Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Jan 26, 2017 by Samantha Andrews in Reviews

Synopsis for Crooked Kingdom

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 left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, 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 magic in the Grisha world.

Have you ever heard of a movie being described as full of heart-pounding, non-stop action? That pretty much sums up Crooked Kingdom, but in the literary sense. It was constant ‘oh my goodness’, ‘oh shit’, ‘what the heck is going to happen next’ page after page. I had to take breaks every now and then, but never for very long because I had to know how everything was going to end.

I can not express enough how much I love every single character in the Six of Crows duology. I wanted all of them to have their happy ending and any time any of them were in trouble I almost wanted to close my eyes and wish it away. Of course I couldn’t because how would I have finished the book? Since I loved all the characters I appreciated Leigh Bardugo writing in each character’s perspective. She did an amazing job that was easy to follow and I was able to make a connection with all of them. I’m not even going to pick a favorite because Kaz and Inej, Nina and Matthias, and Jesper and Wylan, were some of the best characters I have read about.

The dynamic between the whole group was profound. I worried for them, cheered for them, and, yes, Bardugo even made me cry. I’m not surprised though since she also had me crying when reading her Grisha Trilogy. I’m thrilled to have been brought back to that world, but also sad that it is now over. The six characters in Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom will stay with me forever.

I did see plenty of potential for Bardugo to keep writing stories in the Grisha world, and I hope she will. I’m also content with the way it all ended though.