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panicked_llama's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-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
4.0
thenoboshow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Pregnancy, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Medical content, Confinement, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Addiction, Kidnapping, Ableism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
veronicabane's review against another edition
An incredible cast of characters in incredible situations. Love, love, love.
willowwraithpress's review against another edition
3.0
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, book two of the Six of Crows duology.
Brief Summary:
Picking up less than a week later from the previous book, Six of Crows, Kaz Brekker and his crew are coming up with a scheme to get Inej back from the doublecross at the end of the first book. The plan seems to go to hell when another doublecross happens. Each member of the crew are hounded by rival gangs, countries, and Grisha (oh and don't worry, they rescued Inej in the process). With everyone seemingly against them, Kaz must come up with a scheme to defeat them all, while also saving their own hides.
What Works:
The pace of this book, like the last, is bang bang bang that it is hard to put down. I loved that it went directly into the plot and didn't waste any effort. Ms. Bardugo has a gift for story-telling and it truly shows in these books.
I will admit, while I saw many of the twists coming, there were a couple I didn't see. Without spoiling the book, the way in which the crew gets out of the final climax was very well done and interesting.
I am also glad there was a character death. These six go through a ton and get injured quite a bit, but after Inej gets cut multiple times and the other close encounters with death in this group, I almost started to think they were all going to be safe regardless of what happened. And when the one character died, I was glad for it because it showed that this world did have consequences.
The banter between the crew was very well done. I liked the silliness of it because you have to remember these are still teenagers, even if they are thugs and badasses.
What doesn't work:
Unfortunately, this book suffers from the Ocean's Twelve problem. There were far too many schemes and roles played by all the characters throughout that it just got cumbersome. And so many doublecrosses and subplots that it was just too much. I liked how the first book was focused, whereas this one was not.
Along that line of using Ocean's Twelve, I didn't like the addition of Wylan as a Point of View character (it seriously reminded me of Matt Damon's character wanting more in the sequel...). I enjoyed having him be a main character but not being in his head, made it more interesting. Also, it was fun to have Jesper interact with him (they eventually get together) without knowing Wylan's side of things. I think it took away from the other characters, especially Kaz and Inej.
Also, I didn't need the little scene of Wylan and Jesper going to see Wylan's supposed dead mother. I get why it was there, but it was meh to me. And then adding Jesper's dad into the mix was not all that good.
Another thing that worked so well in the first book was the use of flashbacks and backstory, but in this book it didn't work for me. I thought all of them were just filler and not needed. Especially when adding Wylan as a POV.
Rating:
3 out of 5
While I certainly enjoyed the book overall, I just felt let down after how good the first book was. I think there was just too much going on in this book that some parts suffered where they could have really shined. I was very satisfied with the conclusion and I am glad that it is only a duology instead of more books coming, I think it ended perfectly.
Brief Summary:
Picking up less than a week later from the previous book, Six of Crows, Kaz Brekker and his crew are coming up with a scheme to get Inej back from the doublecross at the end of the first book. The plan seems to go to hell when another doublecross happens. Each member of the crew are hounded by rival gangs, countries, and Grisha (oh and don't worry, they rescued Inej in the process). With everyone seemingly against them, Kaz must come up with a scheme to defeat them all, while also saving their own hides.
What Works:
The pace of this book, like the last, is bang bang bang that it is hard to put down. I loved that it went directly into the plot and didn't waste any effort. Ms. Bardugo has a gift for story-telling and it truly shows in these books.
I will admit, while I saw many of the twists coming, there were a couple I didn't see. Without spoiling the book, the way in which the crew gets out of the final climax was very well done and interesting.
I am also glad there was a character death. These six go through a ton and get injured quite a bit, but after Inej gets cut multiple times and the other close encounters with death in this group, I almost started to think they were all going to be safe regardless of what happened. And when the one character died, I was glad for it because it showed that this world did have consequences.
The banter between the crew was very well done. I liked the silliness of it because you have to remember these are still teenagers, even if they are thugs and badasses.
What doesn't work:
Unfortunately, this book suffers from the Ocean's Twelve problem. There were far too many schemes and roles played by all the characters throughout that it just got cumbersome. And so many doublecrosses and subplots that it was just too much. I liked how the first book was focused, whereas this one was not.
Along that line of using Ocean's Twelve, I didn't like the addition of Wylan as a Point of View character (it seriously reminded me of Matt Damon's character wanting more in the sequel...). I enjoyed having him be a main character but not being in his head, made it more interesting. Also, it was fun to have Jesper interact with him (they eventually get together) without knowing Wylan's side of things. I think it took away from the other characters, especially Kaz and Inej.
Also, I didn't need the little scene of Wylan and Jesper going to see Wylan's supposed dead mother. I get why it was there, but it was meh to me. And then adding Jesper's dad into the mix was not all that good.
Another thing that worked so well in the first book was the use of flashbacks and backstory, but in this book it didn't work for me. I thought all of them were just filler and not needed. Especially when adding Wylan as a POV.
Rating:
3 out of 5
While I certainly enjoyed the book overall, I just felt let down after how good the first book was. I think there was just too much going on in this book that some parts suffered where they could have really shined. I was very satisfied with the conclusion and I am glad that it is only a duology instead of more books coming, I think it ended perfectly.
lyra_brie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
- 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
currentlyreading_'s review against another edition
4.0
Book 1 was better in terms of plot/action, but this was way better in character development. Perfect ending to the duology. There's still excitement at every turn, but at some points I felt their challenges were a bit trivial. Dragged a little in the middle, but towards the end I couldn't stop reading. I like how Leigh Bardugo shelled out her characters and gave them each a moment to stand out. They're super lovable despite their greyness, that's for sure. Also, the humour is really up my alley.
linishistory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sbdemirovic's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
4.0