The kind of book for which the term "rollicking" was invented, full of heists and misdirections and double-crosses. I still don't really buy most of the main characters as teenagers, but I found this a definite step up from the first book in this duology in terms of Leigh Bardugo's sense of stakes and consequences. I really enjoyed Crooked Kingdom and I'll definitely read more from Bardugo in the future. ( )

In love with this duology. So so so good. ( )

CW/TW: Violence, fantasy violence, mentions of sex-trafficking and sex work, death, zombies

RATING: 4/5

REVIEW: Crooked Kingdom is the conclusion to Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology. It picks up right where Six of Crows leaves off and is the conclusion to that story.

This book, even more than the first, is a book that needs to be read closely. The plot is a bit on the complicated side and the reader needs to concentrate in order to understand everything that is going on. This isn’t something wrong with the book – it’s just not the sort of book. you can skim while watching TV. At least, I couldn’t.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the characters developed more – like I said in my review of Six of Crows, the characters are one of the very best parts of this duology. Each character has monumental development in this book, and that’s really fun to see.

I also loved following the plot to the very end, and seeing how everything came down for everyone involved.

In all, a very exciting and interesting book. ( )

[b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] and [b:Crooked Kingdom|22299763|Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456172607s/22299763.jpg|42090179] worked together really well as a duology. With the first book more of a heist, fast-paced and relatively straight-forward, Crooked Kingdom is a complicated con, with twists and turns that wrap up all the loose threads from both books.

Kaz Brekker is again the standout character, his brilliant mind and ruthless ambition make him fascinating to read. The conflict between his desire to destroy Pekka Rollins and his complex feelings for Inej provides the most interesting threads, particularly when it comes to Kaz's inability to touch another person's skin without flashbacks and a panic attack.

Pekka Rollins and Jan Van Eck were suitable villains, the extent of their malice expanding from Six of Crows. Van Eck in particular was a great villain, serving to expand the perspective of his son, Wylan, who did not get his own point of view chapters in the previous book. Wylan's relatively innocent disposition works well in contrast to the personalities of the other characters, particularly with Jesper, with whom he starts a sweet romance.

Actually, I found all three of the romances enjoyable, their relationships changing and growing, each matching the characters' personal growth. Matthias and Nina's contentious relationship from the previous book morphs into a full romance, with both of them fully accepting their feelings. Matthias coming to terms with his betrayal of his homeland and embracing all of Nina, including her Grisha powers, was lovely. Jasper and and Wylan's burgeoning relationship is characterized by support and understanding, something Jasper had run from and Wylan had been missing. As always, Kaz and Inez were the most interesting; their backstories were so traumatizing for them that they struggle to connect in ways they know should be easy for them so their final scene together where they hold hands felt exactly right for their characters.

Despite the length, Bardugo manages to make Crooked Kingdom a fun, rollicking read, the action and plotting never stalling or fading into boring exposition. Everything wrapped up into a nice little bow at the end, except for Matthias' rather unexpected death. It's not that my frustration with his death is because I objected to one of the crew losing their life in their capers, but that it felt tacked on. If anything, it should have been earlier in the story. But that minor quibble didn't hinder my overall enjoyment of the story. ( )

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