If you just read the Nikolai and Zoya chapters you wouldn't miss anything vital. Sure it might have been shorter without caricature crows and celebrity cameos from your favourite newly released netflix show, but at least it would have been less work to read, because it really did feel like work. Every living character in this universe was phoned in to unmeaningfully pad out what would have been a short book about Nikolai, Zoya and (spoiler) a war that wasn't. Writing a story for Nikolai must have been a bore with all that Netflix stuff going on. All the PR on her social media is extremely netflix centric, with a trailor dropping on the day of this books release. I can't speak for Leigh's workload but the overall impression I took away from this book was that it felt like it must have been a stressful distraction to write. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs.

She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war.

But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible. 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. The wolves are circling, and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant number-one New York Times best-selling King of Scars Duology. The Grishaverse will be coming to Netflix soon with Shadow and Bone, an original series!

Book after rule of wolves