Warning: Spoilers for the Six of Crows and King of Scars duologies.
Summary
When I found out Nina Zenik would have her own point of view in Leigh Bardugo’sKing of Scarsseries, I was excited, but the reality of her storyline was incredibly disappointing. After writing theShadow and Bonebook seriesand theSix of Crowsduology, beloved young adult author Leigh Bardugo released another pair of books set in the Grishaverse:King of ScarsandRule of Wolves.These books followed Nikolai Lantsov as he quite literally faced his inner demons with the help of Zoya Nazyalensky. Meanwhile, Nina took on a new Grisha mission, post-Six of Crows.
I loved what Bardugo did with Nikolai and Zoya in theKing of Scarsduology. Like in her previous novels, Bardugo offered outstanding worldbuilding, humor, and character relationships. I never thought I would be so invested in the charming king of Ravka and his cold and calculated general. However, Nikolai and Zoya were only half of the duology. The other half rested on the shoulders of Nina, who was one of my favorite members ofKaz Brekker’sSix of Crowscrew.Her story took a completely different turn, though, and I can’t say all of it was good.
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The King Of Scars Books Don’t Give Nina Enough Time To Mourn Matthias
Nina Got Over Matthias Too Quickly
Although I really anticipated Nina’s return inKing of Scars,I knew her storyline would be sad. The last time readers saw Nina, she had just witnessed the death of her lover, Matthias. OfSix of Crows’many unique romances,Nina and Matthias were one of the most interesting couples. While Matthias was taught to hate Grisha as aDruskelle Grisha hunter, Nina’s life had always been about upholding and appreciating Grisha magic. Because the two should never have worked together, their enemies-to-lovers romance was all the better. However, I couldn’t help but notice and be annoyed howKing of Scarsdropped this plot.
Shadow and Bone
Siege and Storm
Ruin and Rising
Rule of Wolves
Nikolai & Zoya, Nina
Although the first third ofKing of Scarssaw Nina mourning Matthias and speaking to him in her mind, this period of grieving didn’t last as long as I anticipated. In fact,once Nina found a place to bury Matthias, his memory seemed to ebb awayto a significant degree. While I understood that Nina had a mission to carry out, it was still jarring to see Matthias so quickly discarded. After spending two whole books exploring their romance, his death seemed like something to move on from rather than a core piece of Nina’s story. I had to wonder: what was the point?
Nina’s Love Story Feels Rushed In The King Of Scars Duology
Nina & Hanne Didn’t Have The Same Development
What was even worse than Nina easily getting over Matthias' death was the fact that she also moved on romantically. While acting as a Ravkan spy in Fjerda,Nina formed a bond with Jarl Brum’s daughter, Hanne. At first, their relationship seemed to be purely professional, yet before I knew it, sparks were flying between the characters. Although I liked Hanne as a character, and I wanted Nina to be happy, it was hard to root for Nina and Hanne as a couple. Matthias aside, it didn’t help that their relationship felt unrealistically fast.
Compared to the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance that Nina had with Matthias, her bond with Hanne felt somewhat random and sudden.
While Nina and Matthias enjoyed several flashbacks documenting their travels across Fjerda together long beforeSix of Crows, Nina and Hanne didn’t have that kind of history. Readers met Hanne at the same time that Nina did. Therefore, compared to the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance that Nina had with Matthias, her bond with Hanne felt somewhat random and sudden. The timing simply didn’t seem right. Perhaps if the pair were given more time, I would have bought into it more. However,with only two books to build their relationship after Nina’s first great love, Nina and Hanne simply didn’t make sense to me.
Nina & Hanne’s Ending Has Some Glaring Issues (Despite The Positive Representation)
Nina & Hanne Couldn’t Be Themselves
The worst part of Nina and Hanne’s relationship was their ending. At the end ofRule of Wolves,Hanne tailored themself to look like Prince Rasmus after accidentally killing him. By leaving their female body, Hanne was able to marry Nina, and the two ruled Fjerda together. However,Hanne could never be Hanne again, and Nina had to remain tailored as Mila. In this way, Hanne and Nina could only be together by inhabiting other identities. This was not only a disappointing ending for me, but it also darkened what was originally portrayed as a positive representation.
Though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Nina and Hanne’s romance, I could respect the representation that it provided. Nina has always represented plus-size body positivity, and her bisexuality was able to shine through via her relationship with Hanne in a way that it couldn’t when she was with Matthias. Furthermore, Hanne herself was a character that seemingly represented transgender or non-binary individuals, a type of representation Bardugo had yet to add to the Grishaverse. Yet,having Hanne and Nina’s story end without them being able to be their true selves hurt the representation,in my opinion.
Continuing Nina’s Story In Another Six Of Crows Book Would Have Been Better
Nina Didn’t Need To Be In King Of Scars
Unfortunately, I felt thatNina’s story brought down the quality ofKing of ScarsandRule of Wolves.Her plot simply wasn’t as interesting as that of Nikolai and Zoya. Plus, it suffered from some serious problems concerning pacing. However, I didn’t think that Nina’s story should have been scrapped completely. Instead, I thought it would have worked better in a thirdSix of Crowsbook. Nina’s new story could have been better cushioned by her past, and therefore, her future wouldn’t have felt so sudden and strange. Alongside the Crows, everything could have been stronger from a narrative standpoint.
The main draw of having Nina’s story told in a hypotheticalthirdSix of Crowsbookrather thanKing of Scarsis that Matthias could not have been forgotten so easily. With perspectives from the other Crows,Matthias' memory would have remained more prevalent throughout. In this way, Nina’s new romance wouldn’t have felt like such a betrayal. Furthermore, readers were already familiar with Nina’s perspective appearing alongside those of the Crows. This sense of familiarity might have saved Nina’sKing of Scarsstory. However, I and other readers were left with a disappointing and unexpected plot instead.
TheKing of Scarsduology is definitely still worth the read for Grishaverse lovers, but they should keep their hopes low for the return of Nina Zenik. Though we still saw Nina’s sassy, charming side, her story simply didn’t feel the same as inSix of Crows.While Hanne and Nina were an interesting pairing, there simply wasn’t enough time to give them the story they truly deserved.
Six of Crows
“Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo is a duology set in a fantasy world where a group of six outcasts and criminals undertake a dangerous heist. Led by the cunning Kaz Brekker, they navigate betrayal, secrets, and dark magic to achieve their mission. The series takes place in the author’s wider “Grishaverse.”
