Scan barcode
kinsportch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Trafficking, Addiction, Death, Slavery, Murder, and Confinement
Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cursing
safety_pin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, War, Slavery, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Police brutality
rund_loves_books18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Warning: Spoilers Below.
I really want to do this a spoiler free review, but I have so much to say and I’m pretty sure nobody reads my reviews anyways lmao.
This book was an emotional roller coaster. I literally thew this book across the room.
Anyways I was very hesitant to pick this book up because I knew Matthais was gonna die. I knew he was gonna die, but I spent five minutes absolutely balling my eyes out because of it. I think that he really grew from the last book and I was so sad to see him go. But, I am SO glad that I picked this book up because it was everything I have ever wanted and more.
In my last review I asked for more romance with each of the ships, and it was definitely received. I feel that every ship and character should have their own books because that’s how much I loved them.
I definitely enjoyed this more than the first book which was absolutely surprising but these two books have found a place in my heart.
I need a third six of crows book right now.
I really want to do this a spoiler free review, but I have so much to say and I’m pretty sure nobody reads my reviews anyways lmao.
This book was an emotional roller coaster. I literally thew this book across the room.
Anyways I was very hesitant to pick this book up because I knew Matthais was gonna die. I knew he was gonna die, but I spent five minutes absolutely balling my eyes out because of it. I think that he really grew from the last book and I was so sad to see him go. But, I am SO glad that I picked this book up because it was everything I have ever wanted and more.
In my last review I asked for more romance with each of the ships, and it was definitely received. I feel that every ship and character should have their own books because that’s how much I loved them.
I definitely enjoyed this more than the first book which was absolutely surprising but these two books have found a place in my heart.
I need a third six of crows book right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Violence, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Cursing
leona's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brilliant. Just f*cking brilliant.
I think this book is better than Six of Crows, (for most of it anyway.) I think it starts slower, and hasn't got as clear a plot line, because there are a lot of layers to Crooked Kingdom's plot. However the plot was brilliant. The characters are brilliant. It's just brilliant. How do I even summarise my rambling thoughts into a clear review. What can I say that hasn't been said already?
Also I will try to hide spoiler's but I can't guarantee them all so... you've been warned.
The main thing this duology has going for it are definitely the characters. So I will start by talking about them (again). It sounds weird to say I loved Kaz because he is so morally grey, but I think Bardugo does an excellent job at writing him. I love his intelligence and getting to see all of his schemes play out, it is so exciting. I think his trauma is handled excellently, and even though I wanted more romance, I really appreciate that nothing more did happen with Inej and Kaz, because the scenes that there were, were even more powerful. The other thing about Kaz is that the reader is so invested in him getting his revenge on Van Eck and Rollins, whilst almost starting to see Kaz become Rollins. It was mentioned, that Kaz had almost become the person who would con young, vulnerable 'pigeons' from their money. But, Kaz is always pretty true to his word, and doesn't endorse in bigotry and sexual assault, trafficking and slavery. If someone is contracted to the gang, they are free to leave after they have paid their debts, unlike at the Menagerie, or places that Rollins owns. Does this make him morally better, despite being a murderer, despite threatening kids, or emotionally abusing Rollins (however much he may or may not have deserved it). I'm not entirely sure what point I'm trying to make here, but I think there are so many questions that this book presents about morals, and what actually makes someone evil.
Anyway, Bardugo handles trauma very well in my opinion, the bandage moment (is this a spoiler, I don't really know...) was so good, because of Inej and Kaz's shared trauma. I loved it. But I did kind of want them to exchange more of their backstory's with each other. However, I do think that most people wouldn't have found this necessary because they both just have a kind of shared acceptance that they have both had shit lives. Which I also greatly appreciated. I'm also glad that Inej actually got injured and beat up a few times, because I feel like things just felt too easy for the legendary Wraith. However, I don't think those injuries were handled the best. She was gushing blood everywhere after the silo incident, but was fine after a few bandages and a bit of sleep. With her final fight with Dunyasha, I think there still should have been some limping or something, like Kaz with his leg. Anyways, other characters. Nina and Matthias grew on me, and I liked their romance by the end. I think part of the reason I didn't like Nina to start is I didn't really want to be reminded about Zoya. I don't necessarily hate her, but I just don't believe that she's such a tough bitch as everyone claims she is. And I don't. care. about. Zoya. Jesper and Wylan were also magnificent, and I loved getting more development for them both. And I have to say I was quite scared when Wylan spilled the plan to Van Eck and I thought, oh shit. Kaz is going to kill Wylan. The thing about the whole crew is that you just enjoy spending time with them, seeing them interact. The banter was much better than S&B and I did love the Nikolai cameo.
(Major spoiler here) Matthias' death. Unfortunately it didn't really effect me because I had already read like 5 chapters of King of Scars before starting Six of Crows (but then stopped because I wanted to understand Nina better) and already knew he was going to die. I also think that if anyone was going to die, it would have to be Matthias, I think he is one of the least liked characters, has the most disposable skills, and probably had the least POV chapters. However, I think if I hadn't known he was going to die, I would have been shocked, and I would have been sad. I do think it was handled well, and I do appreciate that a character was killed off because it would have been stupid if no one had. Hopefully he will actually stay dead now.
My negatives mostly revolve around some small plot conveniences, Nina and the net, (god those corpses were creepy) but yeah, that was just a bit weird in my opinion. Oh, and the fact that even though I liked all of the ships, it isn't realistic to me for them all to be paired off with each other, and it does annoy me a bit. (major spoiler) However this complaint was kind of redeemed by Matthias' death, but I bet Nina is going to get hooked up with someone else in King of Scars, which will also piss me off. Lastly, why was everyone suddenly obssessed with waffles, okay this complaint is slightly petty but...
The book felt less gory than its predecessor, but it probably wasn't to be fair, I think I was just a bit more prepared this time. I should also mention that the book, at least in my opinion, is very diverse. The characters are from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, there are a few gay characters, and also some disability representation in Kaz, who has a pronounced limp due to a previous injury.
Anyways, thinking of Nikolai and Kaz, oh ma gosh, that scene where Kaz susses him out was absolutely briliant. My two favourite witty, charming characters in one place. Wow. Now that takes me to King of Scars. Don't make the mistake like I did and start reading it before Six of Crows because, spoilers. Also I'm really conflicted about whether too continue with it. Because I've already practically spoiled the ending for myself and I am really pissed off by it. (KoS major spoiler) I mean why I am I surprised that Bardugo was bullied into writing the Darkling in again. Honestly why can't people just stay dead. I don't want to read about the Darkling anymore. I don't want him resurrected and presented as some sort of martyr hero or whatever so that all the Darklina fans can feel validated for shipping horrifically toxic relationships. And I don't really want Nikolai and Zoya to end up with each other either. What I want from King of Scars (that I can't have) is Nikolai teaming up with Kaz and the gang in some way. I just think their two personalities together would make an amazing sequel.
Here are some quotes I liked:
'I wouldn't throw myself off a bridge for the king of Ravka'
(speak for yourself Nina, because I would)
'I doubt it's true. It's just what happens when you let men name bridges.'
'If I live, I'll buy you waffles.' 'You don't have enough money to buy her waffles,' Wylan grumbled. 'Be quiet. We're in a library.'
'What about the nobodies and nothings, the invisible girls? [...] When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.'
Also, if anyone watches Merphy Napier on Youtube and are aware of the 'undulating' joke, I now can't unsee this word, and Bardugo loves using it. Yes, I counted it 4 times at least.
Overall, just read this duology. It's brilliant. The characters are brilliant. The plot is brilliant. The theme work is brilliant. Solid, well deserved 5 stars.
I think this book is better than Six of Crows, (for most of it anyway.) I think it starts slower, and hasn't got as clear a plot line, because there are a lot of layers to Crooked Kingdom's plot. However the plot was brilliant. The characters are brilliant. It's just brilliant. How do I even summarise my rambling thoughts into a clear review. What can I say that hasn't been said already?
Also I will try to hide spoiler's but I can't guarantee them all so... you've been warned.
The main thing this duology has going for it are definitely the characters. So I will start by talking about them (again). It sounds weird to say I loved Kaz because he is so morally grey, but I think Bardugo does an excellent job at writing him. I love his intelligence and getting to see all of his schemes play out, it is so exciting. I think his trauma is handled excellently, and even though I wanted more romance, I really appreciate that nothing more did happen with Inej and Kaz, because the scenes that there were, were even more powerful. The other thing about Kaz is that the reader is so invested in him getting his revenge on Van Eck and Rollins, whilst almost starting to see Kaz become Rollins. It was mentioned, that Kaz had almost become the person who would con young, vulnerable 'pigeons' from their money. But, Kaz is always pretty true to his word, and doesn't endorse in bigotry and sexual assault, trafficking and slavery. If someone is contracted to the gang, they are free to leave after they have paid their debts, unlike at the Menagerie, or places that Rollins owns. Does this make him morally better, despite being a murderer, despite threatening kids, or emotionally abusing Rollins (however much he may or may not have deserved it). I'm not entirely sure what point I'm trying to make here, but I think there are so many questions that this book presents about morals, and what actually makes someone evil.
Anyway, Bardugo handles trauma very well in my opinion, the bandage moment (is this a spoiler, I don't really know...) was so good, because of Inej and Kaz's shared trauma. I loved it. But I did kind of want them to exchange more of their backstory's with each other. However, I do think that most people wouldn't have found this necessary because they both just have a kind of shared acceptance that they have both had shit lives. Which I also greatly appreciated. I'm also glad that Inej
(Major spoiler here)
My negatives mostly revolve around some small plot conveniences,
The book felt less gory than its predecessor, but it probably wasn't to be fair, I think I was just a bit more prepared this time. I should also mention that the book, at least in my opinion, is very diverse. The characters are from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, there are a few gay characters, and also some disability representation in Kaz, who has a pronounced limp due to a previous injury.
Anyways, thinking of Nikolai and Kaz, oh ma gosh, that scene where
Here are some quotes I liked:
'I wouldn't throw myself off a bridge for the king of Ravka'
(speak for yourself Nina, because I would)
'I doubt it's true. It's just what happens when you let men name bridges.'
'If I live, I'll buy you waffles.' 'You don't have enough money to buy her waffles,' Wylan grumbled. 'Be quiet. We're in a library.'
'What about the nobodies and nothings, the invisible girls? [...] When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.'
Also, if anyone watches Merphy Napier on Youtube and are aware of the 'undulating' joke, I now can't unsee this word, and Bardugo loves using it. Yes, I counted it 4 times at least.
Overall, just read this duology. It's brilliant. The characters are brilliant. The plot is brilliant. The theme work is brilliant. Solid, well deserved 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
(Not major spoiler)elinlovisa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Gun violence, and Cursing
LOVED it!!thetoniabl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a a AMAZING BOOK!! Amazing multiple povs and it’s incredible!
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, and Cursing
bianca_rosina204's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Torture, Murder, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Drug use, Death, Cursing, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
mayasaremayos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Torture
limiwh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Addiction, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Ableism, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Child death, Drug abuse, Body horror, Cursing, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I loved this book!! It was adventurous, tense, beautifully heartbreaking, well written, and all around amazing! This is a great sequel and ending for the characters. I really look forward to reading the Shadow and Bone series! I like Bardugo’s writing style. She continued the world-building and kept everything consistent. There were more beautiful maps in the beginning as well! Bardugo does a great job of making a well rounded world and story and characters. I would highly recommend reading her books, starting with shadow and bone series. I was not prepared for Matthias’ death. It’s so sad, I don’t accept it, I was just starting to like him.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing
There is one or two bad words in the whole book, so not much at all.