Read every series in the right order
King of Scars Books in Chronological Order – Complete Reading Guide
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King of Scars & Rule of Wolves Set
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King of Scars: Book One of Duology
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King of Scars: King of Scars Duology, Book 1
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Rule of Wolves: Book Two of Duology
Table of Contents
Quick Answer (TL;DR)
- Reading order (and publication order) are the same:
- King of Scars → 2) Rule of Wolves
- If you’re new to the Grishaverse, you’ll get maximum payoff by reading first:
- Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Shadow and Bone; Siege and Storm; Ruin and Rising)
- Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows; Crooked Kingdom)
- This guide uses King of Scars Books in Chronological Order to preserve character reveals, political twists, and lore across Ravka, Fjerda, and beyond.
Introduction
Leigh Bardugo’s King of Scars duology is where the Grishaverse grows up. We return to Ravka after cataclysm and revolution to find a nation short on soldiers and long on scars. At the center: Nikolai Lantsov, the charming king with a monster problem; Zoya Nazyalensky, the blade-sharp general who refuses to bury one more friend; and Nina Zenik, the spy whose grief becomes a weapon.
Tonal shift? Definitely. The heist-y swagger of Six of Crows gives way to statecraft, saint-lore, and post-war reckoning, without losing Bardugo’s signature verve. Read the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order and you’ll get the right sequence of political gambits, saintly secrets, and character evolutions that make the duology sing.
Top Rated
King of Scars: Book One of Duology
A captivating fantasy adventure awaits.
Delve into the world of Grishaverse with this thrilling novel that follows young rulers defending their nation. Experience magic, intrigue, and conflict in a beautifully crafted narrative.
Quick Facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Series | King of Scars Duology (Grishaverse) |
| Books | King of Scars (1), Rule of Wolves (2) |
| Author | Leigh Bardugo |
| Primary Setting | Ravka, Fjerda, Ketterdam-adjacent threads; saint sites & deep magic locales |
| Approx. Pages | KoS: ~500–520 pp · RoW: ~590–620 pp (varies by edition) |
| Read Time (avg.) | ~10–13 hrs each in print; ~15–19 hrs each on audio |
| Reading Difficulty | Moderate (rich lore, multi-POV politics, battle/magic sequences) |
| Genres | YA/NA Epic Fantasy · Political Fantasy · Romantic Subplots |
| High-Level Content Warnings | War & battlefield peril; body horror/possession themes; grief & bereavement; religious zealotry; torture/ imprisonment; traumatic loss; xenophobia; state violence |
| Media Adaptations | Grishaverse world adapted for Netflix’s Shadow and Bone (includes characters/events overlapping with this era); complete audiobooks available |
| Ideal Age Range | 14+ (violent conflict & darker themes); popular with adult fantasy readers too |
About the King of Scars Book Series
The King of Scars duology is a bridge and a brass-tacks reboot. It inherits the emotional bill from the Shadow and Bone war, the fallout from the Crows’ escapades, and the spiritual fractures of a world that just fought a saint and a tyrant in the same breath. Bardugo pivots from a “chosen-one vs. darkness” frame to questions like: How do nations heal? What does power cost? When do saints save—and when do they break?
You’ll track three converging currents:
- Nikolai’s reign: diplomacy, munitions, alliances, and the literal demon that won’t let him sleep.
- Zoya’s ascent: grief-hardened competence, rediscovered faith, and the price of becoming a weapon.
- Nina’s covert war: undercover ops in Fjerda, navigating grief, prejudice, and a new, volatile power.
Reading the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order keeps those arcs interlocked, so every sacrifice, swerve, and victory lands with its intended force.
King of Scars Books at a Glance
| Title | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|
| King of Scars (Book 1) | Buy on Amazon |
| Rule of Wolves (Book 2) | Buy on Amazon |
King of Scars Books in Chronological Order
1) King of Scars
The setup: Ravka’s crown sits uneasy on Nikolai’s head. He’s juggling empty coffers, border threats, and a residual darkness that shouldn’t be possible after the war. To save his country, he must confront secrets older than saints, and find help among those who know how faith and fury intertwine: a young monk with dangerous ideas and a general who has learned to live with loss without letting it rule her.
Why it belongs first: It establishes the stakes of the post-war political map and the metaphysical rules that will matter later. You’ll get the groundwork for saint-lore, the contours of Fjerda’s zealotry, and exactly how far Ravka has to go to become secure again. Crucially, it sets Nikolai’s internal war in motion, so every later choice feels earned.
2) Rule of Wolves
The escalation: War drums. Assassins. A covert network unraveling in enemy streets. Fjerda sharpens its knives, Shu Han plays its long game, and Ravka must decide what it’s willing to trade—blood, bargains, or its soul. Zoya confronts the highest cost of power; Nina gambles her heart and cover; Nikolai courts miracles while keeping the monster at bay.
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King of Scars & Rule of Wolves Set
Two exciting books for Grishaverse lovers.
This collection brings you both epic novels from the King of Scars duology. Enjoy a seamless journey through a richly imagined world filled with memorable characters and intense storytelling.
Why second: This is the reckoning the first book promises. Political threads fuse with saintly revelations, and the consequences cascade across borders. Reading the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order preserves the long fuse that makes the finale satisfying (and a little devastating).
Series Timeline & Character Development
Nikolai Lantsov — Prince of Plans → King of Scars → Something New
- Before KoS: War-tempered charmer, inventor-minded strategist, allergic to despair.
- KoS: The crown is heavier than wit can lift. He must navigate famine, spies, and a demonic residue that intrudes on statecraft and sanity.
- RoW: Leads in full view of enemies and saints. The question stops being “Can he win?” and becomes “What does winning turn him into?”
Zoya Nazyalensky — Weapon → General → Legend
- Before KoS: Discipline forged in loss, loyalty sharpened to an edge.
- KoS: Keeps Ravka standing through logistics, hard calls, and a refusal to die for men who don’t plan well. Begins a spiritual re-engagement that complicates her anger.
- RoW: Faces the cost of becoming the country’s last line. Her arc reframes strength as transformation, not just endurance.
Nina Zenik — Soldier → Widow → Spy
- Before KoS: Heartrender with a taste for waffles, chaos, and the right kind of wrong.
- KoS: Undercover in Fjerda, wielding sorrow and a new, unsettling power. The mission is liberation, but the battlefield is grief as much as geopolitics.
- RoW: The lies get heavier; the work gets truer. Nina’s story interrogates vengeance vs. justice without blinking.
The World — Aftermath → Awakening → Accountability
- Ravka must feed people and fight wars simultaneously.
- Fjerda leans harder into religious nationalism, forcing questions about mercy and resistance.
- Shu Han and the Kerch sphere move like chess players measured in centuries.
- Saint-lore stops being bedtime stories and becomes operational intelligence.
Novels Sorted by In-Universe Events
- King of Scars
- Rule of Wolves
(Chronology matches publication; read the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order for proper buildup.)
Novels Sorted by Publication
- King of Scars
- Rule of Wolves
Companion Works (what to read around the duology)
While you can jump straight in, the Grishaverse shines brightest when you’ve read the earlier arcs:
- Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Shadow and Bone; Siege and Storm; Ruin and Rising) — Sets up Ravka, the Second Army, and the cataclysm that leaves so many scars.
- Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows; Crooked Kingdom) — Important context for Nina Zenik, Kerch/Fjerda relations, and the price of power in the Barrel(Six of Crows Reading Guide).
- The Language of Thorns — Dark fairy tales that enrich saint-lore and cultural texture.
- The Lives of Saints — In-world hagiography; understanding saints matters more than you think.
- Demon in the Wood (Graphic Novel) — Origin material for prior conflicts and the mythic figures who shaped Ravka’s history.
- The Severed Moon (Journal) — Reflective prompts in-world; not required, but a lovely companion for fans.
If your time is short, at least skim Ruin and Rising and Crooked Kingdom before you begin. It will make the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order experience far richer.
Top Rated
King of Scars: Book One of Duology
A captivating fantasy adventure awaits.
Delve into the world of Grishaverse with this thrilling novel that follows young rulers defending their nation. Experience magic, intrigue, and conflict in a beautifully crafted narrative.
Editions & Formats (hardcover, collector, audio)
Hardcover
Must-Have
King of Scars: King of Scars Duology, Book 1
Experience the beginnings of an epic tale.
This first installment of the duology introduces readers to a rich fantasy world filled with bravery, love, and betrayal. Follow the heroes as they navigate political turmoil and personal challenges.
- The go-to for collectors. Sturdy, often with beautiful dust jackets, foiled spines, and occasional endpaper art or maps. U.S./U.K. editions may have different cover treatments—many fans collect both.
Paperback
- Budget-friendly and backpack-ready. If you love annotations, paperbacks take margin notes and sticky tabs like a champ.
Kindle/eBook
- Great for traveling and instant lookup of names, places, and saints. Search makes it easy to track political threads and lore call-backs.
Audiobook
- Lush production and distinctive performances. The emotional beats—Nikolai’s gallows humor, Zoya’s iron steadiness, Nina’s undercover resilience—land beautifully in audio. If you’re lore-driven, consider a print + audio pairing.
Collector & Special Editions
- Expect periodic sprayed edges, alternate art, or bonus content from major retailers and book boxes. If an art-heavy shelf is your vibe, watch the publisher’s and author’s channels for drops.
Pro tip: If you’re gifting, pair King of Scars (HC) with The Lives of Saints for a thematic set that looks stunning.
Why Read King of Scars Books in Chronological Order?
Because this duology is a political & spiritual crescendo. The plot is an architecture of moves and countermoves—treaties, assassinations, divine interventions—and the heart of it is what war and faith do to people who are trying to love a country without being devoured by it.
Trending Now
Rule of Wolves: Book Two of Duology
The thrilling conclusion to King of Scars.
In this gripping sequel, loyalties are tested and destinies collide in a land on the brink of war. The conclusion of the duology promises intense emotions and unexpected twists.
Reading the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order gives you:
- Cause → effect integrity: Every choice in Book 1 detonates in Book 2.
- Character payoff: Zoya’s ascension, Nina’s healing, Nikolai’s gamble—none of it works out of order.
- Lore coherence: Saint-lore, miracles, and monsters slot into place like cogs; shuffled reading blunts the reveals.
Short version: the emotional math only balances if you follow the sequence.
Author Spotlight
Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of the Grishaverse and the adult fantasy duology Ninth House/Hell Bent. Her work blends sleek plotting with folklore grit and a gift for morally haunted characters. Bardugo’s short fiction appears in top anthologies; she has also served as an associate fellow at Yale’s Pauli Murray College.
If you love found families with knives, princes with terrible secrets, girls who become storms, and fairy tales that bite back, you’re in the right catalog.
Media Adaptations (films, TV, audio)
- Netflix: Shadow and Bone — Brings multiple Grishaverse threads to screen, including characters tied to this era of the canon. If you’re screen-first, Season 2 touches elements that dovetail with the King of Scars timeline.
- Audiobooks — Unabridged, widely available, and fan-favorite renditions.
- No standalone KoS film/TV has been announced as of this writing; keep an eye on official channels for updates.
FAQs
What is the correct reading order for the King of Scars duology?
Read the King of Scars Books in Chronological Order: 1) King of Scars, then 2) Rule of Wolves. Chronology matches publication.
Do I need to read Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows first?
It’s strongly recommended. You’ll better understand Ravka’s politics, saint-lore, and major character histories (especially Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina).
Is the duology YA or adult?
Marketed as YA fantasy but widely read by adults. Expect war violence, grief, body horror elements, and political themes; we suggest 14+.
How dark does it get?
High-stakes warfare, torture/imprisonment, religious extremism, and possession/body horror themes. Check content warnings if you’re sensitive to these topics.
Are there romances?
Yes, as subplots—slow-burn, complicated, and threaded through duty and grief rather than dominating the geopolitical storyline.
Is there a TV adaptation of King of Scars?
The wider Grishaverse is adapted in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone. As of now, no separate King of Scars–only series has been announced.
How long will it take me to read?
Most readers report ~10–13 hours per book in print (longer on audio). Pairing audio + eBook is a great way to keep momentum.
What should I read after Rule of Wolves?
If you want deeper lore vibes: The Language of Thorns and The Lives of Saints. For a tonal shift into Bardugo’s adult work: Ninth House and Hell Bent (non-Grishaverse).
Final Thoughts
The King of Scars Books in Chronological Order give you a duology that’s equal parts siege map and sacred text—statecraft with teeth, faith shot through with fear, and characters who keep choosing hope anyway. Read in sequence, and you’ll feel the full weight of the crown, the storm, and the spyglass. Whether you come for Nikolai’s impossible plans, Zoya’s ferocity, or Nina’s iron heart, you’ll stay for the way Bardugo lets power change people and then dares them to become better than their worst day.
