Journal 5

The king of Scars is a fantasy fiction book by Leigh Bardugo.

A comparison/ contrast of related characters- protagonist/antagonist, foils, stereotypes

Nikolai is an ENTP while Nina Zenik Is an ESFP. Nikolai’s personality is cunning and charismatic, sly and
sarcastic, and he's hilarious. He responds to everyone with a witty remark. Nikolai is always one step
ahead of the current and thinks things through without ever panicking. He is very clever, conjuring up
various ideas and methods for new inventions and tactics. Nina on the other hand is bold, loud, and
hilarious. She has a terrible singing voice and loves to indulge in food like cake, waffles, and toffees.
Despite her forwardness, Nina is shown to also be extremely charming and even forms a strong bond
with Inej. However, above all her other traits, Nina is very loyal to her Ravkan roots and deems herself a
Grisha soldier to the Second Army first, always putting her country's needs before hers. Nikolai was
betrayed while Nina was the one who betrayed someone. When Nikolai undergoes the ritual to break
free from the monster inside him, Elizaveta betrays him, revealing that she had secretly saved the
Darkling's body from its funeral pyre and intends not to destroy him, but to bring him back to life. Yuri
has been helping her and deliberately betrays Nikolai. Nina handed Matthias over to a Kerch trader in
order to protect Matthias from Ravkan spies, but Matthias was wounded by her betrayal. Matthias was
sentenced to Hell gate; Nina stayed in Ketterdam for over a year, hoping to free him. When Kaz finally
agrees to get Matthias out, Nina is overjoyed to see him again. Both have lost someone important to
them, Nikolai has lost Alina while Nina lost Matthias. We can really tell that Matthias had a big impact on
Nina as she images that he is talking to her and helps her character development. It states “’I should
have killed him when I had the chance.’ ‘You showed mercy, Nina. Never regret that.’ But mercy was a
luxury Matthias could afford. He was dead, after all. ‘It seems rude to mention that, my love.’”. This
establishes Nina’s view of the world as well as the effect Matthias’ death has on her mind. In the
beginning, his voice acts as an extra part of her inner thoughts.