it up - what if everything between them was just the amplifier? I personally think it was. I also maintain that he was very much a drug for her. He wanted to carve out her power, and in the end, he basically did. She goes back to being “useless” Alina, and unhappily staring out a window, longing for her powers. Once again, Alina tries to tell us she is happy - despite the evidence suggesting otherwise. 

The ending: I’ve already touched on the ending above a fair bit, but to summarize, I interpret the ending as a tragedy. Alina is a tragic hero - she tries to make things better, but she didn’t fix Ravka, there are still wars, and people still hate grisha. She loses her powers in the process, dying a metaphorical death and burning herself alongside her soulmate who she killed - our anti-villain, the Darkling. Nikolai is scarred, possessed, and left to rule alone, as Alina removes herself from society, sadly looking out the windows at the sunlight and wishing she had her powers, as Mal - the only happy one at the end has succeeded in keeping her weak. I know many hate the ending - I don’t, but it’s because I view it as a tragedy. 

[hexgrifa]

What’s your favorite scene of Nina from the books? And what’s the thing you love most about her?

BEST ask of all I was saving it....

So due to the show being cancelled (☹️) everyone in my area is sweeping all Leigh Bardugo books OFF the shelves, and I can't re-read the king of scar duology (and I haven't read it in awhileee), so I'll answer for SoC Nina!

Her whole Jurda Parem scene at the end of book one was really interesting to read, so I'm going to go with that (and ignore the consequences 🤡)

For the second part, you want me to name just one 😟? Her being a plus sized character who is also supposed to be seen as the romantic, seductive one makes me really happy because rarely any books have that representation, but also, her whole story kind of resonates with me. If I haaad to pick one, I'd say her humor is my favorite :]

Honestly could do an essay on this girl 🙏

(Also realize you could've meant show scene, which would be her on the boat in the flashbacks tied with her attacking Pekka+His guys)

[thefoxinateacup]

Reading Recap: The Bardugo Bash

It's been quite the Leigh Bardugo year so far. I've filled my time with four of her books in the first half of 2024, and I'm sure I'll throw in another reread of Six of Crows before the year ends.

First up, back in January, I finally got my hands on the pocket version of Hell Bent. I really wanted this size so it would fit with my copy of Ninth House because I'm extra like that. It took me two weeks to devour Hell Bent which I took everywhere with me. I read it at home, at the cafe, on my lunch break at work, even on my walks to and back from work. It was impossible to put it down. After a solid first entry in the series with Ninth House, Bardugo expanded the dark fantasy parallel universe of Yale's secret societies.

I say parallel because it's wild to me to even think that the grimy and dangerous Yale of Alex Stern could possibly be the same as the light and cosy Yale of Rory Gilmore. But then again, Rory's world revolved very much around herself so who's to say she just wasn't completely oblivious to the dark deeds performed on her precious college campus. Anywho.

We meet up again with our ragtag team of supernatural investigators and shit-stirrers as they more or less willingly embark on a mission to rescue Darlington from whichever circle of hell he ended up falling into in the first book. The antagonists this time around are more demons than ghosts but keep the spooky vibe very much alive. Alex leads the charge out of a sense of duty towards Darlington, but also an irresistible sense of attraction, which the Gentleman Demon can't deny either. (Cue the countless pieces of stunning fanart hehehe.) In classic Alex fashion, whenever things can take a turn for the worse, they do, but it also allows her to learn more about her purpose and powers. No pain no gain, I guess.

In conclusion, I was hooked from the start and can hardly wait for the final installment in the series to come out, see where our dashing demon and wicked witch take us for one last ride in the dark underbelly of New Haven.

Next up, I cruised through Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. Ahead of the Starfury convention where I was finally going to meet Jessie and Archie, I figured it was about time I finished the original trilogy. Bardugo's writing style is so pleasant to read, I finished both books in two weeks. I already knew I liked Nikolai from the King of Scars duology and Paddy Gibson's delightful portrayal on the Shadow and Bone TV series, but boy oh boy did Siege and Storm confirm that, after the Crows obviously, Nikolai is my favourite Grishaverse character. And if I'm honest, as riveting as the plot is in Ruin and Rising, Siege and Storm is my favourite book of the original trilogy. Because it has the most Nikolai? Well yes, duh. But also the domesticity of being at the Little Palace again, even if Alina's newfound leadership and isolation brings its own challenges.

I will say that, as much as it makes sense plot-wise, Alina losing her powers after she spent so much time earning it and owning it feels a little bit disappointing, but at least now her and Mal can be equally ordinary people who live a simple but good life, in love for the rest of their days. Regardless of how it ends, it's amazing to witness the care and detail that Bardugo put into creating a fantasy world that still feels tangible. What a time to be alive!

Finally, another two weeks to savour The Familiar. My boss ordered me the pretty hardback copy with black edges straight from the US so that one was definitely a home book. (Cue Gollum voice: my precious.) The world building was very nicely done, dropping information about the historical context without it feeling like a history textbook, and introducing the special kind of magic that Luzia possesses in a very "show don't tell" way. Bardugo tried out a different point of view style, relying less on first person narrative or character specific chapters to blend the points of view of Luzia and Santangel, for the most part, creating a fuller scope of understanding for the narrative.

You could cut the tension between Luzia and Santangel, the disillusioned ancient magic wielder who takes her under his wing because he doesn't have a choice, with a knife until finally the last thread of propriety snaps, much to the enjoyment of the adult reader. Because it is, dear reader, very much a book for adults. It is full of dark magic, messy and sexy, pain and betrayal, questions of one's mortality, however the tone felt less tragic to me than the Ninth House series. Luzia takes initiative and follows her ambition, even if it might cost her everything. Luzia's rage against a world that would condemn her for merely being alive makes her all the more willing to not settle for less than she is worth. Damn be the consequences!

The 16th century Madrid depicted adds charm to the setting while also grounding it into the sinister period of the Spanish Inquisition. The background of religious persecution adds a layer of urgency to Luzia's dangerous path to greatness. It begs the question of whether she can even escape certain doom. Does she even want to? Read The Familiar to find out.

My point is: if Bardugo writes it, I will read it. Her writing style is so electrifying, it perfectly scratches the itch in me that craves great storytelling and beautiful words weaved into mind-bending sentences. And I'm looking forward to being consumed by her next masterpiece.

Bookishly yours!

[sweetnnaivete]

hi ceri!!!!! i hope ur doing so well 😚 i just wanted to ask u smth ab grishaverse because ur the grishaverse mutual in my head LOL ok so basically if i were to read soc & crooked kingdom how big would the urge be to read the 2 that r about nikolai i think (forgot their names soz but the 2 that come after those two) and do u think they’re also super good because i have shadow and bone trilogy (which was incredibly mid i fear 😣 hated the ending + the second book was a nightmare to get thru would’ve dnfed if it weren’t for nikolai LOL) and soc & ck (i know these two are MUCH better than the shadow and bone trilogy cz i read half of soc in jan 23 and LOVED IT but never finished because of exams) so i’m wondering if i should get the last two n finish the set 🤔 sorry this is so long lol TYSM IN ADVANCE

omg honored to be the grishaverse mutual ?? i wholeheartedly agree with ur s&b evaluation those books r not good but anyway i read the books out of order cs i went soc/ck -> s&b -> the king of scars duology butttt i think if u liked nikolai in s&b you'll really like king of scars !! imo it's not as good as soc but i loved the nikolai + zoya parts so yes it's v worth it even if the urge to read them isn't super there ?? i very much recommend to finish soc duology then read kos :3

[kru-sader]

Finished Rule of Wolves a few ago - essentially completing the Grishaverse series more than an year after I had completed the first five books. I was avoiding starting King Of Scars for the sole reason that I found out Zoya- whom I admit I disliked greatly- was going to be more of a main character and Nikolai's love interest in this duology.

Although the duology did do a good job in redeeming her for me, I still have several complaints about her character arc.

Firstly, the sad backstory was definitely- sad; however it in no way logically explains Zoya's vile behaviour towards Alina in SAB. The only way Leigh Bardugo could have clarified all of that, her superiority complex and her mean gurl persona in general was to let her be the arrogant and self-centered girl she was painted out to be initially. She could have owned that and I personally would have loved her still. Does she go around treating Otkazat'sya with hostility? Yes. Would she still put her life on the line to save theirs? Also yes. Does she look down on pretty much anyone and everyone she meets? Yes. Does that affect how she does her duties as the General? No. Does she grumble and complain about something all the time? Yes. But does she also work incomparably hard to somehow put life into a dying nation? Yes.

I have no qualms about her backstory. It was fine. It gave us a peek into where Zoya came from, what she's suffered and all that she risks losing if she fails. But I cannot for the life of me find the link between all that and her actions in SAB. The author could have just let her be a snarky little shit while showcasing all that she does for her country and people rather than force her into the super annoying mold of the soft and sensitive saintly girl who's so traumatised she's adopted this tough girl persona who cares about no one. It feels ingenuine, like even in her own monologues Zoya is acting to get the readers to sympathise with her.

Another thing that infuriated me to no end about her character was how inconsistent it was :|

In chapter 5 Zoya clearly says to Count Kirigan ,

"You will invite me to a fine dinner. We'll both drink too much wine. You'll get me to talk about myself, the pressures of my position, the sadness of my past. Perhaps I'll shed a tear or two. You'll listen sensitively and astutely and somehow discover my secret self.....

...There is no secret self. I'm not going to reveal another me to you. I'm not going to be tamed by you. I am the king's general. I am the commander of the Second Army...."

It was so nice reading that and thenn thennnnnnn?!!?? You know what happened in chapter 23??!!!

Behold my angry notes I added at 2 AM because this scene made me want to scream.( please ignore the ton of spelling mistakes- it's really difficult to type on a Kindle and I was also shaking because I was a sleep deprived ball of rage)-

[Without all the spelling mistakes- the note basically says-

I hate what they are doing with Zoya's character here.Once she'd established with Kirigan that she was not some rough outside soft inside cliche fantasy, that he was not going to peek inside of her and see a hurt, broken and just a sensitive girl- it should've stayed like that. Just because it's Nikolai does not mean it's not an injustice to her arc to just come out as a soft hurt girl. I don't mean to insult every female character that does fit that stereotype. There's nothing wrong with it. But with the way Zoya's storyline progressed even her background I know Zoya was meant to be a tough outside tough inside girlie. She had made it clear herself and that monologue to Kirigan about how true love wasn't going to soften her edges should have been her truth. It was her truth.

Zoya didn't even need to be a sociopath or a psychopathic character for this. The author could've portrayed her weak and vulnerable moments in solitude. Hell- there was Juris the dragon inside of her. He could have been used as a plot device to show Zoya grappling with her past her mistakes, loss, grief, self-doubt, (bad) mental health, psychological pain etc.

I feel like wve the Nikolai and Zoya ship would've been better this way. There was no need to make him the knight in shining armour that breaks down the walls of the outwardly harsh but actually soft and small and weak girl. She's the General of Ravka for God's sake.]

Overall though I liked the books and fairly enjoyed them. I think on the whole the author did a stellar job - especially in terms of plot development and the charcter development of most other characters.

TL;DR- Ways I think Zoya's character was ruined for me personally.

[backgroundagent3]

for the grishverse asks…just all of them, if you’re okay with that ofc!

Thanks for the ask! This was so much fun to think about. 💙

There's some that I'd already answered, so I tried to give new responses. It got quite long, and there's a lot of spoilers, so keep reading under the cut.

Shadow: rank all the Grishaverse books you’ve read.

Six of Crows. Almost tied with Crooked Kingdom. This is one of my favourite books ever. The characters are some of my favourite characters ever, and the ships are perfect. I love how detailed their backstories and personalities are, it makes them so believable and nuanced. I'm a sucker for heists and plot twists I can barely comprehend, so this is the perfect book for me.

Crooked Kingdom. More of the characters, ships and storylines I've already fallen in love with? Yes please. I ate up all the Kanej content, and I was so sad when it ended, it's such a great duology.

King of Scars. Another great book. Maybe the plot wasn't as good, and it felt a little slow, but Zoyalai? The Grisha Triumvirate? Genya and David? Perfection. Honestly a book can have the most boring plot ever, but as long as I get interesting characters with great dynamics I won't care, I'm here for them and them only.

Ruin and Rising. I remember the original trilogy very vaguely, but I thought this was the best book out of all of them. It definitely wasn't perfect, I found the storyline of the tunnels so suffocating, and every time someone mentioned the Apparat I wanted to throw the book across the room, but overall it was a nice conclusion to the trilogy.

Shadow and Bone. It's not perfect, but clearly good enough to get me hooked. I was instantly amazed at the worldbuilding, and I liked the way we're introduced to the different elements of the Grishaverse. Sometimes it's too much information at once, or you get confused because something hasn't been properly introduced, but Leigh Bardugo did a great job of that, and paces it well.

Rule of Wolves. I liked most of the book and I absolutely loved the moments focused on Zoya, but it completely ruined Nina for me. I loved her so much before, but here I got bored on every chapter that was about her. I think a lot of her character development was ruined on this book, and her ending was so bad.

Siege and Storm. The only reason this book is ranked last is I can barely remember anything. I liked Nikolai, but Mal and Alina were so annoying.

Bone: have you seen the show? What’s the best part of it?

I have seen it, and even though it's far from perfect, it's one of my favourite shows ever. Even though it's hard, I do have to separate it from the books to be able to enjoy it properly though, because let's be honest, it's not a very good adaptation. So considering that, I loved the cast and the times the crows were on screen. I think my favourite part overall was during season 2, when the crows and Zoya went on their little side quest to Shu-Han. I also loved Genya and David, they were adorable, but I'm gonna have to go on to the next question before I start thinking about them too much.

Siege: if you got to kill off one character, who would it be?

I don't know, the Darkling? I couldn't believe he was still alive in King of Scars, and it felt a little forced to be honest. Or Tante Heleen.

Storm: share and tag your favorite fan art.

My favorite fanarts these Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom papercrafts by @rosiethorns88. The level of details is insane, I could look at it for hours. I also really love @kayadraws and @chemdoodles artworks. I couldn't choose a specific one because they're all so cute and fun, and I love the styles in which they draw the characters.

Ruin: favorite character?

Like I said, Leigh Bardugo writes amazing characters, so this is a really tough choice, but overall I have to go with Inej Ghafa. Honorable mentions to Zoya, Kaz, Nina, Genya and Nikolai.

Rising: what’s the best ship? Canon or otherwise.

Again, a lot of amazing ships, but Kanej will always be my favourite, closely followed by Zoyalai.

Six: favorite Grishaverse quote?

I've answered this one here, but another quote I love is this one from the King of Scars duology:

Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. You are strong enough to survive the fall.

Both quotes hit really hard as I read them, cause they were such defining moments for Inej and Zoya, where they realise their potential and who they really are, so they were very special to me.

Crow: which crows do you most and least like?

I answered this here, so I'm gonna do my second most and least favourites. My second favourite is Kaz. I think it's really cool how he's such a complex character but in a way that doesn't redeem him, if that makes any sense. Like he might be willing to change and improve himself, but he's still very much a ruthless criminal. I also love how he is completely aware of that, especially when it comes to Inej. As for my second lest favourite, I guess Wylan? Don't get me wrong, I still love him, but the other crows are just perfect to me.

Crooked: if you got to rewrite the first chapter of Six of Crows, how would you do it?

I don't think I'd rewrite it, I'd just have another chapter before that one, with at least one of the crows and an introduction to the plot of Joost's chapter. I remember reading it and being so confused, because it jumps straight into what's a pretty complicated story. If I did have to rewrite it, I would write it from one of the crows' perspective, because it was really confusing not seeing Joost at all during the rest of the book, and I don't think it would have been very hard to have maybe Inej sneak into the Van Eck mansion to spy.

Kingdom: pick a character and give them a theme song.

I've answered this one here, but recently I've been thinking of Jesper whenever I listen to Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons.

King: what’s your favorite idea for a new series in the Grishaverse?

Maybe not for a new series, but I like the idea of continuing Rule of Wolves where they left it, so we could have another heist with the crows looking for Sankt Feliks's heart, which would tie in the Six of Crows and the King of Scars duologies together. I think it would be such a great story for so many reasons. For starters, it gives a reason for the crows and the King of Scars gang to interact more, which I'd love to see. Genya would be able to heal from losing David and maybe get a cool storyline focusing more on her. We'd get to see more of Zoya as the queen, and her relationship with Nikolai. Heist shenanigans. Wesper being dragged into a new mission. Kaz trying to trick the Ravkans. Zoya not having any of his nonsense. Kanej. Inej as Captain Ghafa. Kanej. Tolya and Tamar meeting the crows. KANEJ. And above all else, a chance to fix Nina's ending. So. Much. Potential.

Scars: which character deserved better?

Well on that note, I'm gonna go with Nina. Also Genya and David!!

Rule: favorite book cover?

Six of Crows. I love how the crow's feathers also act as the silhouette of Ketterdam.

Wolves: sort all the characters you can into Hogwarts houses, (or choose to give them zodiacs, mbtis, alignments, etc—).

I'm gonna go with Hogwarts houses because I know nothing about zodiacs or any of those things.

Kaz Brekker: Slytherin.

Inej Ghafa: Ravenclaw.

Jesper Fahey: Gryffindor.

Nina Zenik: Gryffindor.

Wylan Van Eck: Ravenclaw.

Matthias Helvar: Hufflepuff.

Kuwei Yul-Bo: Ravenclaw.

Alina Starkov: Hufflepuff.

Malyen Oretsev: Gryffindor.

Nikolai Lanstov: Slytherin.

Zoya Nazyalensky: Slytherin.

Genya Safin: Hufflepuff.

David Kostyk: Ravenclaw.

Tolya Yul-Bataar: Ravenclaw.

Tamar Kir-Bataar: Gryffindor.

The Darkling: Slytherin.

Ketterdam: change the ending of one of the books.

I think I'd just have something at the end of Rule of Wolves that indicated that there was definitely going to be another book about that heist I was talking about. I also said about how much I hated Nina's ending, but honestly, I don't think that could be fixed by just changing the ending, especially after spending two whole books undermining her character development.

Os Alta: when did you get into the Grishaverse? Tell us all about it.

It was in July 2021, and I went camping with my friends and family. Every night my friend read me and my other friend a bit of Six of Crows, which she had recently discovered and was obsessed with. We got really into it, and she convinced me to read the books. As soon as we got back home I started reading Alina's trilogy, then the duologies. Because my friend had only read the Six of Crows duology, I convinced her to read the rest, so full circle moment.

Djerholm: what pair of characters would you kill to see interact with each other?

Inej and Zoya above all, but also Kaz and The Darkling, cause I just think it would be hilarious. Picture the most powerful man in the world, who's been around for centuries, practically rules over a country and all the magical people in it, and is responsible for the most dangerous and horrific creation to ever exist. Now picture an emo teenager who's into magic and calls the love of his life an investment. The Darkling would not stand a chance.

The Unsea: what type of Grisha powers would you want to have? Or what crow’s skills would you want to steal?

If I was Grisha I would love to be a Tidemaker. As for the crows I think Inej's skills would be fun to have.

The True Sea: rant about whatever Grishaverse thing you want to (a hot take, something that bothers you, something you love, etc).

I think I've ranted enough for one post, and I'm too tired to think right now, but I would love to talk more about any of these things, just pop back in my ask box whenever you want.

This has been so much fun to write, so thanks again for the ask! 💙

[anthony-sharma]

Top 9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by: @kazscrows!! Thanks, girl!

Favorite Color: I can’t choose. I can say, though, that some of my favorite colors are purple, royal blue, red, and fuscia. 

Currently reading: The Holdout by Graham Moore. It’s kind of a legal thriller and so far it’s being top notch. 

Last song: Postcards by James Blunt. Highly recommend it!

Last series: The King of Scars duology, I think. 

Last movie: Purple Hearts with Sofia Carson and Nick Galitzine. I just watched it a few hours ago and loved it (and fell in love with Nick, too, btw).

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Well, since I’m Mexican, my perfect combination would be sweet and spicy. Our candy is usually a combination of both and foreigners usually have a really hard time getting used to the fact that a candy can be both sweet and spicy, so, yeah. That’s my answer. 

Currently working on: Finishing up packing my suitcases, since I’m moving to another country tomorrow. 

No pressure tags: @conradfiisher, @ladysolitaire, @nickfowlerrr, @schittspark, @dilfbatch, @if-not-now-tell-me-when, @lordjohnwgrey, @penelope-garcia and @taecube 

[rollercoasterwords]

I’ve been loving reading all these! It’s so funny to see people hate on books i love but i too am a hater first and everything else second so i wanted to pop by and un rec six of crows.

Look! I heard amazing things from pretty much everyone who read this book but like. Idk. So much of it did not live up to the hype. The constant character switches make it hard to fall into the story and then finally, when you actually like a pov, you have to wait chapters to get it again.

And everyone’s always going on about inej and kaz so i though they’d at least be like well built up and sweet but it felt like the entire relationship was never developed and the author got away with it because kaz doesn’t like anyone and inej is the exception. And it’s just a “touch her if you die” vibe which, idk, isn’t really all that appealing to read and doesn’t do anything to build their relationship.

lmfao i love six of crows im sorry but i cannot participate in the haterism on this one i think it's sooo fun <3 i really like the ragtag-crew-attempts-a-heist trope so i was an easy sell on the premise + i did not have the same issue w the pov switching i enjoyed jumping around from character 2 character!

one thing that may have made a difference is i had read the grishaverse trilogy first so i already had like. an introduction to the world & that made worldbuilding less necessary for me 2 enjoy the story. + i agree kaz + inej's relationship doesn't really get developed along the same lines as the others (as in, they don't let all their walls down + end up together by the end) but i did like the development their relationship did get--i feel like they both just had so much shit to work thru that they would need more books 4 things 2 develop further etc

interesting as always 2 hear from a hater tho everyone i know loves soc + so i can definitely understand how if u were hearing tons of hype + then it didn't live up you'd be disappointed! however it retains its special place in my heart <3 i honestly think the soc duology is the strongest piece of bardugo's writing set in that universe i found the grishaverse trilogy and the king of scars duology both kinda meh in different ways

[dirtytransmasc]

Hi! SoC fan here, I think you nailed the Kaz/Wylan dynamic beautifully. I haven't read the book in a while and I need to read it again but their dynamic is one of my favourites, and it totally has that father/son or older sibling/younger sibling vibes to it. I always liked how Kaz is the person that Wylan confides in, and how Kaz reassures him because he sees so much of himself in Wylan. He's not infantilized at all. He's the youngest in the group and he comes from a very, very different background to the crows, so he's naturally just very awkward and naive but the more time he spends with the Crows, he becomes a lot more badass and assertive, especially in the King of Scars duology.

I think the reason I love them so much is because they're a mess. like the blend between father figure, big brother, and mentor is just so satisfying, cause they just make it work which makes it 10x sweeter in my opinion. I'll be honest in saying I just started listening to the audio books very recently, and I typically have to listen to it a few times over to fully comprehend it (cause my attention span is hot grabage), so I know I have so much more waiting for me in terms of watching their dynamic grow, but I thought their general vibe was quite obvious, but I tend to look way to closely at characters I like right from the get-go, so that's not saying much.

(I'm gonna repeat myself a bit from my last post, cause I wrote that while tired and I feel much more confident in my explanation now)

like, kaz is just a nuturing character (in his own *special* way lol), he naturally takes a stereotypical "man of the house" role within the crows, and we see that this effects each of his relationships differently; with wylan it puts him in a caretaker position. wylan is the youngest of the group, has likely never been truly supported or loved, he never had a big brother to shield him from the world, or a father to aspire to be like, to learn from, to be loved by. kaz, wanting to 'protect his investments' aka, wants to take care of the people he loves, fills those voids, while also finally getting to be the big brother he needed after losing jordie, and helping wylan be what he never got the chance to be. he actively plays both roles, plus the role of mentor, and you can see the distinct edges; the 'dad' makes sure he eats, is safe on the streets, going out of his way to give wylan every opportunity he can. the mentor pushes wylan to be better, stronger, more independent, even if he comes off as brash at times. the brother not only protects, but stands like a shield, like a guide, a light in the dark that is the barrels. its everything wylan needs and more (cause its that relationship that allows wylan to find a home within the other crows and to find his confidence in himself that his piece of shit father attempted to squash) and its healing for kaz himself.

its nice seeing kaz have a bond with someone that outright forces him to loosen up, it looks nice on him, he serves those pockets of vulnerability and happiness. I nearly choked when he went to see wylan in the first episode and asked the last time he had eaten cause it just felt so... odd, and then to watch kaz really step out of his typical cold persona to make sure other's respected wylan. I was floored, it was everything to me. he really takes care of wylan like he needed someone to do for him and it hurts in such a sweet way. he makes sure wylan never has to break himself, to fight and bit and scratch to make a name for himself, because he just wants him to succeed.

then there's wylan himself. he takes after kaz so much (he's basically just kaz with a weaponized baby face/innocence and speck of mercy, fight with the wall), growing more and more confident with his guidance, finding his footing in the barrels, surpassing every demeaning expectation his father set for him, having this soft bond with one of the scariest men of the barrel wylan proves himself to himself, stops seeing himself as weak or broken or shameful and embraces his skills. there's also no bigger ego boost then being the unofficial 'kid' of the big and scary kaz brekker, especially when he's got that baby face to use to his advantage. kaz is someone he can trust, to confide in, to be protected by, to be able to fall back on, to understand when no one else does. kaz stepped up for his shitty dad and lack of big brother, stepped up when wylan was alone, stepped up and was the closest thing to family wylan would have until he got accepted into the crows, and even then, their bond runs so much deeper beneath the surface that it outweighs the other crows (besides maybe jesper). kaz made sure he was safe when he was unprepared for the barrel, allowing him to be come our bomb loving, baby face having, downright terrifying when he wants to be, baby girl, that we know and love.

[roguelibrarian]

books I read in 2023

Threw together a list of books I read this year plus brief thoughts about them Just Because.

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne - I was so, so ready to like this book and then like one chapter in suddenly got hit with the reveal that the backstory to it is the racist trope of "big scary Native man kidnaps a pure, virginal white girl to be his wife." So....fuck that shit.

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow - Heck yes. Excellent book. It's a retelling of Little Women set in the Roanoke Freedmen's Colony. The author leans into how aro-coded Jo is. Also Beth lives.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer - Yeah, I didn't finish this one. I got so bored.

Common Bonds: A Speculative Aromantic Anthology ed. by Claudie Arseneault, C.T. Callahan, B.R. Sanders, and RoAnna Sylver - I mean it's an anthology, so some of the stories just did not work for me, but I am ecstatic over the concept alone and most of it was amazing.

The Companion by Katie Alender - Creepy as shit in the best possible way. My one complaint is that after 200 pages without a hint of romance, suddenly a character showed up who was so obviously meant to be the main character's love interest and that part was exhausting. Otherwise excellent, amazing, chilling as hell, and you know I love me some abuse narratives.

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake - I wanted to like this one so bad and it's not that I didn't like it, but it was just kinda...mostly okay? I felt like I was supposed to be creeped out and scared and tbh I should have been because there's some pretty disturbing shit in this book but all just fell so flat.

Sounds Fake But Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Everything Else by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca - Bad. Just bad. Oh my g-d this book was so bad and irritating and just...if you want to learn more about aspec people or think you might be aspec yourself, please read literally anything else. I won't go into detail because I wrote a whole post about it here, but just...bad.

Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing Your Aromantic or Asexual Identity by The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project - So, this was definitely better than Sounds Fake But Okay overall, but there is a thread of deep discomfort with the existence of sex-repulsed and romance-repulsed aspecs that keeps popping up throughout the book. It is pretty clear that at least one of the authors (and probably more than one since there were several and apparently no one raised a strong enough objection to get any of this shit scrapped or rewritten) really Does Not Like sex-repulsed and romance-repulsed people.

The Wicked Remain by Laura Pohl - Second part of a duology, and the first book was definitely better. I low-key suspect that this book might have just been Once Upon A Time fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off. That said, I am always here for queerplatonic relationship rep and stories where the Cinderella character ends up single.

Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce - Series of four books, but I'm putting all of them together here because a) my thoughts are kinda the same and b) this post is already too long. I'm not gonna say much because I have a whole post about this series in my drafts already so I'll just leave it with yeah my nostalgia for these books has worn off quite a bit.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - This was another reread and yeah it still holds up just as good as the first time I read it. Literally this is one of my favorite books.

The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - Another reread. Excellent. Love a sequel that's just as good as the first one. Also one of my favorite books.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo - Yeah I was on a rereading spree this year. This one is also so damn good.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo - Last Grishaverse book on the list, I promise. So good. Nina went completely off the rails in this one and I love every second of it. Really everyone went off the rails a little bit but Nina most of all.

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan - I have a post about this one here so I won't say too much in this post but g-d I love how unapologetically Jewish this book is. No stopping to explain things to any goyim who might be reading. No coddling goyishe feelings while portraying antisemitism. This book is for Jews and that's beautiful.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Yet another reread. Actually, genuinely accurate portrayal of how PTSD triggers work. First sign of healing not being a romantic relationship but being the main character telling a shitty friend to fuck off. Literally the only thing stopping me from wholeheartedly shouting "I love this book so much" is that there's a random use of the r-word because this book is from the 90s and back then it was basically illegal to publish fiction about teenagers without having your characters use that word.

We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation by Eric Garcia - So I've got mixed feelings about it but ultimately I'd say this book is a net positive. Definitely recommend it for nonautistic people and for autistic people whose only exposure to the autistic community is through spaces like tumblr. Just don't have this be the only book you read about autistic people, you know?

[cogentranting]

My 2023 Reads

See below for the full list of the books I read and a 1-2 sentence review of each.

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Italicized- reread

Cloud Cuckoo Land (Anthony Doerr) - It's like a combination of All the Light We Cannot See, Cloud Atlas and The Book Thief, except not quite as good as any of those. Good, just not as good.

The Stolen Heir (Holly Black) - Highly recommend if YA fantasy romance is your thing

On the Incarnation (Athanasius of Alexander) - one of the foundational works of early Christian theology

Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro) - Beautiful, and lovely, and thoughtful and bittersweet

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo (Tolkien translation) - technically this is poetry but its also narrative so I grouped it with fiction. Green Knight is very fun. Pearl is quite boring.

The Case Against the Sexual Revolution (Louise Perry) - I highly recommend this, just be cautious because it has some very frank discussions of some very hard topics so there's a whole bunch of language and trigger warnings attached to this recommendation

Justification Reconsidered: Rethinking a Pauline Theme (Stephen Westerholm) - I'm going to be honest-- I don't remember what I thought of this book. It was for school and I also did a bunch of research on the topic and I don't remember what part of that research this constituted.

A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (J.I. Packer) - I read a few chapters of this for a research project last year and liked it enough to buy myself a copy and read the whole thing for fun

The Warden and the Wolf King (Andrew Peterson) - Book 3 of this series (this is 4) remains my favorite but this one is really good and is a beautiful culmination of the themes

The Elements of Eloquence (Mark Forsyth) - About as good as a book that is just explaining various rhetorical figures can be.

The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Richard Bauckham) -THIS book right here I want to read again. This book made me fall in love with Revelation.

King of Scars (Leigh Bardugo) -It's the reason why I'm very upset over the cancellation of the Shadow and Bone tv series (because I won't get to see more of my boy Nikolai) but it's fine

The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims (Rebecca McLaughlin) - A very useful book, very accessible

Rule of Wolves (Leigh Bardugo) - But seriously I love Nikolai and I mostly really enjoyed this duology.

The Waste Land and Other Early Poems (T.S. Eliot) - So many words saying so many things and maybe I'll know what they mean if I read this another 30 or 40 times.

Notes From Underground (Fyodor Dostoevsky) - Very different from other Dostoevsky but fascinating in its own way

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Emmuska Orczy) - It's a romp

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue - genuinely very very helpful to me and just randomly was emailed to me as a pdf by some site that I ended up on the email list for

The Great Hunt (Robert Jordan) - I do not have faith in this series being good over time but at book 2 they're fun

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) -It really is that good.

Original Sin: A Cultural History (Alan Jacobs) - a really interesting exploration of the idea

Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis) - The Space Trilogy is great because it just has such a different feel from most of the other sci fi I've read

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been (Jackie Hill Perry) - Perry has such a lovely poetic way of telling her story

Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me (Karen Swallow Prior) - This book is really lovely and peaceful and reflective

A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) -honestly was not very impressed by this. It was fine.

Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) - If you're really into the Russian classics, I would recommend this, but there's like 6 others I would recommend first.

Firefly: Big Damn Hero (James Lovegrove, Nancy Holder) -If you want the book equivalent of a solid but not stand-out filler episode of Firefly

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (Ken Liu) -I ranked all of the short stories in this on my blog if you search for it. Some are great. Some are not.

All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr) - It's really really good. A book you just want to sit with.

The Chalice of the Gods (Rick Riordan) - Kinda the same vibe as the Firefly one. It's good to see Percy again, it's a fun time, it's not taking any big swings or doing anything particularly new. But I did really enjoy the thematic linking of which gods were chosen to be a part of the story.

Dracula (Bram Stoker) - It's Tumblr, I don't need to review this here.

Biblical Critical Theory: How The Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture (Christopher Watkin) - This book is really big but it has so much good stuff in it. Well worth the read.

An Experiment in Criticism (C.S. Lewis) - There was quite I while through this one where I was not really jiving with it, but then at the end he pulls it together and I really like where he ends up, as evidenced by quoting half of it on posts here.

Poems (C.S. Lewis) - I'm not good enough at reading poetry to review it. There's a few in here that I quite liked though.

For teaching-

1. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)- it's still great. After reading it who knows how many times, it's just so good.

2. The Crucible (Arthur Miller)- The character work in here is fantastic, and I really do like it a lot, but if Miller understood grace a bit better? the ending could be phenomenal.

3. Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah)- It's not my favorite but it is really powerful and worth reading and the kids were really invested in it

[waldensblog]

Reading King of Scars and Rule of Wolves

So I’m all caught up on the Grishaverse novels now! What a ride! I’m a bit late to the fandom but happy to be here and absolutely ready to tell you all about my love of this duology in particular. 

Most will be below the cut, but the TL;DR of it is: -I am still a Darknikolina, so I absolutely lived for every Darkolai moment, and loved the small Darklina and Nikolina scraps I got. 

-I love the Darkling’s arc and see it as an anti-villain to anti-hero one.

-Nina is now my favourite crow, and also I loved the crows cameo. 

In the original trilogy, we only have Alina’s POV, and as much as I love the intimacy of being in a single character’s head, alternating POVs is a big strength of both the Soc Dulogy and the KoS Duology because it gives us a wider scope, and helps alleviate the “unreliable narrator” syndrome that a single POV can have (I touch on this briefly at the end with my “extra” section). Being able to go into Nikolai’s head, Zoya’s head, Nina’s head, the Darkling’s head, Isaak’s head, and Mayu’s head gave a lot of depth to the story because it let us see how different character’s perceived the same events. 

Nikolai I adored being in Nikolai’s head, because I loved seeing what he actually thinks. He always plays a charming, roguish prince/king, so seeing his own worries and insecurities that he never voices is great. I loved his diplomacy with the Starless Saint Cult, because it really shows what a great leader he actually is - he doesn’t have to agree with a perspective to listen to it, and he knows he won’t change anyone’s mind by shutting them down and making them feel unheard or dismissed. I loved the cameo with the Crows in Ketterdam too. In terms of ships with him? I’m still a Darknikolina, so I liked when he mentioned Alina and how the rejection still kind stung, and how he had maybe started to love her. It was nice to see him move on from her, though I’m not fully on board with him and Zoya - I don’t dislike it, but it didn’t eat holes in my brain as it did for others, so I suppose I’m just neutral on those 2. I was, however, absolutely obsessed with every Darkolai moment. More on that below. The way he got pulled into a bit of a tether with the tea scene, seeing Alina from the Darkling’s POV? Rent free in my head as a Darknikolina.

The Darkling and my continued Darknikolina obsession The Darkling, oh yes, oh YES. I LOVED being in his head. He is still absolutely unhinged and it is excellent. The way he occasionally trails off in his mind when he approaches an uncomfortable thought, the way Alina lives rent-free in his mind. I really really wish we had one last POV chapter with him near the end - either his sacrifice from his POV, something right before that (maybe his escape/capture or sitting in the war room like a Drama QueenTM waiting for them to notice him), but since we didn’t - I’m extremely happy it was in Nikolai’s POV. I ADORE his arc. In the original trilogy, he is the anti-villain. He has noble goals, but his methods are not. He is tired, and willing to do anything - very much any-means-necessary the-ends-justify-the-means and it is fascinating from a philosophical POV, character analysis, etc. I am obsessed with how he absolutely haunts the narrative in King of Scars, and then in Rule of Wolves, he comes back, we have his POV, and he takes on an anti-hero role, showing how the anti-villain and anti-hero are really 2 sides of the same coin - again, from an character analysis POV, it’s fantastic. His sacrifice at the end for Ravka... I wish he wasn’t being tortured for eternity, but I LOVE that he gets a redemption arc and the way the protagonists end with “he doesn’t deserve this” even if they can’t forgive everything he did (and he isn’t asking them to). I love it so, so much.  Ship-wise? As I said, still a Darknikolina.  “Bring me Alina Starkov”, wanting to see what became of the girl who (literally and figuratively) drove a blade through his heart, “where is she?” Elizaveta wouldn’t tell him, implying he asked a bunch, the effect her very voice had on him, the ENTIRE tea-with-your-ex scene (you can’t convince me either of them is really over the other. Alina could have just said no to tea, she didn’t. She grieved him at the end of the trilogy, she wanted to see him too I NEED this fanfic from her POV like right now), the way she absolutely lived rent-free in his head in his POV chapters, Yes. YES!!!!!!  But also. Also. The banter with Nikolai, the way neither of them has entirely pure “you are enemy” thoughts towards the other and cringes at the thought of the other being hurt - Darkling actively HELPING “the boy king” against the Fjerdans by giving a power boost to their shadow demon they have a shared link to (almost like shared custody lol) and then thinking “hmm, I could do more” before ultimately going “nah”. When “the bastard actually winked at him” YEEEEEEEEEEEEES. When the Darkling tells Nikolai he can’t be the sacrifice and does it himself and then Nikolai and the Demon feel the pain and Nikolai can’t stay because it’s become a place of MOURNING. YES. YESYESYESYES. The books did NOT dissuade my Darkolai-ness and only amplified it.  

Zoya I never thought much of Zoya in the original trilogy - neither good or bad, she was just there. Now, as a main character, we had her POV. I will say, I didn’t love her or dislike her - she was probably my least fave of the main characters, but  that isn’t a strike against her but rather as a comment to how much I loved these books and characters. Given how many people love her, I expected to love her too, but I didn’t. I enjoyed being in her head okay, and I do like her arc - especially because at the beginning, I kept thinking she was a bit too hot-headed to make a good General, but near the end she seems to be more in control of her temper, so I think she’ll have some bumps in the road but manage. 

Nina Nina, oh Nina my beloved. I love this bisexual waffle loving crow. I loved her POV chapters, though they seemed entirely disconnected from the main Ravka story for the majority of the novels - they only link up at the very end. It isn’t an entirely bad thing, but from a reader POV, it would be nice if they were more clearly connected from the start. I never really vibed with her and Mathias, but I like her with Hanne. The idea of Grisha spies on the Fjerdan throne is hilarious, though I’m not sure how long they can really pull that off - even with Nina’s necromancer abilities.

Extra Also, one more thing. Because we spent the trilogy in Alina’s head, she kept going on and on about how everyone loved Mal, how he fit in everywhere, how handsome he was, etc. but then in these books... sure, he popped up, but he was not described that way by other characters. He was very much “the tracker”, and kinda just trailing along as Alina’s plus one. Which is hilarious to me because it confirms for me that Alina had serious Mal-goggles on the entirely trilogy, so everyone else was kinda like “Who? Oh right that guy”. The man did not live rent-free in ANYONE else’s head like Alina seems to think he does (this is not Mal hate. It’s just funny to me). 

Overall I absolutely LOVED these books and I think they are my fave of the Grishaverse novels. I am extremely excited to see how they will adapt these for season 3 of the show, even though I know they’re going a different direction with the show in general, I am hopeful they keep my fave elements (bring back Ben Barnes!!!!!! Don’t even bother with the in-Yuri’s-body-shifting-face thing, just bring back Ben!!!!!! Give him this arc and keep the Darkolai!!!) and add some things that weren’t there (MORE Darknikolina!!!!!), the Crows are already in this story, so I’m sure they can weave the Ice Court Heist in, and maybe more of their RoW role in S4. If we do get another Crows book with Sankt Felix heart and the thornwood, I hope it’s as good as RoW at least, and it could make a good S5. 

[darjeelinh]

Grishaverse fans I am doing this for science and also just a little bit of fun before season 2 drops on Netflix.

If you either only read the books or only watch the show: Do you plan to check out the other and if not, why?

If you have consumed everything like me, how are you feeling about season 2 so far?

If you either only read the books or only watch the show: Do you plan to check out the other and if not, why?

If you have consumed everything like me, how are you feeling about season 2 so far? I am nervous and (very) cautiously optimistic 🫣

Reblog for bigger sample size I really want to know if there are many show-only fans 🫣

[memento-morri-writes]

Hi, Morri! I'm sorry about your mom testing positive, hope it's not serious <3

If you'd like, we can chat a little about books and stuff!

I know you've Six of Crows (my beloved), but did you also read the Grisha Trilogy? I've been rereading it and I'm currently about 2/3 into Ruin and Rising, and I'd forgotten how much I liked it. SoC is objectively better in terms of writing, but I think the trilogy is a bit underrated, and—big unpopular opinion—I personally prefer the trilogy's ending to CK's.

I'm in a big phase of rereads and rewatches, as I'm also rereading Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, one of my favorite romance novels, and rewatching the rewatchable. Currently hyperfixating on Disney Channel telenovelas (as demonstrated by all the shitposting lol), but I'm also about to rewatch Attack on Titan for maybe the millionth time and The Dragon Prince, so I can then watch the fourth season.

Hi Rose!!

I have read the Grisha Trilogy!!! I actually own the whole grishaverse, hehehe. (Including the trilogy as a boxed set.)

I agree with you that SoC is better written. I actually have said before that it's like Ms. Bardugo took a few years off and learned how to become a 20x better writer. Not that the trilogy is bad, cause it isn't. But I feel no attachment whatsoever to Alina or Mal. (The only person I really care about in the trilogy is Nikolai. And also David.) (also people continually forgiving the darkling for so much horrible shit so fast and shipping him with a teenager grosses me out.)

Ah yes, the ending debate, lmao. I like the ending of the original trilogy!! I've seen some people who don't, but I think it's really fitting. Alina never wanted to be pulled into all that shit, and she deserves her happy ending. Plus, she can make a difference in kid's lives, which is awesome.

However, I do also love the ending of CK. Not the death, but I do think that the ending it well-written, and overall fitting for the story. Like, it fits. It's not a happy ending, but it's a bittersweet one, and I love it for that. It fits very well with the story as a whole, and the foreshadowing / details surrounding it blow me away every time I reread it.

Have you read King of Scars / Rule of Wolves??? If you haven't, I won't talk about them, cause I don't wanna spoil you, but I have some Opinions about that ending. (though I love 99.9% of that duology, and there are parts that made me lose my shit (both positive and negative) in a way even SoC never made me do.)

I'm also a big fan of rereading and rewatching things. (as evident by the fact that I just bought a copy of a book I've already read 5 time, hahaha.) I've seen some of my favorite episodes of TV shows 5+ times, and same with reading some of my favorite books.

[theauburnfox]

just finished the second season of shadow and bone and i actually really enjoyed it once i managed to distance myself from the "me who read the books (except the king of scars duology)". like, first episode was full of stuff to set the season, but i really liked what they gave us. they need to renew it (to see what they make with the changes and hints they did) and give the crows their spin off (their story really is a scene stealer).

also, the writers were funny with jesper mentioning that they needed a writer to write their stories. i need the spin off to do a tlou move and go further and include leigh as a grisha (because she already made a cameo) who heard about the crows and wants to make a book about their adventures or something like that.

[imelkar]

I need to tell into the void.

So, I've been reading "Rule of Wolves" lately and...

-----------------------SPOILERS-----------------------

I have been rooting for Nina and Hanne to get together basically from the moment I read the descriptions of Hanne, how she was leading a group of rogue nuns to ride (back in King of Scars). I was not sure they would get together at all. I was getting ready to search for fanfics right after finishing the book. And I just got to the scene when they FINALLY confess and kiss)))))))) I'm just so so so excited and elated and just screaming, kicking my feet (on the inside). I loved the slow burn, but am I excited to find out they are actually canon. Fuck yeah. Also... that means that they (or at least Hanne) were gay nuns, so that's also fun:) The entire time I've been reading this duology, I've been invested in Nina's pov/sub-plot the most. Mostly, cause I've been invested into hers and Hanne's relationship so much. It feels so good to encounter a sapphic relationship/characters in a book, in which I didn't know of their presence from the beginning. Such an amazing surprise!

There's a lot more I could say about this duology actually. I recently went through a break up and it (unexpectedly) is really helping me through it. I guess that's something you can say about art in general. Everyone can take something different out of it, depending on what is on their mind, what's important to them. But I am not exaggerating when I'm saying that I highlighted at least one quote every two pages of these 2 books (and keep in mind, I've been reading them on my Kindle. The pages are shorter there. I'm a bit scared to open the list of quotes I ended up highlighting).

These books have been like therapy for me. I truly didn't expect to enjoy them soooooo much, for them to bring out so many emotions. And that's why I'm writing all of that. I just wanted needed to share this experience.