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Cover of King of Scars

King of Scars

by Leigh Bardugo

🌶️fade to black·spoiler·King of Scars #1

Why Read This?

Bardugo unleashes Nikolai Lantsov as a POV character and the result is devastating charm meets genuine darkness - a cursed king fighting his own shadow while the Grishaverse expands into its most ambitious territory yet.

Synopsis

Face your demons... or feed them. The dashing young king, 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, Nikolai 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 general, 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.

At a Glance

4.15 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️fade to black
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

enemies to loversslow burnhidden identity

Mood

darkatmosphericepicintensemysterious

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.15 ★

Page Count

527 pages

Published

2019

Primary Genre

Young Adult

Pairing

M/F

POV

Multi-POV

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Single Narrator

Narrator

Lauren Fortgang

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

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Mood & Vibe

Mood

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Characters

FMC: warrior/fighter sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

Minimal romantic content. Understated tension between Nikolai and Zoya with longing looks and charged moments, but firmly YA with no on-page intimacy beyond brief kisses. sign in to unlock

implied sexual assaultchild abuseviolencesubstance addictiontortureanimal deathdeathbody horrorwardrug usegriefimprisonmentfatphobia

World & Setting

kingdom / empire sign in to unlock

Reading Context

book hangover sign in to unlock

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