#nikolai and zoya second best ship in the grishaverse

[unrequitedloveletter]

The One- n.l x gn! tidemaker! reader

Okay! This is one of two parts, and the second part is going to come out tomorrow! I’ve got two two part fics coming out this week with a standalone coming out friday, and I have to say that this two-parter is probably the best two parter I’ve written in a bit. The Spring Break fic-athon is a pretty simplistic event, and not really an event as it were, but fics will come out everyday this week. The title for this fic comes from the 1 by taylor swift, which inspired this fic partially! 

Requests for Nikolai, as well as Alina, Mal, and Zoya, are officially open! I’m clearing out whats left in my inbox this week and will probably get started on any requests I get around Wednesday or Thursday, after I watch season two of Shadow and Bone and have finished my grishaverse reread. 

On another note, I’m not quite sure if the ship that they end up on in Siege and Storm is the volknvoy, so forgive me if it’s not but I do remember that there was a ship with that name in those books so if it’s the wrong one forgive me. 

Fic type- hurt/comfort 

Warnings- none

Yours and Nikolais relationship had existed in the time before the war. You met while Nikolai was in the infantry and you were working alongside him, and by the time you were eighteen, you’d been together six months. You joined his crew when he took up the identity of Sturmhond. 

You loved him through all of it, through every minute of the war, from the moment he had Alina and the Darkling aboard the whaler to the moment the sun saint, her lover and the rest of Nikolais crew took to the sea on the Volknvoy and found Rusalye. 

But still, somewhere in there, your relationship began to crack, until at some point, it broke completely. You fled to Novyi Zem while the rest of the people you knew, the people you cared about, played their parts in the fate of Alina Starkovs martyrdom and the destruction of the Unsea. 

You didn’t think you’d come to Ravka ever again when you finally settled into your life, living in a small flat and using your small science to fill the basin when dishes needed washing or when the kettle went empty. You enjoyed working in a small boutique, making enough money from it to live comfortably. 

In the weeks after the deaths of Alina Starkov and the Darkling, you came home from a shift at the boutique to see a note from Tamar and Tolya sitting on your dining room table. You noticed a new set of keftas draped over the backs of three of the four chairs that sat at it.

You will always be welcome at the Little Palace, Tamars note read. Bring your kefta if you come. Tolya and I have taken care to ensure that you’re not stuck with the one you left with for the rest of your life. Come around when the replacements wear out, we’ll get you some new ones and talk over a samovar of tea. 

It’d made you smile, made you weep a little bit for the life that you could’ve had if things had been only slightly different. You missed Ravka, you did. You missed it helplessly, missed the familiar walkways of the Little Palace, missed Zoyas sarcasm and the sound of Genyas laughter. 

You missed watching Tamar as she sparred effortlessly with her axes and grinning knowingly whenever you saw her flirt with Nadia, missed even Tolyas poetry, hearing him recite his poems that could go on for hours if anyone was able to tolerate it. 

You missed Nikolai. You missed the glossy way of his hair, the quick, self assuredness in his smile, the fact that he always knew what to say until your etherealness stunned him into quite the opposite, missed the sound of his laughter and the way of his words. 

But, you pushed it all down. 

You continued working at the boutique. You bought a tote bag, grew accustomed to the never-ending sun and thanked the saints that air conditioning was included in your rent. You stopped wearing your amplifier because you had no need for it. You never quite let the kettle go empty and you enjoyed the smell of coffee from a coffee press. 

You let yourself let people in, let yourself make friends and find people to call family. You met a Tidemaker like yourself, laughed at his jokes and congratulated him when it came to your ears that he’d gotten engaged. You went home tired and fell asleep by the last coals of a fire in the following hours. You woke up refreshed and visited the market stalls. 

But, deep down, as the years passed and no word of Nikolais engagement or marriage reached your ears, some part of you knew that you weren’t quite done with all of it yet. 

Some part of you knew that you would see that self assured smile that you missed once again, that you would watch, with a delighted smile of your own, as the King Nikolai stumbled to find adequate words. You would see his hair, blonde but turned gold in the sunlight, and you would see his eyes, the tiredness in them, the beauty in them even still. 

You knew not when the day would come, though you could admit that there was a part of you that looked forward to it. There had long been a part of you that missed the life you’d once had, and as such, you knew that you would have to continue to live the life you’d found until that old life found its way back to you.

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix

[naushtheaspiringauthor]

~Child Of The Storm~

Nikolai Lantsov x OC

Image by - @brokendreamtale2

QOTD- Who is/are your favorite grishaverse character(s)? Mine are Nikolai, Zoya, Inej, Jesper and Nina

Warnings- Bits of violence, ptsd, traumatic flashbacks throughout the chapters

..............................................................................................................................

Ch-3 ~The journey back home~

Anaya woke up with a  splitting headache and it didn't take her long to realize that the floor beneath her was swiftly swaying. She was on the very ship she had attempted to break into.  Her arms and legs were in iron chains and she was in a scrawny little room that looked nothing more than a storage space.

 She looked around in her tattered clothes, her cheeks were bruised and her hair badly tangled.  The chains were immensely bigger than her feet. There were people around her in similar states, chained and in tattered clothing. Men, women, children. The ship was swifting harshly, and a pungent smell was all around them, making her feel queasy.

She tried looking out the window to her left. The sun was shining brightly and they were nowhere near the first harbor. Someone entered the room with heavy footsteps. It was the same heartrender who had made her go unconscious last night, or whatever day it was.

"Oh good you're awake. The general demands to speak with you at lunch" He spoke

"I- how long was I out for" She managed to speak

"2 days, to be exact" he replied

A women in a white dress came inside and took off the chains. Her head began to spin as soon as she stood up so she leaned on the wall for support. She was escorted out of the room with the heartrender. He led her to a hall that looked like you could fit five small boats in it. There was a table set up in the center, and the Darkling was sitting in the front.

"Ah, miss Nasrazeen. Please, join us" he gestured Anaya towards a chair

She hesitantly moved forward then took a seat. "Why did you bring me with you?" She finally spoke

"Because you are much more valuable than being a petty little thief in the dirty streets of Ketterdam".

"I had a life" She glared at him

"You were barely keeping yourself alive and doing downgraded work when you can use your abilities for good, and serve your country"

"And what about the people I'd known there?" she asked, wondering how Inej and Jesper, would be feeling. Kaz would surely be furious. She still owed Per Haskell and the dregs and she had ran away without fulfilling her debt.

"They''ll be quick to forget about your existence. They don't need to you, but Ravka does" he replied

"I don't want this" her voice began to tremble

"But you once did, didn't you? Your parents did" he remained calm. "Tell me, would they have wanted you to spend your days in a place filled with thieves and criminals, surrounded by people who do whatever benefits their own needs and have no dignity. Or would they have wished for you to carry on their legacy and serve your country, along with people who work for the benefit of their country?"

Her heart sank deep in her chest, and her hands began to shake. She hated that the darkling was right, they did want her to serve her country. She thought of how ashamed they would be, if they saw her today, what she had become.

Anaya was sitting alone, writing in her diary. Her face brightened up, as she saw her parents enter. She ran to them and they wrapped their arms around her..

"How was your day, honey?" Her father asked her with a smile

"It was okay, but, Zoya beat me in the test this time" Anaya replied, with a saddened look

"That's okay, hun. You already are the best in everything, one test doesn't determine your worth" her father said to her

"Do you think I'll be a good soldier, dad?" She asked after a long pause

'Of course you will" he took her hand into his own. "You'll be the most skilled soldier that the second army would have seen. I am entirely sure of that" he smiled and looked her in the eye.

She didn't have the courage to say anything after that. She had failed them, in every possible way, and she hated herself for that.

The journey to Os Alta lasted for about a few week. After getting off the ship, the Grisha went in separate carriages than the servants. Anaya traveled in a carriage with three other members of the Etherealki. The journey to the little palace was silent and she didn't conversate much with the others and only answered whatever they asked her . They soon stopped as they reached their destination.

They sun had set when they had reached. But the Little Palace was clearly visible because of the lights near them. Seeing it, had brought a wave of nostalgia to her. It felt like she had been pulled into a dream, it didn't truly felt real to her. She hadn't hoped to return, to see all of it again. She was afraid to go inside, but somehow forced herself to do it. She dragged her feet through the huge gates of the Little Palace.

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lanstov #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov fanfiction #nikolai lanstov x reader

[grishaverse-chaos]

Zoya for the ask game <3 (I'd love to hear your opinions on my favorite character)

omg tysm for the ask! (and to anon who also suggested zoya, sorry it took me so long to get round to it 😭)

why I like them: honestly she's just so fucking iconic, but I love how she's amazing and badass while not being one-dimensional! like she has flaws and she has trauma and insecurities and none of that takes away from her positive traits!!

why I don't: idk I feel like she has some ideas that I would disagree with - I haven't re-read the books in a while but I always got the vibe that she's pretty pro-military and particularly in favour of the second army. and like I get it! fun light-hearted fantasy books are not obligated to deconstruct entire social systems! but if I met her irl I think we'd argue about it lmao

favourite episode/scene: I love the scene in s2 where she agrees to ally with alina! I think it's really sweet and shows her character development

favourite season/movie: in terms of the books, I think she's best in the kos duology - as fun and iconic as she is in the s&b trilogy I think the backstory and development she gets in the later books really enhances her character

favourite line: oh this is so niche but “none of this had been fated; none of it foretold. there had been no prophecies of a demon king or a dragon queen, a one-eyed tailor, heartrender twins. they were just the people who had shown up and managed to survive. but maybe that was the trick of it: to survive, to dare to stay alive, to forge your own hope when all hope had run out. for the survivors then, zoya whispered to herself as the people before her knelt and chanted her name. and for the lost.”

I love the theme of fate/destiny vs free will in the grishaverse and this is honestly one of my all-time favourite quotes - I'm actually considering having part of it as my yearbook quote!

favourite outfit: ooooh I love her outfit for the shu han heist in s2 (although obviously, honourable mention to the blue ribbon™ just for being iconic)

otp: see my answer is different for fanon and canon. in canon I adore zoyalina, in fanfic I love zoyalai!

brotp: zoya and genya are literally the BEST friendship duo ever (although I also low-key ship them romantically). zoya and nina are not necessarily a good friendship but I love analysing their dynamic so they get an honourable mention anyway. oh and her cousin lada, the girl liliyana adopts - we barely see them interact but I think they would have had such a cute dynamic!!

headcanon: she's a cat person. this is actually true and accurate bc I say so. she 100% owns cats post-canon

unpopular opinion: she shouldn't have become queen at the end of row. as iconic as it is, I can't help but think that it would backfire politically, it'd have negative consequences for her relationship with nikolai, and it kind of sets back both characters' development. this feels too harsh but idk 😭😭 might write a longer post about it at some point

a wish: for her and nikolai to fix the issues in their relationship. bc yes, I think in canon they have Issues™ but this is a fixable problem! she just needs to stop putting him up on a pedestal!!

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: imagine if she actually did become darkling 2.0 lmao. it'd never happen bc I think leigh bardugo would never do that, but it would be absolutely awful

5 words to best describe them: complex, iconic, motivated, forceful, lonely

my nickname for them: idk sometimes I call her z/zee in my head (and project this fact onto other characters who I think would do the same)

give me a character and I will answer...

#mayhem.txt #answered #zoya nazyalensky #look I'm not a zoyalai anti I just think they need couples therapy #and there are Moments in canon that make me go 'hmmm. maybe they would be better as friends' #but I love reading fic about them!! (and occasionally writing it)

[seventeengoingunder-archive]

I love that we're united in our love for Zoya and Nik! 😭 Also, isn't roses/lotus/violet/iris such a Zoya song???

WAIT OH MY GOD. I HADN'T EVEN CONSIDERED THAT! "I myself was a wilted woman drowsy in a dark room forgot my roots now watch me bloom" is such a Zoya lyric. She went through so much but picked herself up again time and time again. The seperation of physical beauty and perssonality??? I will scream.

#nikolai and zoya second best ship in the grishaverse #like.. it's such a slow burn #and the pining!! thinking they don't deserve the other!! or that the feelings aren't recipocrated! but they are! #asks

[gwynpool]

it’s 2AM and i just finished Rule of Wolves (spoilers definitely up ahead)

first, to inform everyone, i read the spoilers when it got leaked in twitter cuz i can’t help myself. (it’s a sickness, i know) i think this is important since it definitely influenced my perspective upon reading the book. also, this is my first time being early in a party so yay me! going in ROW was easy for me because i started King of Scars the day before book 2’s actual release date so everything’s fresh.

secondly, this is really long so i’m sorry. i just have a lot of feelings and need to write it all down. on with the rant.

King of Scars was wonderful to me since it gave me my favorite Shadow and Bone character and the girl who i used to hate for being a mean girl but who I now admire with every ounce of my being. It also introduced a new ship that I am now obsessed with and is ruling besides my love for Jude&Cardan. Not to mention, it gave us Nina, whom though i’m not entirely a fan of due to all my love focusing on Kaz and Inej, allowed the connection between Shadow&Bone with SixofCrows.

Moving on, ROW was a ride and whirlwind of emotions. unfortunately, it wasn’t always the best kind.

I love the fantasy elements of it (tho it was a huge leap especially with the saints power thingy) and the politics because i am a sucker for scheming and stealing thrones.

the zoyalai teasing and angst was painful but in the best way since slowburn is what keeps me going.

nina finding comfort (and attraction, apparently) from hanne made my heart flutter because i haven’t gotten over matthias but this allowed a sort of closure and next chapter for our waffle-loving queen.

the promised wedding by leigh wasn’t what i expected but i’m not complaining since david&genya deserved nothing but happiness.

almost everything seems going well (aside from the fact that aleksander was ressurected apparently)and then everything crashes and burns and i just have to wonder why?

so the promised funeral alongside the wedding one, immediately comes after two? three? chapters as they were attacked during the afterparty of the wedding. and guess what? leigh killed the fcking groom.

the thing is i already knew he was going to die (with the spoilers and all) but i did not expect it to come immediately after the freaking wedding. not even halfway through the book!

being spoiled, i think, took most of the pain from the event but it doesn’t lessen the fact that it was completely unnecessary??? like though the characters grieved, nothing much was affected from his death? also, don’t talk to me about the character development for the survivors from this tragic event because there. was. absolutely. NONE.

and then we have the fricking darling ressurected. i love him in the first book of the grishaverse though i knew he was still a villain, don’t get me wrong. and my heart ached but was also relieved with his death in the third. he also inspired one of my all-time favorite fantasy villain(antihero?) in the form of Adelina Amouteru in the Young Elites series.

Ceased to be a Darklina fan and am now shipping Aleksander with Adelina because their power tho? like clings to like and they are both imbued with unfathomable darkness. somebody write fics please.

but bringing him back was what for exactly? leigh bardugo preached on how toxic the darkling character was and how we really shouldn’t like him in terms of agreeing with his ideals and yada yada. and yet she brings him back because apparently, he’s the only one paying her bills.

his conversation with alina tho had me expecting some darklina crumbs with fan service on the side since the stans were all raving about it on twitter *vomiting noises from toxicity* but i was surprised since it just further reminded us of how he truly is a villain in his very core and would do anything to get what he wants. so all in all it wasn’t entirely awful and it actually made me like Mal a bit. (never was a fan of him but that’s my issue, not the character’s)

setting aside the darkling issue a bit, the POV from Mayu was skippable. i mean obviously it still needs to be read for the Shu politics and the khergud existence but it just made me want to go to the next pov. Same goes for the “the monk’s” POV since you all know how i feel about him and the cult with it’s assembly and shit ended up also being unnecessary towards the end. honestly, i could do without the journey of the starless saint and his cult.

i truly enjoyed the fjerdan plot to my surprise and i like how nina kind of went through the last of us 2 circle of hate journey. it was definitely difficult knowing her pain and all that she went through and still choosing to be the better person. and yet, i can’t help but be more proud of her development. also, the supposed death of hanne got me going for a second and was actually ready to storm leigh’s home to fix her mistake. thank god it was plot twist. that’s all i have to say on the nina POV because i don’t wanna ruin my good feeling on this.

the crows cameo gave us a mini heist and it just made me miss reading their adventures. also the suli scene tugged at my heart.

imma skip zoya’s transformation but it utterly made me feel amazing and i have never been more glad that she’s kind of overpowered. she deserves it so fck all them haters. you can choke.

nikolai’s revelation and decision for the ravkan throne was not all that surprising, even without my knowledge of the spoilers. i honestly had a feeling that he was always his best self when he was strumhond and he only chose to fulfill the duties of the king because at that time, there was no other choice. so him giving up the throne to his beloved soldier, summoner and saint was a quite satisfying choice of route. there has been some others who would contest nikolai’s decision to step down as something unnecessary in the grand scheme of things but i would stand by my belief that nikolai made the best choice for ravka and for himself. not to say that i didn’t want to see both the queen and king side by side ruling but what are fanfictions for?

zoyalai is canon and endgame. finally. i can die now.

now the last two chapters was a toss up. for the first one was the darkling’s sacrifice. okay, so i was also spoiled by this from twitter but when i was reading the book, i keep expecting it to be brought up and it wasn’t. so i honestly thought that maybe that spoiler was a prank. lo and behold it was not and it wasn’t until the very last end. so the buildup was goddamn awful. the whole concept of the thorn wood and sort of atlas moment was just no. like you’re just springing this up now? when we’re supposed to be tying up loose ends but making sure it had history and buildup to well, back it up.

also leigh outright writing genya saying it was not a redemption for the darkling and him being unapologetic about his crimes (basically being a truly evil asshole) doesn’t remove the fact that it still comes off as a redemption arc especially with what is now the synopsis of SOC 3 but ill get to that. he still was the one who did a heroic deed and that fucks me up because it was just devastating to me after making peace with his end in ruin and rising. not because i was hurt that he died yet again boohoo but because it kind of invalidates everything that alina, genya, zoya and countless other victims went through.

on a side note, the darling stans on twitter who keeps defending his actions, i would really advise you to reflect on your decisions cuz it is honestly unhealthy. also, you lot talking smack about nikolai and zoya refusing to sacrifice their lives? stop twisting the story to suit your toxic admiration, nikolai was even first to offer up his life and would do so if it was actually possible. so just go hide in your darkling cocoon and stop hating on other characters to justify your favored aleksander.

the very last chapter aka coronation was good because it gave us inej ghafa cameo as captain of her ship and bonding with our resident privateer and also genya, alina and zoya bonding. but it was bad because apparently the darkling chronicles is still not over and now we’re supposed to grant him death like that’s going to make everything okay? i know forgiveness and breaking the circle of hate and revenge is a huge theme in this duology but honestly, this is just too extreme. with nina it was understandable and the people she hated were born of twisted mindset and circumstances but the darkling? hahahah no. he is a literal immortal who was delusional so now that he’s paying for his crimes, you want to allow him death because you have nightmares? zoya, goddamit no! same to you genya and alina. and so this will be the plot for the third six of crows? why can’t we just stop making this about him. now he gunna steal kaz’s thunder? over my dead body.

in the end, i gave this book 4 stars in goodreads because if i ignore the darkling plot, it was a really good use of politics and fantasy merging in a storyline. i can’t fault leigh for choosing to do this since it’s still her book so i definitely don’t have a right to dictate what i expected from this. also, i have a half a mind to believe that she fell in love with ben barnes and had him in mind writing this so i really cannot blame her because i have been under that man’s charms since prince caspian came out. the spoilers i read made me more open in reading this (backwards thinking but eh that’s how i roll) so i’m not at all crushed by what transpired. it was just weird and was lackluster in its attempt to give ravka some sort of peace. frankly, i just want to read the third six of crows book to maybe find some sort of calm in all this craziness and also delve in some zoyalai fanfiction because it was a long time coming.

shameless promotion but if you guys want to check out my nikolai duology spotify playlist, here’s the link:

#i’m going to finish reading this bucky barnes fanfiction i found in ao3 so i can fucking calm down from this book #rule of wolves #row spoilers #rule of wolves spoiler #king of scars #leigh bardugo #grishaverse #nikolai lantsov #zoya nazyalensky #nina zenik #genya safin #david kostyk #shadow and bone #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #the darkling #aleksander morozova #six of crows #Spotify #zoyalai

[musicallisto]

Hello Clara, hermosa 🤩 for your sleepover I'd love a dusk: La Niña de La Escuela by Lola Índigo ft TINI & Belinda (i'm obsessed with it, no joke) with a woman from the HP Golden Era please?

For the comet: My ID would be for the grishaverse: I'm 19 and I am an Inferni. I was the daughter of single mother with no powers and I think I'd get along with Genya and Zoya and I never vibed with the Darkling and Vasily and hate the Tsar bc of Genya :) and vibe well enough with Nikolai. My appearance is the same and the rest I leave it to your magical mind 💛

And last but not least, spare some ✨sparkles✨?

(please let me know if I got them all right or need something more)

Noe, what is this sorcery??? I think about you every time I listen to La Niña de la Escuela even if I don't remember you specifically mentioning it before, but it just screams Noe Vibes!! have you ever posted it in your instagram story?? I don't know where I got it from but it's The Song(tm) I associate with you and you showing up my asks saying Just That!!! I'm. wow. our connection is spectacular. I need a moment to catch my breath.

🌆 dusk

 so, with that song, I'm shipping you with pansy parkinson!

you two would be classmates in hogwarts and at first she wouldn't pay you much mind because you're in different houses, and she's under Draco's influence (and he's a little shit) - but you reunite by pure coincidence a few years after graduation and she's like, wow, Noe?? is that you?? and she only realizes then how much of a total catch you are. however your relationship evolves after that is up to you to decide - maybe you want to make her work for it ;)

☄️ comet

Hailing from a small Ravkan town in the country, far from the capital and its political schemes, you never expected to play a crucial role in your country’s history - little did you know you would rise to become one of the most promising recruits at the Little Palace, and later on one of the most feared and respected Inferni, known even outside the borders. Hailing from a family who had lost everything when their town was wiped out by the Fold, you were tested as a little kid and much to everybody’s surprise, the examiners revealed incredible power bubbling inside of you - one that far surpassed all the other Grisha children in the region. Leaving your mother was heartbreaking, but at least you weren’t completely alone at the Little Palace - Genya Safin was there, a little girl the same age as you with the same uncertainty and wide-eyed smile, but your first and best friend nonetheless. Zoya, too, became a trusted friend of yours, back when she wasn’t as difficult to get along with - and your trio became well-known in the Little Palace for your shenanigans and redoubtable strength. Growing together, you were inseparable, even when you were sent with Zoya on the Fjerdan border to fight and Genya remained at the Palace. You rose through the ranks of the Second Army with Zoya thanks to your remarkable prowesses in combat - “you singlehandedly created a phobia of fire in the whole of Fjerda”, Genya would say. This reconigition obviously caught the Darkling’s attention, and though you were one of the man’s most favored soldiers for your competence, you just couldn’t trust him - your intuition blared at you something was off about your commander. Which was the reason for your first falling out with Zoya, whose admiration and devotion for the man were only surpassed by her stubbornness. Your mistrust and ire grew even more when you caught wind of what happened to Genya with the King - and you couldn’t bear to keep quiet about the whole ordeal, but she begged you not to say a word, so you kept quiet and considered leaving this army that protected, in truth, nothing and no one. When Alina came around and revealed the Darkling’s true intentions, you were immediately by her side; you knew the man was evil, and your thirst for vengeance got unquenchable - he reduced your family’s hometown to ashes, he stripped your mother of all she had. From that point on, you became fixed on stopping the Darkling and assisting Alina in closing the Fold, no matter the means necessary. Even if it meant standing up to your two most beloved friends.

✨ sparkles

I think your handwriting reflects what you are, which is headstrong and confident. You know what you want, you’re bold and unafraid to take it! You speak your mind and don’t beat around the bush, so you probably don’t add many embellishments to your handwriting, while still retaining a “feminine” (read: neat) quality to it. I also don’t think it’s slanted, but rather upright!

your bio, written how I imagine your handwriting:

(link)

➤ get in, loser, we’re holding a sleepover

#noe 💋 #1.2ksleepover

[booknerdateen]

The Grishaverse Series

A mini dramaticness before we begin

Also note: there are spoilers so beware

It all started with Six of Crows. I read the book either last year or a few years ago. The news came when Shadow and Bone was being adapted into a show. So, I decided to go down the rabbit hole and read the trilogy before I watched the show so I can get a more depth of the world and all that. I finished the books with eight days to spare. A few days after I finished the season, I went to Barnes to get the other books. I already had Six Of Crows, but y’all can never have too many copies. Soon, I reentered the world of the Crows. Finally at last, I was able to read Crooked Kingdom (one of my best friends been dying for me to read CK). After the catastrophe of CK’s ending, I delved into King of Scars. I didn’t really know much about Nikolai’s duology besides it being about him, Zoya, and Nina. With the annoying ending of Scars, I started Rule of Wolves the next day. I started this journey from Alina and the Darkling to the Crows and their hiesting to seeing Nina’s happiness and Nikolai and Zoya dealing with their demons-figuratively and literally. So, here we are reaching and end of an era for me. I am glad I got to read an amazing series of this world.

The Grisha Trilogy

Aright yall!

I went into the trilogy not knowing much, besides the teaser trailer knowledge

I went in trying to not be biased about the Darkling cuz Ben Barnes

Did it affect me, yes yes it did

Although I don’t like Darkling

Some of y’all hate me for this but I ship Darklina

Yes yes, they toxic, but man you can’t convince me Darkling and Alina had that amazing chemistry in the first book

Not counting when Alina found out bout his true intentions and all that

I didn’t understand why we hated Mal until half way through Siege and Storm

I’m not Malina, but I can understand why we ship them

My amazing love of my life, Nikolai/Stormhund!

Him revealing himself as the prince, omg

Nikolai planting a kiss on Alina and her hitting him afterwards, love it

Tamar and Toyla are amazing!

I actually didn’t realize they were Shu until King Of Scars

Do I see why they betrayed Alina and used her for the Apparat (who needs to freakin die!), yes

Should they’ve, no but I see why though

Harshaw is me half the time

I love him teaming up with a random cat and called him Oncat pure wholesome

Alina going back to the Palace to start the Second Army and understandably putting a whole in the cafeteria ceiling, yes bruh

It’s not the cafeteria but I can’t remember what it’s called so hush

I thought she was gonna murder someone with that cut

Zoya declaring her alliance to Alina

Alina being sus about Zoya….I get that

Genya’s iconic “I am not ruined, I am ruination” I freakin love that!

Nikolai putting his father in his place and potentially exposing the king to r*pe

I freakin lived for that!

I did suspect that what happened between him and Genya, but it was more implied until R&R

Deaths=man, we lost some amazing peeps

Founding out Mal is the third amplifier, blew my mind

Mal dying=was not having that

Mal resurected=didn’t think it had worked, but it did

Darkling being stabbed and killed by his own knife by Alina…..wow

I didn’t like that

Sorry not sorry

I thought it felt a little rushed when that happened

I’m still confused on how he died

Overall: 9/10 I loved it

Six of Crows Duology

I don’t remember what happened in this book when I first read it

I longing to live to be part of the Crows

I love their friendship

Reminds me of my friends

“Compromise. I’m sorry does the trick and uses fewer bullets”

I’ll probably do a post about my favorite lines of the books

Oh yes, so I read SoC after watching S&B

Reading Nina and Matthias’ parts with the shipwreck and all that and it being the same as their scenes in the show

I loved that

Well vice versa it should be….show being line for line like the book with them

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat”

I actually texted my mom that but reworded it as a way of asking her to get Taco Bell breakfast after her PT

It worked

Wesper, Kanej, Helnik=yesssss

My cinnamon roll Wylan

Jesper, Inej, and Wylan hijacking a fjierdan tank=high speed chase but with teenagers

The 180* that Van Eck and Kaz kept doing in the end, omg

Van Eck being a total evilness, man I wanted to smack him

Inej almost giving up on escaping

Kaz pushed Wylan against the wall about to kill him

Jesper’s father being afraid of Little Jesper being killed cuz Jes being grisha

Speaking of that, I did not see that coming

Kaz and Jesper getting into a fight and Wylan and Kuweii being the only ones concerned

Jesper Llewellyn Fahey

Jesper kissing Kuweii thinking he was Wylan

Wylan being broken-hearted

Them making up ahhhhh

The auction….that’s it that’s the only thing

Matthias being shot

Him going to Nina to say he loves her

Chapter 40= I tossed the book and dramatic screamed (not actually screaming)

Omg, Wylan finding out his mother aint dead but in a rehab place bruhhhhh

Kaz reuniting Inej with her parents

Kaz’s small steps of touching people again

Overall: 10/10 I’m biased about this duology

Nikolai Duology

Nikolai transforming into darkling creature at night is the equivalent of a werewolf turning at night (depending if we do every full moon and all that)

Nina burying Matthias’ body 😭

He found peace

Nina being the best necromancer grisha

Nina wanting to choke the ever living death out of Brun

Genya and David being married

Nadia and Tomar being married

David threating the monk

The monk 🤦🏾‍♀️

Wait no, the “Starless Saint” Cult 🤦🏾‍♀️

Nina mentioning about the Crows, mentally not verbally

Kuweii setting a tree on fire

The fold universe is very confusing

Sankta Eve…whats her name betraying them all to bring Darkling to life

Zoya being amazing as always

The Apparat really needs to die

I cannot stand that dude

The attenpted assination on Nikolai and Princess Shu (I forgot her name)

Isaak willingly to take Nikolai’s place while he in the fold

Isaak falling in love with Princess Shu

Or should i say “Princess Shu”

Isaak deserved better

Darkling ressurected 🙄

Nina and Hanne 💜

Freakin Brum I swear

Ramus deserved to die

Alina, Mal, Misha, and Oncat cameo

The Crows cameo!

Inej cameo in the end!

“Captain Ghafa”

Darking decided to give a redemption

Why….just why

Zoya turning into a dragon, that’s my zoya!

Nikolai turning into darkling creature to risk Ravka’s future

Brum being exile

Mwhahah

Hanne tailored as Ramus bruhhhh

I feel like Hanne is a trans coded character, I’ll go depth in another post

Freakin fjeirda in general

Fjeirda soldiers bowing down to “Sankta Zoya”

Nikolai stepping down the throne

Giving the throne to Zoya!

Queen Zoya

David’s death….I was not prepared for that 😭

Inej suspecting Alina to be actually Alina to Nikolai

Nikolai brushing her off as an old friend from the country

“I need Stormund to send a message to Kaz Brekker. I have a job for him”

Not word for word but ya know

Six of Crows 3??!?!?!! Ahhh

Overall: 8/10 loved it!

#booklr #bookish #bookworm #bookaddict #books #bookaholic #bookstagram #book review #booklover #booknerd #book #booksofinstagram #shadow and bone #the grisha trilogy #grishaverse #siege and storm #ruin and rising #six of crows #crooked kingdom #king of scars #rule of wolves #bookstack #its the book life #booklife #booklbr

[lilisouless]

Ruin and Rising has it´s problems.

The whole "Mal is an amplifier" is a big issue, not because it doesn't make sense, but because it should have been brought up earlier instead of dragged on near the end for the sake of the plot twist.

It would had been good ,having at least half the book wondering the moral issues of killing him, what would be the diference on killing him and hunting the animals, how Mal fells about it, it would have been a nice chance but it was kind of wasted and it felt like it only justified Mal´s reason to exist (which was not really a given the rest of the book)

Also, it would have worked in favor of the romantic subplot, finally a conflict that does make sense and doesn't make the characters unlikeable.

Another thing: let´s give Sergei a big standing ovation for becoming my least favorite character in the whole grishaverse. Congratulations!

Despite all this, i´ll gain the hate of many, many people, but i´ll say it: is still the best book in the trilogy. I´ll take all of the previous things over the stupid and forced teenage romantic drama on the second one and whatever the hell was the first one.

There is more develoment here, more things happening , hell Alina´s lack of a personality is actually kind of a plot point here. There are a little more fleshed out scenes on side characters, ex: the part when everyone is talking about Baghra is an actually example of good exposition without making it feel unatural.

Alina is probably at her best here, she is not amazing by any means , nor groundbreaking, interesting , but she is fine .Fine is way more that i would give SaB or even SaS Alina , so please don't push it. Is clear Leigh didn't want to write with her anymore by that point so this was her farewell.I like that her morality is questioned, i can undestand if she is anyone´s favorite character , after all: she is writen as an audience stand in first and character last, but if i talk about the grishaverse to someone , i wouldn't keep Alina as a highlight,but again, she is fine ,tolerable and even sympathetic. It completely fails at making her tridimentional or a grey character but it does suceed at making people root for her.

Also some dynamics were nice, Zoya´s banther with Harshaw ,Alina and Nikolai is pretty good here not gonna lie. I actually think in alternate universe where Zoya and Mal didn't exist (and therefore the shippers wouldn't bash them to dead) i would actually be on board of the ship. In fact, my problem with the ship is how Alina never loved Nik that way and unrrequided relationships/the losing spare of the love triangle , are kind of a huge pet peeve for me.If Alina had romantic feelings for Nikolai and had choosen him, i would have gladly supported the desition.

Speaking of romance, a lot of momments were quite tender. I stand for what i said earlier: Mal and Alina´s romance really didn't had to exist, but still have actually sweet interactions since the reviled book 1, Genya and David had only one but wasn't it charming? (although the kiss was a little awkward)

For the ending and Alina´s fate, i don't have a veredict yet, i´ll have to sleep on it, so i won't say it here. since i am not sure. The only thing i´ll say: i hate ressurection in an universe where is not common, so you can imagine that i did not like this plot point. As the ending itself my feelings are tooo mixed up, like i said; i have yet to decide what i think of it since any of my inmediate feelings are interrumped with a "but"

But overall, i actually enjoyed Ruin and Rising quite a lot and from the trilogy, is my favorite.I do like how i changed my mind about some characters and relationships.,some of them worked , some didn't but that´s pretty normal.

And there are things that i hope the show fix, specially the Mal amplifier problem, that one needs to be in check.

The good news is that the biggest issue i have with this book, the one thing i truly hated,that made me say "oh please" and "shut up" so many times actually already was fixed in the show so no problem there.

#reading ruin and rising #spoilers ruin and rising #spoilers shadow and bone #sab spoilers #malina #tagged so mutuals won't see it #or see it with a warning #genyavid #safyk