REVIEW: Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

I’m hard-pressed to think of a young adult fantasy novel coming in 2021 that will surpass Rule of Wolves in terms of sheer fan anticipation (fan-ticipation?). King of Scars upended my world with that cliffhanger ending, leaving its sequel with one hell of a job to do to wrap things up. Happily, Rule of Wolves does just that, delivering an explosive story that doesn’t let up for a second.

Leigh Bardugo

As Rule of Wolves opens, we find Nikolai and Zoya with a lot on their plate. Namely: the demon that still inhabits Nikolai’s body, the fact of his illegitimacy, strained relations with Kerch and Shu Han, the impending Fjerdan invasion of Ravka, the creeping return of the Fold … Oh, and the resurrection of the Darkling, someone they’d hoped never to see again and who might just be the key to undoing it all. Not to mention that the two of them are secretly crazy about each other, which complicates Nik’s political engagement to the Shu Princess, Ehri Kir-Taban. (This is a YA novel after all – we need the tension of forbidden love every now and then.) Meanwhile, Nina Zenik is still deep in the heart of enemy territory, delivering vital intel back to her friends in Ravka from right under the nose of the brutal Fjerdan Grisha hunter, Jarl Brum.

There’s a lot of key players in this game and Bardugo wastes no time in deploying them. Despite its length at nearly 600 pages, the book moves along at a breakneck pace and there’s plenty of action to keep you feverishly turning the pages. I loved the political intrigue of King of Scars, and Rule of Wolves practically supercharges it with the introduction of more advanced technology (and weaponry). It serves to raise the stakes and level a playing field that, until very recently, had been dominated by Grisha power. On top of that, we’re even treated to the return of one or two characters that I thought we’d never see again. As you can imagine, I’ve barely been able to put it down since it arrived on my desk early yesterday morning.

The action is also beautifully balanced by moments of real character development for Nina, who is slowly coming to terms with her grief, and Nikolai, who is discovering that it takes more than charm and bravery to unite a nation. But it’s Zoya, the beautiful and fearsome Grisha general, who really shines. Zoya Nazyalensky has become one of my favourite characters of the series, something I would never have seen coming after reading Shadow and Bone, but you can’t help but root for her as she grapples with her newfound powers from Sankt Juris and comes into an even greater strength. I love these characters so much, and even though Leigh Bardugo puts them through hell in this book, it was a pleasure to see them (mostly) claw their way back.

Rule of Wolves goes to places that will definitely ruffle some feathers, but for me this is a sign of Bardugo’s strength as an author, one unwilling to bow to expectation and write the easy, crowd-pleasing thing. I love that I never know exactly what to expect from a Grishaverse novel, and I’m truly sad to see this series wrapping up for good (although there are those rumours of a third Six of Crows book …).

If you’re a keen Grishaverse fan eagerly awaiting the upcoming release of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, Rule of Wolves will more than scratch that itch.

—Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (Hachette Australia) is out now.

Rule of Wolves

The King of Scars Duology: Book 2

by Leigh Bardugo

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm - and even the monster within - to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost...

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Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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