Rule of Wolves
49 chapters - View chapters and summaries
Characters (3)
| Name | Aliases | Role |
|---|---|---|
Nikolai Lantsov The second son of the Ravkan king who operates as the privateer Sturmhond before his identity is revealed. Brilliant, charming, and strategically ruthless beneath the performance of carelessness. Becomes King of Ravka after the events of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the central figure of the King of Scars duology. | Sturmhond, The Privateer, Prince Nikolai | Major |
Nina Zenik A Heartrender from the Second Army who ended up in Ketterdam after a shipwreck and an unlikely alliance with a Fjerdan soldier. Warm, politically passionate, and capable of stopping a man's heart with a gesture. Her arc across both duologies deals with grief, addiction, and what it means to keep fighting for something after the cost becomes clear. | Major | |
Zoya Nazyalensky The most powerful Squaller in the Second Army and later Nikolai's general and closest advisor. Cold, proud, and formidably competent, she has survived everything Ravka has thrown at her by refusing to need anyone. The King of Scars duology slowly unpicks that refusal. | Major |
Groups (3)
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| The Grisha | Organisation |
| The Ravkan Court | Organisation |
| The Second Army | Organisation |
History
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
30 March 2021 | Publication | A number one New York Times bestseller on publication and the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award winner for Best Young Adult Fantasy. Kirkus Reviews called it "a wild ride both fantastical and grounded in nuance", while School Library Journal gave it a starred review. The Washington Post noted that the book rewards readers with deep familiarity with the full Grishaverse, as the accumulated canon weighs heavily on the plot. Critical and reader response was broadly positive but more divided than for Six of Crows - the main complaints centred on an unwieldy number of POV characters that diluted the focus on Nikolai and Zoya, and a sense that the duology never quite let Nikolai's story be his own. The Darkling's return divided readers, with some finding his arc satisfying and others feeling the series had moved beyond him. The political intrigue, Nikolai and Zoya's dynamic, and Nina's storyline were consistent highlights. |
Publication30 March 2021
A number one New York Times bestseller on publication and the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award winner for Best Young Adult Fantasy. Kirkus Reviews called it "a wild ride both fantastical and grounded in nuance", while School Library Journal gave it a starred review. The Washington Post noted that the book rewards readers with deep familiarity with the full Grishaverse, as the accumulated canon weighs heavily on the plot. Critical and reader response was broadly positive but more divided than for Six of Crows - the main complaints centred on an unwieldy number of POV characters that diluted the focus on Nikolai and Zoya, and a sense that the duology never quite let Nikolai's story be his own. The Darkling's return divided readers, with some finding his arc satisfying and others feeling the series had moved beyond him. The political intrigue, Nikolai and Zoya's dynamic, and Nina's storyline were consistent highlights.