Crooked Kingdom Collector's Edition (Six of Crows) Hardcover – September 5, 2019

Rating: 5 StarsI previously reviewed Six of Crows and I LOVED it! I was so devastated by the ending. Inej was taken and I just couldn’t believe that ending after everything they went through being beat down at the very end. Now our crew is beat down, separated, and tired but they are not out for the count. They have to regroup and come up with more plans. Their lives are more dangerous than ever and old allies could just as easily be enemies these days. When you go up against the more powerful in Ketterdam you need to have more than luck to save you.I didn’t listen to the first book I read it through but having listened to this one I really enjoyed the narration and how each character had a different narrator. As we see the story from different POVs hearing a different person with a different accent and style was really rather thrilling. I now picture certain accents with the characters that I didn’t before but now seem so natural. The multiple POVs is something I loved because it gave us all the information we needed but seeing things from different views you see how everyone can hear/see the same things but take away different things from it. All of their prospective are important and play off one another. They each have something to bring to the table, the same thing that made them special in the first book we just know and love them more. Each of our characters has a special place in my heart. Kaz and his cold and clinical way of looking at things in terms of what they do for him or how they can be used in the future. Inej and her ability to blend into any shadow and disappear yet despite her life she still has a kindness and good heart to her. Nina who is far from her home but will risk her own life for those she loves. Mathis and his turbulent inner battle between what he was raised to believe and what he has seen and felt to be true. Jesper in his flawed and self-destructive nature full of charm and good intensions. And Wylan the son who has always felt less than and flawed for his inability but has found a home and people who see his abilities rather than flaws.“Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the people who wrong them too. They don’t forget. They tell each other who to look after and who to watch out for.”All of my crows were in my heart and I couldn’t wait for them to save Inej because they had to. I had no other option in my head. Well that is the start of the plan, save Inej and get revenge on Van Eck. He has no only betrayed them and tried to have them killed after they upheld their side of the plan but more he did that and took one of theirs and when you have so many enemies your reputation is important in helping fend off the wolves. I loved all the different plots and schemes from the first page to get Inej and the revenge they deserve. To get what is owed and set things right because no monster like Van Eck can be left standing. There is a difference between being a criminal and being a criminal with no value behind your word. Some things are sacred.Things don’t go as planned. Oh so many beautifully crafted plans and of course wrenches thrown into the mix. I am struggling so hard to review this book without spoiling things because there is so much happening. So many little subplots that take place and all the little details that are just amazing. Like seeing characters from the original Grisha series come into play and go toe to toe with Kaz and crew. One of the best moments. Inej, some of her chapters just broke my heart. Her captivity, the flashes back to when she was forced to work in the menagerie before Kaz saved her. So powerful. Bardugo has really captured so much emotion within the story. Things are in chaos all around them but still even between the plotting, scheming, running, and fighting they were able to have such deep moments between one another. They care for one another deeply even if they fight. Even if they don’t always show it. A few lines in particular that just hit me in all the feels….“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.”I was rooting for my characters and rooting for others to get what was coming to them because they are just so dang vile. Seriously. Nina is struggling with her addiction and how it has changed her and her power. While Mathis sees just how wrong he was and his hope to try and help others see like he did. Oh but his time with Nina being there for her through it all…I adore him. Kaz and Inej are both so different but they are so good together and understanding one another in a way that no one else can. Both damaged. Both strong and weak. Both with baggage. I love this and shipped them so hard! And of course we had a bit of a spark between the wild card Jesper and our shy and quite Wylan which is adorable how they come to count on one another and support one another in times of need. Each of them have their own journeys to work through and I enjoyed being there as they went through them. They knew the odds for the life they chose to lead.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.The story and pacing of this book was so well done for me. With the larger overall story but full of side stories and little inner stories that just made a more developed adventure. The pacing was on point and it felt like you were there with them rushed and escaping death one moment then having a few moments to regroup. It never let you fully off the edge of your seat but kept you leaning there ready to go. My poor heart was a mess keeping up with it.This book was everything. One of my favorite series by far. I loved everything. Even the end that had me sobbing. Okay several parts of the book had me choking back tears for several different reasons. My heart raced through it all and even though I took my time reading it fearing the end and while I wish I had more and parts made me sad I love it. It is such a fitting end (minus one part I don’t think I’ll ever get over) for this story and this crew. It started with one job and ended with so much more. I love this book and I would highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone.

Crooked Kingdom. I am not even sure I can put into words how much I love this duology. They are just in a league of their own in the YA fantasy world. The characters are all so well developed, diverse and relatable. The heists they pull off are clever, planned out and always keep you guessing. And the world itself is amazing, with its rich detail, Ketterdam becomes another character in the plot because of the significant role it plays in Crooked Kingdom and we also get a map of it at the beginning of the novel which I found myself turning to constantly to see exactly where the characters were.Crooked Kingdom picks up right where we left off in Six of Crows, with Kaz and crew trying to get Inej and their money back. It is the same format as well, switching points of view to get a well-rounded story and different aspects of each scheme as it is being pulled off so you can see it from all angles which I loved. It is very Ocean’s Eleven with almost a steampunk element thrown in which was just fascinating to me. There were several jobs pulled off throughout the duration of this 500 plus page novel and while I figured out some aspects of the jobs, I was left amazed at Bardugo’s ability to write such excellent twists into each one. She does an amazing job of having you look one way, when the real action is happening somewhere else. You would think I would have figured out their tricks by now, but they still had a couple up their sleeves every now and then that I did not see coming at all and I love that about this book!I also enjoyed how the backstory of the characters continues to expand and the way it was interweaved in to the jobs themselves as they were being pulled off. Inej might be in the middle of jumping from rooftop to rooftop and we learned about her family and how she learned to start walking on wires. It was done so brilliantly that I did not feel a lull in the story, I was eager to learn more about the characters and found myself wanting more from each one. That is what I will miss the most about these books, the people in them. I loved each person so much, I want to know more about their lives in the future and in the past. I am hoping that Leigh will come back to this world someday so we can dive even further into their lives once more.The only element that I did have a small issue with were the references to the Ruin and Rising series. In Six of Crows, those references are there, but it was very easy to navigate through that book even if you did not understand some of the characters they were referring too. In Crooked Kingdom, I felt like I was missing things because I had not finished that other series by Leigh. I read the first book, so I had some understanding of that world, but I have not read books two and three and I felt like if I had I would have been less confused at some moments in the story. I will eventually go back and read the other books, but I wish I did not feel like I needed to in order to follow along with everything that took place in Crooked Kingdom.Kaz Brekkar. Let’s be honest here, he is the biggest draw for me to read these books. He might just be one of my favorite characters in any book and the best written one. He is simply amazing. I loved the way he thinks, his sense of humor, his loyalty (even though he would say he had none) and just everything about him. I wish I could take him out of the book so we could be friends, although I do not think I would be of use to him so he might not care to be my friend, ha! Either way, I will miss being inside his head and in his world. This quote is my favorite one from this book describing Kaz’s character:“Everything is a negotiation with you, Brekker. You probably bartered your way out of the womb.”The ending of this book was nothing short of spectacular, it had everything I have come to expect from this world and many twists that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would all play out. I will truly miss being with these characters and the ending was left open enough that Leigh could easily come back and add more to this world, and I sincerely hope she does. This book may be classified as YA but it could (and should) be read by adults as well. Very well written, great characters and great heists. If you don’t like these books I will secretly judge you because they will forever be on my favorite lists. Leigh Bardugo is an amazing writer and I will definitely be keeping an eye on her to see what she decides to write next.

A great conclusion to this duology. Leigh Bardugo can really craft a story and manufacture a realistic plot that pays dividends to the main cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoyed entering the Grishaverse once again.It did feel a bit too long, and that was compounded by each chapter following a different character. Granted the plot was moved forward with each chapter, but it needed to re-establish the character, surrounds and frequently indulged in a flashback. It is all valuable and important information, but did bog down the pacing somewhat. I also would have had no idea who was controlling the narrative if it weren’t for the chapter headings identifying who we were following as there wasn’t much difference in the voice of each character.There is a lot that goes on in this novel, which isn’t a surprise given a length of 536 pages. It’s all wheeling and dealing, out-smarting foes, plotting, while forming a family between this band of thieves and thugs. So there is plenty to enjoy.We get some great representation: able-bodiedness. Of Kaz with a physical impediment and needing to rely on a cane most times. Wylan, dealing with dyslexia... and body dysmorphia to an extent, as well as identifying as gay. Jesper, a bisexual. And all of them representing different races and persons of colour and religious beliefs. It really lets the reader walk in someone else’s shoes different from their own.As much as I loved reading these characters and their exploits, and they are dear to my heart, I don’t necessarily like all of them. But it’s a result of the lives they’ve lives and the sacrifices they’ve had to make. ‘Crooked Kingdom’ delivers a realistic masterpiece of facing overwhelming odds to achieve the impossible.