mystearin's reviews
38 reviews

"I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all."

This book took way too long for me to finish but it was a very good read. I enjoyed it so much and it was so different from the books I've read before.

I love how Kaz always has a backup plan and that he could easily read people. He honestly shocked me the first time. I guess that's what happens when he grew up in such a traumatizing environment not fit for a child. The way Pekka Rollins scammed him and Jordie and to the point that his anger towards Rollins just builds up over the course of years.

And I was NOT expecting Jesper to be a Fabrikator. I never would have thought our favorite sharpshooter was a Grisha. His chemistry with Wylan gives me comfort despite the cruel setting of the story. And Nina has such a bubbly personality which made me love her! I was so happy to see her interacting with Inej because I really think they needed each other's comfort.

As I reached the end of the story I was not expecting Van Eck to say that about his son. I mean, I saw the betrayal coming but not the way he easily admitted to Kaz and the others how he hated his son just because he couldn't read. Wylan is a very good character and I'm glad he left his father.

But then again, there goes the fact that they don't have the thirty million kruge and INEJ. Kaz was finally warming up to her and even wanted her to stay with him in Ketterdam. I guess I'll have to find out all of their story in the next book. I'm looking forward to it but judging by the way Leigh Bardugo wrote this, I'm kind of scared for my life once I start Crooked Kingdom.

I decided to read this book because of that one episode in Criminal Minds. The book was special to Spencer Reid and of course, I wanted to check it out so I decided to read it. I was not expecting the words to be so... confusing. There are some terms that I have only stumbled upon for the first time. I had to take a minute or two to look up the words in the dictionary just so I could understand, others I use context clues because it just takes time for me. But I really like this book because it helped me write and as I was reading, I was also learning how to describe things to the reader and finally express my imaginations as vividly as possible.

"She felt his knuckles slide against hers. Then his hand was in her hand, his palm was pressed against her own. A tremor moved through him. Slowly, he let their fingers entwine."

First of all, I am speechless. There are no words to explain how good this book was written. I admit I enjoyed this more than the first one.

The storyline started interesting and fast, like Kaz was really in a hurry put his plan to work and his crew was there with him along the way. This book was full of emotions. I laughed and cried a lot. It was like riding on a rollercoaster of emotions, literally.

There are some serious trigger warnings in this book, especially with the amount of trauma included. The author did such a great job with writing on how the characters dealt with their trauma that I had to take a breather, cry inside, and then read it again. I think you need to be mentally strong and open-minded if you want to finish this book.

I was probably used to Leigh's writing style by the time I had started Six of Crows but it felt as if she improved so much on Crooked Kingdom. The descriptions of the settings, the characters' clothes, face expressions, I loved it all.

I love Kaz and Wylan. I love them all, but these two characters stuck to me the most. I have always marveled at how Kaz's mind works ever since I started Six of Crows, and he just continues to amaze me all throughout the second book. I loved how his past story was tackled along with Inej's, the way their story unfold. Two broken people searching for their place in one another. I cried so hard at their ending. It was beautiful yet heartbreaking.

I adore Wylan so much. He deserved that ending. He didn't deserve the treatment that he received from his father despite his inability to read and understand words. Wylan is smart and a person of his own. "Music had given him new stories, ones that unfolded from his fingers, that he could write himself into with every played note." He had gone through so much at a young age and I tried imagining myself in his place. wouldn't be able to live. All of them are strong people. I hold them all dearly in my heart.

STURMHOND, ZOYA, AND GENYA'S CAMEO! When Zoya and Genya had first appeared, I was already rooting for Sturmhond to appear later on and he did!

My heart died at the last few chapters of the story and a part of me had wanted to stop, sleep, and continue it the next day. But I pushed on, let the tears fall from my eyes, and continue reading. I love this book. I love them all. The plot was so good. It was all worth it.

"I've always known Ravka is broken, and I've seen it the way it breaks people in return. The wars never cease. The trouble never stops. But I can't help believing that somehow, I'll find a way to outsmart all of the kings who came before and set this country right."

King of Scars

Leigh Bardugo

4.7/5 ⭐

Okay, first of all, this book was an enjoyable read though it's not as enticing as I hoped it to be. The story was quite confusing at first and I have thought about a dozen times to put it off.

I missed Nikolai's banters with everyone. I was excited to read about his childhood and found out that we had some similarities. I loved the passage where it said that Ravka was Nikolai's first love, and we can see in the book that he is indeed willing to do everything to help Ravka rise again.

I was also glad to see a different side of Zoya. I've always known she was a strong girl when she first appeared in Shadow and Bone, and I fell in love with her more in this book. I hated her at first, but as I dove deeper into her story, it made me sympathize with her. I am even glad that Juris decided to train her, to show Zoya her true potential as a Grisha, and what she can do as Ravka's general.

Nina's story didn't strike me as interesting until she infiltrated the factory and saw the girls that Brum was experimenting on. I had to take a minute on some of the parts of her story because it was just disturbing. She's a strong girl and I love her for that. It was her love for her people and Matthias that she managed to save them all. I am looking forward to the rest of Hanne and Nina's story.

I was half-expecting it, but it still surprised me when the Darkling got revived because of Sankta Elizaveta's help. The last few chapters of the story I felt were kind of rushed because it was as if they were squeezed together, all events ranging from Nina, Isaak, Nikolai, and Zoya. But all in all, it was a good read.