King of Scars

Nikolai Lantsov is the titular character, the King of Scars, so called for the black-lined scars covering his hands, “a reminder of the torture he had endured at the hands of the Darkling—and the price he had paid alongside his country” (16). As the title character, he is the main protagonist of the narrative. He is king of Ravka and therefore the natural leader of those around him. Like stereotypical young rulers, Nikolai is arrogant; however, his arrogance hides his insecurities and self-doubt. Nikolai carries a secret that only those closest to him know: He often transforms into a monster at night and flees the palace, hunting for prey.

While Nikolai is motivated to protect Ravka from outside threats and his monstrous self, most of the plot is driven by his journey of self-acceptance. In the beginning, he repeats, “The monster is me and I am the monster” whenever he feels the monster writhing inside him (89). Once face-to-face with the monster who taunts his self-doubt, Nikolai embraces his identity as the monster: “I am the monster and the monster is me” (446). Interchanging the subjects in the parallel-structured sentence clauses (sometimes called a