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A review by remilauren
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
Now since I can't discuss much without giving away spoilers, I advise you to stop here if you haven't read the book.
Spoiler
How I wish the book did not end! Six of Crows built the characters as people so devious and competent that they could not be defeated, until the very end. But Crooked Kingdom tore them all down, made them vulnerable, exposed their flaws, told us stories of their past. They failed several times yet picked themselves up and proved they were the wrong ones to pick a fight with.
“I would have 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.”
Kaz Brekker
“But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.”
Inej Ghafa
Kaz was always a step ahead in Six of Crows. So it is sad to see him being blindsided and be almost duped by Pekka Rollins, again! Kaz's plans fail and he is one not used to failure. He's worried he's going to fail them all. But he's able to pull his crew through by being the master planner he is! While Kaz sees only the dark, Inej is one for hope. She could face all the hardships in life and still manage to remain positive. They were the other's rock and helped them be freed of their demons. Kaz paid off her indenture, gifted her The Wraith and brought back her parents. She made him strong enough to be able to hold hands together and have an almost-kiss! Their scenes were layered wherein not only did they ooze with passion, but it also involved them being vulnerable and exposing their flaws.
“Maybe he was the same. A bullet in a chamber, spending his whole life waiting for the moment he would have direction.”
Jesper Fahey
"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."
Wylan Van Eck
While Jesper saw an elevation from just being comic relief, Wylan had chapters with his POV. These two were refreshing to read. While their lives weren't as dramatic as the others, their dilemmas realistic, much closer to our problems. I know finding your mother alive when you are wearing someone else's face is harsh but still. These two made such a cute pair, it was just pure love and affection. They held each other throughout and boosted the other's confidence. When Wylan gave up the plans, I was so shocked, I was so anxious but who am I to underestimate Kaz Brekker lmao! Not only was Wylan confident, but he was also quick to scheme and beat his father at his own game. They were the only source of happiness in this book, being gay and flirting with each other unabashedly, I loved them!
“I have been made to protect you. Even in death, I will find a way.”
Matthias Helvar
“Nina had grieved for her loss of power, for the connection she’d felt to the living world. She’d resented this shadow gift. It had seemed like a sham, a punishment. But just as surely as life connected everything, so did death. It was that endless, fast-running river. She’d dipped her fingers into its current, held the eddy of its power in her hand. She was the Queen of Mourning, and in its depths, she would never drown.”
Nina Zenik
Even Nina and Matthias were plagued with issues, what with Nina suffering from parem and Matthias acting more as a bodyguard than as a lover. Matthias had his moment of enlightenment and began seeing the Grisha in a new light upon leading his own little Grisha army. Nina, who initially hated her altered power, finally embraced it. Even though I saw it coming, "Nina, I'm already home" brought me to tears. Death is so powerful that not even a Grisha can do anything about it. Matthias served Nina and Fjerda even in his death, asking her to be free and requesting her to save his people.
The three ships aside, three other bondings had so much impact. Nina and Inej's friendship and their silly banter with waffles, they are BFF goals. And Nina is bi, so who knows! When Kaz and Jesper fought and he called Jesper as Jordie, damn. Jesper seeks attention from Kaz and we know from the previous book that Kaz does have some soft spot for him. Kaz calling him by his brother only proves how much he means to him. Jesper and Inej shared a friend/brother-sister bond. Forgiving him for his mistake and asking him to treat his wounds as real, she gave him a real push towards exploring his Grisha powers.
While Kaz was The Unbeatable in Six of Crows, he was vulnerable to failure this time around. But his final monstrous plan was leveled employing all his crew in such a detailed manner that it blew my mind! Kaz had all the corners covered and ended up checkmating The Shu, Van Eck and Pekka.
Crooked Kingdom fleshed out its characters. We learned of their past, their sufferings, their challenges, and their journey so far. So when the book was finished, it felt like saying goodbye to a bunch of friends. Since I haven't read the Grisha Trilogy, I wasn't aware of the additional characters that appeared for a brief while but I was pleasantly surprised to see Kaz dealing with a King lmao. I loved my crows and would love to see them again!