** contains hard spoilers ** First and foremost, I actually missed the Grishaverse. I didn’t think it would take only 0.5 seconds to find right back into it, but here we are. Though, I have to say that I was surprised that I enjoyed Nikolai’s scenes more than Nina’s, seeing as I liked SoC and CK more than the Shadow and Bone trilogy. But then again, it’s Nikolai we’re talking about … I was bound to crush hard This young man’s story had me in Ruin and Rising already, and to have his fate be explained even further in this book so made it worth my while. To me, the author excelled at describing his battle with his demon (curtesy of our most hated Grisha), and I really enjoyed seeing him grow to be an even better man. I LOVE his intelligence and his insight into human nature, and his wit, his charm, his honest heart and his love for his people and country made me fall in love with him even more. I mean, after reading about him and Dominik I knew that I would forever root for this man. The development of the angsty relationship with Zoya was a bonus too I enjoyed to have Zoya’s POV too from time to time, as this made us understand Nikolai more and see him from a different perspective. And we also get to learn more about her. I don’t think there’s many readers who liked her right from the start of Shadow and Bone, but I’d love to discuss her with anyone who still has hard feelings towards her after KoS. I also really love how the author writes her characters in general, yet doesn’t lose focus of the plot. Just like in SoC and CK you can really see that she’s holding all the strings and bit by bit joins them to paint the grand picture. I mean, the plot twist in the end might not have been entirely unforseeable, but it still packed a punch. I was certain that we hadn’t seen the last of the Darkling in Ruin and Rising but I could’ve never guessed at how the author would let him come back - to think that some of the most powerful Grisha, who were believed to be dead, were actually still around … mind-blowing. Plus, I LOVED how Zoya got to ‘play’ a bigger part during and after this crazy event. This crazy event that led to a big shift not only in her, but the whole world. The second big plot twist was absolutely heart-breaking! I knew that it seemed too good to be true, but to have Isaak die at the hands of the woman he might have loved, who might have loved him, while both portraying someone they actually weren’t was so painful. Yet, it shows the author’s knack for delivering dramatic climaxes well. In regards to Nina and her story: Though the beginning of her journey was super bittersweet (there were a few tears, ngl), her story became a bit boring. There were some instances where I felt connected with her again (her in the factory), but it just wasn’t the same as in SoC and CK. She was even going on my nerves a bit because of her impulsiveness and disregard for orders. I get that her, Adrik’s and Leoni’s roles were vital in order to gather information on the upcoming war, yet it just didn’t engage me as much as Nikolai’s and Zoya’s scenes did. Regardless, Nikolai made every ‘tedious’ scene wortwhile, so I can’t give this book anything less than 5 stars - defintiely a highlight for this year.

Der junge Zar Nikolai Lantsov hat viel zu tun. Nachdem Kampf gegen den Dunklen steht sein Land kurz vor einem Bürgerkrieg. Die Grenzen sind geschwächt, die Staatskasse leer. Doch niemand ahnt, dass nicht nur das Land gelitten hat. Nikolai trägt ein Monster in sich, das zunehmend stärker wird. Als er von einem Ritual hört, das vielleicht ihm helfen könnte, unternimmt Nikolai mit der mächtigen Grisha-Magierin Zoya eine Reise zu Orten, in denen die stärkste Magie überdauert hat. Doch die Reise wird gefährlicher als vermutet. Kann Nikolai sich von seiner Verwünschung endgültig befreien? Ich war so erfreut, dass es eine eigene Reihe mit Nikolai gibt. Er ist für mich der wandelbarste Charakter der Grishaverse und das mit einer gewissen Eleganz. Für alle, die die Werke der Autorin noch nicht kenne, ist es ratsam vorher unbedingt wenigstens die Grisha-Triologie zu lesen, da dieses Buch darauf aufbaut. Dann kann man in dieser Geschichte richtig versinken und mit Nikolai mitfiebern. Magie, düstere Geheimnisse und eigenwillige Charaktere – alles wird geboten. Ich freue mich schon auf Band 2. Mein Fazit: Für Fans der Grisha-Welt ist dieses Buch ein Muss. Man muss einfach wissen, wie es mit Nikolai weitergeht. 5 Sterne.