Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (review)

With the return of the Darkling, an attempted assassination, and looming war on multiple fronts at the end of King of Scars (BCCB 3/19), Nikolai faces the herculean task of keeping his already battle-scarred kingdom of Ravka together. It helps that he can now (semi) control the demon lurking within him, that his loyal general Zoya has grown even more powerful in her Grisha abilities, and that his capable network of spies and connections allows him to strategize against several threats at once. As one of those spies, Nina has gained access to Fjerda’s royal family and is feeding Nikolai and his team information about the Fjerdan war effort. Even she can only do so much, though, and it soon becomes clear that Ravka will likely suffer great losses, if not fall altogether. In this duology’s conclusion, Bardugo again shifts focus among Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina, giving readers a full picture of how truly precarious Ravka’s safety is and a look at how each character struggles with the prospect of bringing about bloodshed now for the mere possibility of safety in the future. Witticisms and clever quips fly, especially between Nikolai and Zoya, but it’s their turn towards earnestness and honesty that brings the emotional impact, revealing their bluster for what it is and laying out their very real and very painful truths. Knowledge of the previous title is a must, as is familiarity with the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology, but fans coming to this will likely already be well versed in Bardugo’s world and will be unsurprised and delighted that the ending promises further expansion.