LEIGH BARDUGO Rule of Wolves. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
Leigh Bardugo continues to enthral with the latest in her series of novels set in the world of the magical Grisha.
In this, her seventh Grishaverse novel, a sequel to King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo captures the heart and imagination anew as she expands further on the fantastic world she created that began with the Shadow and Bone trilogy (recently adapted by Netflix). Shadow and Bone featured Alina Starkov, an orphan in war-torn, impoverished Ravka, who discovers her rare power over light and joins the ranks of the Second Army, the magical Grisha. This trilogy covered her journey to becoming Sankta Alina, the Sun Saint, and saving Ravka from the supernatural darkness of the Fold, a phenomenon that long ago split the country in two and continues to claim countless lives.
As the names imply, this fictional country was inspired by tsarist Russia. This is both a refreshing change from pseudo-medieval England and an encouragement for readers, myself included, to be a bit more curious about Russian culture.
One of the best things about this first series was that the Darkling was such a complex and intriguing character. Something wonderful about the characters in the Grisha books more generally is how they grow and develop extra depth as the series goes on and their secrets are gradually revealed. For instance, I used to think one character was a spoilt, vindictive brat in the very first book, but she is now one of my favourite characters for her bravery, emotional complexity and sheer bloody-mindedness.
In the two Grisha books that followed Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, the story moved away from Ravka to follow a band of thieves in the corrupt city of Ketterdam, and their impossible heist on the Ice Court, the seat of Fjerda’s government and the ensuing fallout. We see more of the Grisha world through the perspectives of master thief Kaz, the nearly undetectable Inej, crack shot Jasper, explosives expert Wylan, escaped prisoner Matthias and wily Nina, a Grisha Heartrender able to stop a heart beating with no more than a thought.
All these books have had a lot to say about racism and the waste of life that is war, with the wide, enduring rifts between the different countries as well as the intense hatred in most for both Grisha and the nomadic Suli.
The latest instalments, King of Scars and Rule of Wolves, also feature a character who wants to transition. Hanne’s journey to realising this is very poignant:
‘Do you know the only time I felt beautiful?’ Hanne asked, her eyes still closed.
‘When?’
‘When I tailored myself to look like a soldier. When we cut off all my hair.’
… ’But you didn’t look like you.’
Hanne’s eyes opened. ‘But I did. For the first time. The only time.’
The fun, snappy dialogue is another thing to love. Rule of Wolves contains plenty of reasons to adore reluctant royal Nikolai:
‘We could play cards,’ suggested Nikolai.
‘I’ve been working on a new poem—’
‘Or we could shoot ourselves out of a canon.’
Tolya’s glower was ferocious. ‘A bit of culture wouldn’t hurt you.’
‘I have no objection to culture. I’ll have you know I’ve fallen asleep to some of the very best ballets.’
In King of Scars, we follow Nina as she infiltrates the Fjerdan aristocracy as a spy and comes to terms with her grief. We also follow fierce, loyal Zoya and Nikolai, the ‘too-clever fox’, as they try to understand the weird and wonderful ‘miracles’ suddenly occurring across Ravka, and confront a sinister new threat.
If I’m completely honest, I still enjoyed King of Scars but I found some of the plot developments a bit too weird. I was almost worried that I wouldn’t like this next one, Rule of Wolves, for which I feel quite silly now. If this is a feeling that anyone else can relate to, or it’s a concern after reading King of Scars for the first time, then fear not. Everything that seemed a bit weird to me in that book made so much more sense after reading Rule of Wolves.
In Rule of Wolves, we continue following Nina, Zoya and Nikolai. As warmongering Fjerda prepares to march against a weakened and divided Ravka, Nina must do everything she can to undermine Fjerda’s ruling elite without being detected. While her quest to sway Fjerda’s people to consider Grisha as blessed children of Djel (Fjerda’s god), rather than witches to be burned, continues in full swing, Nina is forced to wonder whether she can continue to risk Hanne’s life as well as her own. Meanwhile, in Ravka, the country’s many debts are coming due and a magical threat, once thought destroyed, has returned. Zoya and Nikolai must bargain with an old enemy and risk everything to find out how to save Ravka, once and for all. And as the technological arms race between Fjerda and Ravka intensifies, Nikolai has to question what kind of weapons he is willing to unleash on the world in order to protect his country.
In addition to the books of the main Grisha series, there are also two books of related short stories. The Language of Thorns contains legends and myths from around the world of the Grisha. The Lives of Saints, as one might expect, contains short stories about how various Saints were martyred and how people’s prayers to the Saints have been answered. Both add some lovely extra detail to this richly imagined world and the cultures within it. The illustrations in each are also absolutely lovely; with colourful borders gradually being filled in as stories progress in The Language of Thorns and with so much attention to detail in The Lives of Saints that the portraits of each Saint even have the distinctive cracks of ancient oil paintings.
I honestly can’t recommend these books enough. I’ve adored them for their wit, emotional depth and complex characters since the first one came out. In a recent interview, Bardugo confirmed that Rule of Wolves is a ‘farewell for now’ to the Grishaverse while she works on other things. Tantalisingly, despite the closure at the end of the book, there is also a sense that the story could be continued at some point. Fingers crossed.
Leigh Bardugo Rule of Wolves Hachette 2021 PB 528pp RRP $22.99
Amelia Dudley studied plant biology and currently works as a tutor. She is the proud auntie of many nieces and nephews. In her spare time, she reads, gardens, draws, paints and doesn’t get to do enough writing.
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