Book Review: Lovely War by Julie Berry

I’m not a big fan of mythology. But Greek gods and goddesses telling two love stories set in the Great War? Feel free to sign me up!

I was quite hesitant, at first, to pick up Lovely War. In my reading goals post, I mentioned that I was curious how the author would handle the romance in this book. I was afraid that Julie Berry would romanticize war.

But I was pleased with how she managed to weave a multi-layered romance while staying true to the horrors of war. There were so many unspeakable things that happened in this historical fiction novel, but the romance part was really handled well.

Lovely War made me smile. It made me cry. It made me hope for a happy ending for the four young people who have seen and suffered so much. And if these feelings are not enough to show how much I love this book and highly recommend it, then keep reading to find out my full thoughts about this novel!

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Book Title: Lovely War

Author: Julie Berry

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Date Published: May 30th 2017 by Greenwillow Books

Rating: 4 stars

Content Warning: War, Murder, Hate Crime/Racism, PTSD

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Synopsis

(From Goodreads) It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

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Book Review

Writing Style

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Lovely War is written in multiple first-person POVs of Greek gods. But since they are merely telling the main story of two couples, the book is mostly in third-person POV.

I love the way Julie Berry wrote a story within a story. The subplot of the Greek gods were hilarious and witty. It’s clear which god is narrating the stories of the main characters because their voices are so distinct.

But Julie Berry’s excellent writing style stand out the most through the main plot of the two couples. I love the way she described the romantic feelings of the main characters in a unique way!

Everyone’s familiar with first loves (racing of hearts, butterflies in the stomach, secretive glances and longing stares). And I’ve read countless romance novels that describe the feeling of being in love with a person.

BUT!

There’s just something about Julie Berry’s description that sets this romance story apart from the rest. I absolutely love how she manages to capture the raw emotion of being in love. It made me connect to the characters, understand their yearning for their beloved, and sincerely hope for them to be happy.

Aside from effectively showing the romance between the characters, Julie Berry also managed to depict the horrors of war. The writing style is vivid and realistic. It was hard for me to read about the life in the trenches and the ever-present racism during that time.

Overall, Lovely War has a heart-wrenching and beautifully written prose that elevated my reading experience. My only critic is that the first-person writing can be distracting at times, so it took me more than a week to finish the book. This is mostly because of the framing of the story which I would discuss in detail below.

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Plot

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The idea of Greek gods narrating two love stories is a nice twist to an otherwise typical historical romance. In fact, that’s the main reason why I want to read Lovely War. It’s just unique!

However, as much as I love the idea, I’m not a big fan of the plot execution. I found the stories of the Greek gods to be distracting. Sure, I did enjoy their banter and their distinct narrative voices, but I just didn’t care for them!

I wanted to read more of the four lovely characters—Hazel and James, Colette and Aubrey. I wanted to read their stories without the Greek gods subplot. I know, it’s confusing. I love the idea, but I wish I got the two love stories alone instead.

Aside from the “distracting” subplot, I also didn’t like the slow pacing. And no, I’m not talking about a slow-burn romance because there’s none of that—it’s mostly insta-love and attraction (much to my slight desmay). I’m talking about the long pauses in between the romances.

I mean, sure, the tension of the war kept these couples from being together. I understand that and I absolutely enjoyed reading the yearning and the get-togethers. But it just took too long to get anywhere for my taste! I feel like if Lovely War was shorter, I would’ve loved the plot more.

Lastly, the last third of the book felt contrived in my opinion. I badly want the story to finish, but Julie Berry still have ideas to throw out which seemed so random. That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil things for those who want to read this book.

With all that being said, I appreciated that Lovely War is historically accurate. Julie Berry certainly did her research before writing this novel. I learned about the treatment of women, the birth of Jazz music in Europe, the experiences of Black people during World War I, and so much more from the historical notes at the end! I also loved reading a glimpse of James Reese Europe’s life. I think it was a wise idea to feature real-life people in a fictional work.

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Characters

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The characters of this book are all so endearing in their own unique ways! And if you don’t already know, I’m a sucker for character-driven stories! So despite the slightly disappointing plot, I still loved reading Lovely War because of the characters.

Hazel and James. Oh, how my heart hurts so much for this couple! I wasn’t a big fan of this pairing in the beginning because their romance does develop quickly (insta-romance). But damn it, near the end of the book, I cared for them more than Colette and Aubrey!

By themselves, Hazel and James are a bit vanilla (ordinary and boring) compared to the complexity of the two other characters. However, when together, the romance between them is incredible and undeniable. I absolutely enjoyed reading their love for each other and even made me wish for a love as great as theirs. (LOL! Single and hopeless romantic alert!)

“If you think I can live without you, Miss Windicott,” James said, “you don’t know me at all.”

Colette and Aubrey. If Hazel and James hurt me, then Colette and Aubrey BROKE my heart. What lovely characters who have been through so much! I’m so glad that they found each other!

I love the way that music played a big part of their romance. I also enjoyed reading Aubrey, the self-proclaimed King of Ragtime, lose his confidence (even just a tiny bit) whenever he’s near Colette. I just LOVE everything about their relationship because it’s so complex just like their personalities.

“They’d found each other once, then found each other once more. Here she stood—not a jazz singer, not a glamorous Belgian, but a grieving girl who understood.”

And the friendship between Hazel, Colette, and Aubrey? As mademoiselle Colette would say, magnifique!

Of course, my book review of Lovely War wouldn’t be complete without discussing the Greek gods themselves. They’re so witty and hilarious which added lightness to the story.

I really enjoyed reading Aphrodite’s inner monologue whenever she does what she knows best. She wouldn’t let everything left to chance, especially when it comes to love. I also liked reading the perspective of Apollo and Hades!

“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”

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Overall Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you’ve made it far into this review, then I’m pretty sure you have an idea of how much I enjoyed reading this book!

Lovely War is definitely one of the best Young Adult Historical Fiction novels out there! It will make you smile, laugh, hope, cry, and most importantly, learn many things about this time period. I highly recommend it to readers who like to read war stories and of course, romance!

Lastly, don’t forget to keep tissues nearby. Trust me, this book will hurt you. I won’t tell you if it’s the good kind or not. Figure it out yourself and read Lovely War asap!

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Book Rating (Summary)

Writing Style: 4 stars

Plot: 3 stars

Characters: 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 stars

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My book review for Lovely War can also be found on Goodreads!

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Let’s Talk!

Do you like reading historical fiction novels? Any lovely book recommendations?

Book Review: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Book Title: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank

Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography

Date (First) Published: June 25th 1947

Content Warning: Sexually explicit content (The Definitive Edition), Heavy subject matters (Holocaust, war)

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Synopsis

(From Amazon) Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. 

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

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Book Review

I rarely pick up non-fiction books because I find that they don’t really have an impact on me, unlike fiction novels. However, I decided to break out of my comfort zone by reading a popular memoir/autobiography.

Almost everyone is familiar with the story of the Frank family. But how many people really know their story?

The Frank family together with the Van Pels went into hiding during World War II, spent 2 years of their lives in the Secret Annex, but unfortunately, got caught from their hiding place mere weeks away from liberation. The only one who survived is Otto Frank, who was later given the diary of his daughter, Anne Frank. After long deliberation, he decided to publish his daughter’s work. Readers know this as The Diary of a Young Girl.

I find it difficult to read Anne Frank’s diary, at first, for two main reasons. In fact, I even temporarily put it down because I can’t seem to continue reading her memoir/autobiography.

The first reason is that I suffered from a reading slump when I was in the middle of reading this book. It seemed like I have lost the motivation to read and was distracted by Netflix shows.

The second reason is that I find it unsettling to read Anne’s innermost thoughts and opinions about things. I should’ve prepared myself because after all, this is her diary. But it’s just hard to read it because I felt like I was invading her privacy. I felt like I shouldn’t be reading this because a diary is an intimate thing that contains the unfiltered words of a stranger.

With that said, I’m glad I decided to finish reading The Diary of a Young Girl. I have several realizations after I finished Anne’s autobiography. Because like many people, I am familiar with the Secret Annex story, but I have no idea what the residents are like.

The Diary of a Young Girl allowed me to get to know them through the eyes of an opinionated girl.

And that’s one of my realizations when I read this book. I didn’t expect that Anne is such a highly opinionated and outspoken girl! I mean, I kind of expected her to pour out her thoughts and angst into her diary. After all, that’s the point of having a diary. But what I did not expect is how strong her opinions about her own family and the other residents of the Secret Annex.

I was definitely surprised to read her thoughts about her own mother! I can’t believe she felt no remorse or guilt when she wrote down those hateful comments towards her mother. It’s no wonder Otto Frank decided to omit some passages from the first published version of Anne’s diary.

“I love them, but only because they’re Mother and Margot. I don’t give a darn about them as people. As far as I’m concerned, they can go jump in a lake.”

Personally, I can relate to Anne to some extent. When I was in my early teens, I also hated my own family because I felt like I was “misunderstood” or not taken seriously. I felt like I was also mature for my own age, but of course, when I grew up, I realized that I was actually immature back then. I realized I was such a pain in the ass for my parents and that I was ungrateful.

Unfortunately, that’s not something Anne will realize because her life was cut too short.

Another thing that I learned from reading The Diary of a Young Girl is that Anne is indeed mature for her age! I was surprised to read that she’s aware of her own sexuality at a young age. I was even more surprised when she shared an intimate account of her relationship with another girl.

Of course, that was your typical teenage behavior. After all, exploring one’s own body and sexuality happens during adolescence. But that’s usually not something you will write in a diary! I know because I also have a diary and I rarely talk about my sexual desires. It must’ve taken bravery and a lot of guts for Anne to wrote, without reserve, about those things! And for that, I really admire her.

Aside from her sexual maturity, I also realized that Anne is intelligent for her own age. She already knows what she wants—to become a writer. She is aware of the prejudice against women, she knows that something’s wrong with the unfair expectations towards women. And in her last entries, it is clear that Anne has grown so much! She even questions a lot of things about life!

“Why are millions spent on war each day, while not a penny available for medical science, artists, or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?”

Last but not least, I realized how relatable the struggles of the residents of the Secret Annex. At first, I was actually laughing because of how absurd and “comical” they seem to act. In almost every entry, Anne shares a story of the Frank family fighting the Van Daan (Van Pels) family and Dussel (Pfeffer) or vice versa.

“Mr. and Mrs. Van D have had more raging battles. The reason is simple: they’re broke…You can’t imagine the screaming, shouting, stamping of feet and swearing that went on. It was terrifying.”

I was expecting the adults to act mature for their age, to set a good example for the three young individuals living in the Secret Annex. But like Anne pointed out, “the grown-ups are such idiots.”

At the end of the day, though, I get where they are coming from. All the residents have been stuck in the Secret Annex for years, and I think they have every right to feel and act crazy. Sometimes, cabin fever will just get you. In fact, I can’t help but compare it to what’s happening right now with the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are all forced to stay home in quarantine for just a few months, but we already long for a day to be free and back to normal. Just imagine what’s going on inside the minds of the residents of the Secret Annex. Just imagine how they’re feeling.

Right now, I can’t help but wonder how many people are forced into hiding during the war. How many stories have been left untold?

The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the books that made me realize how lucky I am to be born in an era of (arguably and relatively) peace. Once again, I am reminded to be grateful for what I have right now, to cherish my family, and that it’s okay to feel hopeless sometimes but never ever give up your ideals and dreams.

“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

Overall, The Diary of a Young Girl is a vivid account of life in hiding during World War II. But more than that, it is a fascinating account of a young teenager’s innermost thoughts and opinions. It is an eye-opening document of the human behavior.

Rating: 4 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those who are particularly interested in real-life stories and the human psyche!

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You can also find this book review on Goodreads.

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Let’s Talk!

Have you read The Diary of a Young Girl? Do you agree with me that it’s an eye-opening book and should be read by everyone?

Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Book Title: All The Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Genre: Historical Fiction

Date Published: May 6th 2014 by Scribner

Number of Pages: 531 (Hardcover)

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Synopsis

(From Goodreads) From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. 

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Book Review

It’s been a while since I read a historical fiction book, and as expected, my chest is bursting with so many emotions after reading this Pulitzer Prize winner. I was suddenly reminded of the reason why I love reading historical books so much: because despite their heavy subject matter, they mainly tell stories of love, hope, and bravery even in the face of atrocities.

All The Light We Cannot See tugged at my heartstrings. I’m not ashamed to admit that I teared up twice or thrice (or so many times that I lost count) while reading this book.

I absolutely enjoyed reading and getting to know the two central characters—blind French girl named Marie-Laure LeBlanc and German orphan Werner Pfennig. Both so young, but both were not spared from the horrors of war.

I also appreciated that I learned so many things from this book! For someone like me who’s not really a history buff, I think that the story is refreshing account of the German occupation in France.

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Writing Style

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

All The Light We Cannot See is mostly written in third-person limited perspective of Marie-Laure and Werner. Occasionally, Anthony Doerr also included the perspectives of other characters, such as Marie-Laure’s father and great-uncle, which added another layer and context to the whole story.

Doerr’s writing style was absolutely beautiful and poetic without going into “ornate” or purple prose territory. This allows for an easy read, especially for people like me who mostly read Young Adult.

I love how Doerr described things, making it easy to imagine myself in the shoes of the characters. I also enjoyed his writing because it evoked imagery and metaphors.

However, sometimes, I feel exhausted reading the book. I feel like I’m exerting too much effort into reading in between words. But then again, maybe it’s just because of the story structure which I’ll talk more about below.

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Plot

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

All The Light We Cannot See is basically a book about hope and love amidst the horrors of war. It follows two central characters whose stories seem disconnected, at first, but will eventually intertwine with each other.

I love reading both Marie-Laure and Werner’s growth (from children to late teenagers) throughout the years. It might be slow at the beginning, but I personally enjoyed the slice-of-life approach. It allowed me to understand the characters (their motivations, their actions or lack of it, etc.) more. Finally, when their stories starts to interweave, the plot also begin to pick up. I can’t help but fly through the pages quickly!

I think the plot was really clever and carefully crafted! There are some aspects that I wasn’t a fan of in the beginning (story within a story, the Sea of Flames myth that veers toward fantasy, Werner’s military training), but the further I read, the more it all makes sense. I love how the book has so many underlying and meaningful themes!

However, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the climax and ending. I feel like it was rushed. I spent most of my time looking forward to Marie-Laure and Werner’s meeting but it only comprised of 5 or so chapters. I wished that it was fleshed out a little bit more.

In addition to the ending, I don’t like the story structure. The chapters were so short that you expect them to be easy-to-read and ideal for young, inexperienced readers. But that was not the case, at least for me.

I feel like the short chapters prevented me from fully enjoying this book. At times, it was a struggle to finish because the story often jumped back and forth between different time periods. I always have to backtrack to understand what’s happening to this particular character or storyline because the author keeps cutting in the middle of the action. I also have to put down the book several times because no matter how much I want to finish it as soon as possible, the format hinders me from doing so!

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Characters

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The characters are, without doubt, the highlight of this book! All of them, with the exception of the antagonist, have complex personalities. This allows me to connect with their stories, or the very least—in the case of Reinhold von Rumpel (antagonist)—understand their predicaments.

Marie-Laure, in particular, is such a well-written character with obvious weaknesses (her blindness and her sheltered life) but she never lets those things define her. Instead, she is a strong character on her own—smart and curious and brave.

The other characters beside her—Papa, great-uncle Etienne LeBlanc, and Madame Manec—were just as endearing. I enjoyed reading their interactions with each other and how their bravery and love were shown instead of told.

Werner is a morally grey character who is struggling to find his own self in a tumultuous time period.. While naturally curious about the sciences and extremely talented in fixing things, he has no choice but to submit to Nazi Germany. I feel sympathy for his character because I know that he can be successful if he was born in another time but alas, that was not the case.

I also liked Werner’s relationship with Jutta (his sister) and Frederick (his friend from military training). However, I was kind of disappointed in the fact that Werner is pretty much an impassive character for the majority of the story.

I was really hoping that he will do something to prevent what happened to Frederick. But he barely did anything to prevent such atrocities from happening throughout the book. Then again, I understand where he’s coming from. It’s really hard to stand up for what is right during that time, especially considering that he is young.

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Overall Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

All The Light We Cannot See is a beautiful, haunted, and poignant book. I really enjoyed reading from the perspectives of children and learning the meaning behind the title of the book. There are indeed lights our eyes cannot see—from the radio waves that connects both Marie-Laure and Werner to the untold stories of the individuals our two characters hold dearly to their hearts.

My only main critique would be the story structure. It will definitely take some time to get you hooked you into the main story because the author abruptly cuts in between actions. However, once you take a step back and look at the story as a whole, you’ll find the plot ingenious.

I would definitely re-read it in the future because I know there are so many things that I missed out on!

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Book Rating (Summary)

Writing Style: 4 stars

Plot: 4 stars

Characters: 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 stars

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You can also find my book review of All The Light We Cannot See on Goodreads!

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Let’s Talk!

Have you read All The Light We Cannot See? Any historical fiction book recommendations?

Book Review: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (Nikolai Duology #1)

Book Title: King of Scars

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Date Published: January 29th 2019 by Imprint

Number of Pages: 514 (Hardcover)

Date I Read: June 17-27, 2020

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Synopsis

(From Goodreads) Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

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Book Review

Nikolai is my favorite character from the Shadow and Bone trilogy! He brings life to an otherwise typical and boring YA Fantasy series. That’s why when I learned about his duology, I was beyond excited and I can’t wait to pick up King of Scars!

Plus, you really can’t ignore the beautiful golden cover! I mean, just look at this:

King of Scars (Hardcover Copy) by Leigh Bardugo

Basically, I came into King of Scars with high expectations because I know that Bardugo will go nowhere but up after writing the Six of Crows duology.

Well, I wasn’t a fan of the first 150 pages or so. I simply forced myself to finish it because I already bought a gorgeous physical copy.

However, when the plot finally picked up halfway through the book, I completely changed my opinion! I’m at loss for words. I still can’t believe how Bardugo comes up with these surprising twists and turns, each one grander than the last. And don’t even get me started with that ending!

Plot

King of Scars mainly follows three POVs: Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina.

Nikolai and Zoya’s storyline focuses on what’s happening in Ravka. On top of ruling a broken country, they are also facing a rising dark magic inside Nikolai that’s trying to control him. They both realize that this is a threat to the kingdom which must be stopped once and for all. Soon, Nikolai sought the help of a monk (much to Zoya’s dismay) in hopes of finding an answer and a cure.

On the other hand, Nina’s story revolves around her undercover mission in Fjerda. Working alongside Adrik (a Squaller who first made his appearance in S&B) and Leoni (a Materialki), she tries to help Grisha escape the country for a safer and better life without fear. However, she still mourns for the death of her lover and tries to make sense of her new power.

“Everyone mourns the first blossom.

Who will grieve the rest who fall?”

While I love reading how these two stories unfold every chapter, I wasn’t a fan of Bardugo’s decision to mix these vastly different tales. We go from one country’s situation to another in an instant. And I find it disappointing, not because I wasn’t keeping up, but because I was so hooked into another storyline then Bardugo abruptly cut that excitement.

As a result, the plot’s pacing suffered. Bardugo really took her time building the inner conflicts her characters are facing…which is good and makes up for great character development by the end. Still, I wasn’t thrilled about the first 150 pages of this book.

And again, I was expecting more. Since this was Nikolai’s story, I wanted to read political intrigue, a royalty scheming of some sort but what I mainly got was Saint’s talk and religion theories. (Sounds familiar? Well, it is. After all, the S&B trilogy primarily tackles the story of power, the making of the world, and so forth.) And I wasn’t happy with it.

I guess, it’s just a personal preference since I love trashy drama, scheming and conniving, royalty and their first-world problems, and sappy romances. Plus, I should’ve seen it coming as it was told in the blurb that the story involved a monk.

Finally, though, Bardugo pulled out her tricks by the second half of the book. The plot went from slow to exhilarating fast real quick. And I was struggling to keep up with the bombs she dropped left and right, my eyes reading from a sentence to another as fast as they can, desperate to know what’s about to happen. This continued until the end as I screamed “what,” “no,” and “you gotta be kidding me” several times while reading the last few chapters.

Characters

Like most books in the Grishaverse, I fell in love with the characters in this novel. Despite already knowing most of them, I was still pleasantly surprised and pleased at how Bardugo can add another layer to these perfectly-rounded characters.

They were all written so well—they all have complex backgrounds, motivations, desires, struggles, and demons. And I love unfolding their character development chapter by chapter!

However, I was kind of disappointed in how little Nikolai’s participation in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading about the transformation and growth of both Zoya and Nina. But I still wish I saw more from Nikolai, considering that this is supposedly his story. I mean, the title obviously refers to him.

Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading King of Scars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

While I find the beginning slow and the separate storylines quite unappealing, I love how the story takes in a new direction halfway through the book. I love seeing the two women “eclipsed” Nikolai in his own book, although, of course, I was hoping for more of him.

I look forward to reading the sequel! However, this didn’t impact me the same way the Six of Crows duology did, so I’m only rating it 4 stars at most.

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Read my book review on Goodreads where I talked more about the plot and character development (spoilers included!).

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Let’s Talk!

Have you read King of Scars yet? Let me know what you think about that INSANE ending!

Book Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone Series #3)

Book Title: Ruin and Rising

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Date Published: June 17th 2014 by Indigo

Number of Pages: 350 (Paperback)

Date I Read: May 14-17, 2020

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Synopsis

(From Goodreads) The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

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Book Review

I know that most Grishaverse fans were mad at the ending of this trilogy. But I really have unpopular opinions about Ruin and Rising because I was so satisfied with the ending. Yes, it was bittersweet, but it tied things up pretty well, in my personal opinion. It turned full circle.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I honestly didn’t see some things coming. Okay, I might have.

If you didn’t know, what made me decide to pick up this book was the Six of Crows duology. I just LOVE that series so much that I made a decision to check out Bardugo’s other works. So coming into the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I was already a little bit spoiled of the events.

Having said that, I wasn’t expecting the ending that Leigh Bardugo came up with. It was just so fitting for Alina’s character arc.

Plot

Remember when I said in my book review of Siege and Storm that some parts were just fillers for this series? I felt the same way too at some aspects of Ruin and Rising.

It still dragged at times and the main plot somehow got tangled and lost with everything that’s happening. There’s that animosity with The Apparat (a character that I don’t talk about because he’s trash). Then there’s the mystery of Morozova and the amplifiers. And yep, there’s that love SQUARE which somehow, always gets into our main character’s mind.

It really gets overwhelming at some point, going from slow-paced to fast-paced in an instant. But as always, Bardugo successfully manages to weave these complex arcs.

I absolutely love the twists and turns that she came up with.

Characters

I really appreciate Alina’s character development throughout the trilogy. She’d seen too much, felt too much, experienced unimaginable things. She’s not the same dumb girl in the first book whom I hated. She became powerful yet still desperate. And most importantly, she finally accepted herself.

“I’m the Sun Summoner. It gets dark when I say it does.”

As for Mal, I still don’t get the hate for him. Sure, he’s annoying and whiny on the second book, but he’s nowhere near terrible! In fact, he was always loyal to Alina and followed her wherever she goes, despite wanting the exact opposite thing.

My relationship with the Darkling is complicated. At first, I hated him. Then I started to understand him in the second book. In the end, though, I just felt pity for him.

After the events of the second book, I know that Sturmhond/Nikolai wouldn’t just die like that. But I still whooped when he finally made his comeback! He’s still witty, charming, and brilliant as ever. I just love him so much that it hurts reading the second half of this book.

As for the supporting characters, I love most of them. For the most part, I was satisfied with their own respective endings.

Overall Thoughts

I honestly enjoyed reading this conclusion to the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I was glad to see how things tied up for our main characters and sets up the stage for the supporting cast.

Overall, the whole trilogy is a good introduction to the Grishaverse. However, this doesn’t really compare to the amazingness that is the Six of Crows duology.

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Read my spoiler-filled book review on Goodreads for my unfiltered thoughts about Ruin and Rising.

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Book Reviews of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy

Book Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone Series #1)

Book Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone Series #2)

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Let’s Talk!

Do you love the ending of the Shadow and Bone trilogy as much as I do? Were you satisfied with how Leigh Bardugo tied things up?