Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom
By Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows #2
Hardcover: 546 pages
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ( 5 out of 5 Stars )

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Related Reviews: | Six of Crows | Young Elites |
Categories: Fantasy, Magic

When you can't beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Jesus. This book took me on a rollercoaster ride of every possible emotion known to the human spectrum. I loved it and I hated it so much. Miss Bardugo managed to make me fall in love with these flawed misfits, only to rip my heart from my chest and stomp on it. And then she did a little dance on the remains while laughing a maniacal laugh. I could be being a bit dramatic, but in the midst of being stuck in this world, I felt my heart shatter over and over again. I'm not really sure if I loved it more than I hated it, but I think that I did. Sigh.

Kaz is indescribable with only my mere writing skills. He is bad ass in every way, and quite possibly, my favorite book character of all time. There is no sticky situation that he cannot claw his way out of. His brokenness only makes me love him more, and his weakness for Inej is beautiful and heartbreaking. It makes him more human, but it also brings out the darkness that lurks inside. I witnessed his character progression through this series, and I enjoyed every single minute that I got to spend with Dirtyhands. He is cunning, intelligent, insane, and hell bent on a vengeance that no one understands.

"Slowly, Kaz began to let the man's legs slide through his grasp. It's terrible, isn't it? Knowing someone holds your life in his hands."

The reader gets to witness a softer side of him in Crooked Kingdom, or as soft as Kaz will ever be. It was a gift, and quite unexpected, so thank you Miss Bardugo.

"I would come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together- knives drawn, pistols blazing."

Inej is amazing. Her skills as The Wraith are phenomenal, and I am always impressed with her ability to master any challenge put forth. Her confidence in herself is breathtaking. Her and Kaz are the perfect team, and together, it seems that they cannot fail. Until they do. The way that they both were able to pick themselves up from the depths of their defeat to keep going, to save themselves and their friends. There was no bitching or complaining, mourning in self pity. It was back to the drawing board to come up with an even more insane plan.

Nina and Matthius. I shipped them so much throughout this series. I was beyond happy that they decided to move past the betrayals and try to have a relationship in the middle of the craziness that is Ketterdam. The same goes for Jesper and Wylan. Those two are freaking adorable and perfect for each other. I enjoyed Wylan's character progression from the pampered son to the barrel thug. It was a slow transformation, but in the end, he turns out to be the perfect addition to the Dregs. All in all, these six characters are some of the best written book friends that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Their attitudes are refreshing, their strength is staggering, and while their intentions are not always what I would call good, they do have their best interests in mind while concocting their hare-brained schemes.

"No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose."

This book was so well written, and I loved all the twists and turns. Miss Bardugo is the master of crazy plot twists, insane schemes, and writing fights. I never get tired of reading her action scenes. This book could have been filled with back to back Inej vs Dunyasha battles and I would have been ecstatic, as long as Wylan and Jesper were there to make witty quips back and forth. (:

Related Reviews
| Six of Crows | Young Elites | Red Queen |

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