King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo - ADVISABLE

King of Scars (King of Scars, #1) by Leigh Bardugo, 512 pages.  Imprint (Macmillan), 2019.  $20.  

Content: Language: PG-13 (24 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13. 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE   

Nikolai Lantsov is the young king of a recovering war-torn country.  His hold on the throne as well as his hold on the demon inside of him is tenuous, but luckily, he has the tough and capable Zoya Nazyalensky as his first in command.  Zoya is a Grisha with magical powers and her passion for preserving the country of Ravka, as well as Nikolai. has to do with her need to protect and rebuild the Grisha people who need a safe place.  The third main character, Nina Zenik is nursing a broken heart while at the same time out on a mission to gather Grisha and send them back to Ravka.  Nikolai and his people are battling the past as well as an undercurrent of dark magic, but if they work together, they might be able to prevail.  

I totally enjoyed this world of Grisha and loved the combination of character development and action.  This new duology is a spin off from Bardugo’s other series and there were moments when I felt like I was missing information because of implied past stories.  I can’t wait for more of Nikolai and Zoya, and am also excited to read other Grisha series.  The violence included an impaled victim, a murdered woman and someone is drawn and quartered.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.