Review: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Crooked Kingdom

Series: Six of Crows #2 | Grishaverse #5

Previous book in this series: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: YA, high fantasy, adventure

Publication date: September 2016

Published by: Henry Holt and Co.

Source: Borrowed ebook from library

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Synopsis: Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts 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.

My rating: ★★★★★

If you couldn’t beat the odds, you changed the game.

I am so glad I had this book handy right after finishing Six of Crows, because omg that ending with Inej? BRUTAL.

She was Inej Ghafa, and she would not quiver like a rabbit in a snare. Wherever I am, I just have to get out.

This book picks up right where that one left off, with Kaz scheming, of course, trying to get Inej back and plotting a little revenge against Van Eck. It was kinda cute how intense Kaz was in trying to get Inej back... in a messed up sort of way... and it was also kinda scary.

Kaz is a scary guy! But also, he’s brilliant and he cares even if he doesn’t show it. I like him, okay? 😆 In my review of Six of Crows I mentioned that one of my favorite things about it (I mean, besides literally everything 😆) was some of the character development. Well, we got a ton more character development in the sequel, including Kaz trying to work out his trauma and parse through his feelings for the Wraith. He did so many sweet things for her at the end of the book that if I had not been reading this in public, I would have cried.

“I would come for you,” he said, and when he saw the wary look she shot him, he said it again. “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. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”

(My heart! 😍) Actually, the end of this book as a whole would’ve made me cry multiple times had I not been reading it in public! Especially a certain death that happened... It’s been a week or two since I finished this book and I’m still not okay!

How dare you Leigh Bardugo?! 😭

But back to talking about happier things, like how freaking cute Nina and Matthias were!

Matthias coming to terms with the fact that the Grisha aren’t as bad as he was led to believe has been one of my favorite things to witness! Even in this book, he’s continuing to grow as a person as he spends more time with Nina and the rest of the crew. I just love Matthias and I appreciate the growth he’s been through.

But poor Nina! 😭 In order the save them in the last book she had to take parem and now she’s suffering the consequences of that in this book! 😭 I was SO worried about her throughout this entire book! Seeing her struggle with her need for more of the drug was incredibly heartbreaking. And not only that, but her powers were acting strange, so she had to contend with that too. But the way Matthias was so supportive of her... I loved that! And Nina is such a badass, even in the state she was in! She and Inej are just incredible in their own way! I love a badass girly!

And the boys were great too, I suppose... I'm kidding! I love them! Lol. 😆 Matthias is a BEAST! Which I guess shouldn’t be surprising because he was a soldier. And Kaz? Omg. Limp and a cane or no, that boy is incredible in a fight! There was this one part in the book where he dislocated some guy’s knee (which 🤢) and then he goes on to tell that guy that he recommends he use a cane!!

I can’t! 😂 I am clearly an action sort of girl, and this book was filled with it! It made me so happy! Especially because it was so well done and filled with tension! There were parts where Kaz’s plans would go all sorts of wrong and it was absolute chaos and then they would have to come up with a new plan... it was stressful but it was fun! Especially Kaz’s scheming! I loved seeing his plans come together because more often than not, he threw an Uno Reverse card in there that totally caught me off guard! It was great!

And then we have Jesper who is an amazing shot. Wylan actually had a very interesting theory about that and it made a lot of sense...

And speaking of those two boys... Another cute couple! 😍 I mean, they weren’t a couple, but their banter and flirtation was so freaking cute! I especially loved how Jesper loved to make Wylan blush. It was so cute! But more than that, I just really liked how they all became such good friends. In the last book, we found out Wylan was Van Eck’s son and that he left home because his father is an absolute asshole when he realized Wylan could not be taught to read. The poor kid. He probably has some sort of severe form of dyslexia, and here his father is being not only unsupportive but a straight-up dick about it! Well, in this book we get a little more insight into how exactly Wylan left him, and let me tell you it was horrifying! The things that poor kid has been through! 😭 Even writing this is making me teary-eyed because Wylan is such a good kid and did not deserve to have a father like that.

Wylan summoned every bit of bravado he’d learned from Nina, the will he’d learned from Matthias, the focus he’d studied in Kaz, the courage he’d learned from Inej, and the wild, reckless hope he’d learned from Jesper, the belief that no matter the odds, somehow they would win.

And I am so glad he had Jesper at his side when things got tough because boy did things get tough!

“You’re stupid about a lot of things, Wylan, but you are not stupid. And if I ever hear you call yourself a moron again, I’m going to tell Matthias you tried to kiss Nina. With tongue.”
Wylan wiped his nose on his sleeve. “He’ll never believe it.”
“Then I’ll tell Nina you tried to kiss Matthias. With tongue.”

Stop making me laugh when I want to cry! 😭😂 But the banter and friendship were another thing I loved about this! Seeing the characters grow individually AND grow close as friends... it was so good!

Until this moment, Wylan hadn’t quite understood how much they meant to him. His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn’t keep out of the red. But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he’d had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.

He’s so sweet and precious! 😭

I just loved this book and I am so glad I decided to give this series a chance. The story and action were great, the characters and their developing relationships with one another were fantastic, and the banter...

“You’re hungry?” said Inej.
They all goggled at Nina. She curtsied. “Yes, yes, Nina Zenik is hungry. Now will someone feed me before I’m forced to cook one of you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Jesper. “You don’t know how to cook.”

It was SO good! Even though the ending was brutal and bittersweet and I most certainly would have cried had I not been reading this in public, I enjoyed the hell out of this! I am very much looking forward to reading more of the Grishaverse! When I first started this duology I wasn’t intending on it, but now I gotta! I finally understand why everyone loves Leigh Bardugo... She’s an amazing writer!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊