A young king hiding a monstrous secret races to save his country, with a spy who could be his ruin — or his match.
- Score
- 80.4
- Spice
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Sweet
- POV
- multi
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
Tropes
Content warnings
Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.
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What readers think
Readers consistently cite the Nikolai-and-Zoya dynamic as the book's greatest asset — their razor-sharp banter and slow-building chemistry are widely praised as some of Bardugo's best character work, with Zoya in particular singled out as a scene-stealer who outshines the titular king. The dual storyline structure earns mixed responses: Nina's Fjerdan spy arc is praised for emotional depth and grief realism, but many readers find it feels disconnected from the Ravka plot, and Nikolai himself is criticised for receiving less internal development than fans expected given his charm in prior books. Pacing is the most common complaint — the first half is deliberately slow with political manoeuvring, and the abrupt momentum shift in the final act can feel unearned. The shocking ending twist divides readers sharply, with some calling it brilliant and others feeling it undermines the setup. Goodreads places it at roughly 4.15 stars across 230,000+ ratings, reflecting a broadly positive but more cautious reception than Six of Crows.
Read it if
- · Readers who loved Nikolai in Shadow and Bone / Siege and Storm and want to see him carry a full novel
- · Fans of slow-burn romance built on banter, political tension, and emotional withholding rather than heat
- · Anyone who wants a multi-POV Grishaverse story that deepens Ravka's political landscape and magic mythology
Skip it if
- · You expect Nikolai to be the dominant, fully-fleshed protagonist — Zoya arguably gets more satisfying development
- · Slow political first halves exhaust your patience before the plot pays off
- · You want a self-contained story — the ending is a hard cliffhanger that demands the sequel Rule of Wolves
If you liked this
- · For fans of Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo — same world, elevated stakes, Nikolai finally front and centre
- · For fans of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir — dual-POV epic fantasy with political intrigue and slow-burn romance
- · For fans of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas — morally complex royals, court scheming, and a grumpy-sunshine romance arc
- · For fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden — dark Slavic-inspired world, monsters woven into politics, atmospheric dread
In this series
Part of King of Scars Duology — read in order:
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