Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

28 reviews

leahfoko's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

I love the crows and I loved this book. I knew I would because I liked the first one, and I really enjoy all the heists and seeing all the twists and turns and wondering how things are going to play out etc. This duology is so exciting and I am wondering at every step what is going to happen next. There’s just so much going on and figuring out Kaz’s schemes as they unfold is just so much fun. If you like a morally questionable crew carrying out heists and developing as friends along the way, you will like this series. I felt like this book wrapped everything up really well but also stood well on its own. And boy was watching Van Eck get his comeuppance at the end damn satisfying. 

I am really, really glad that I decided to read the sequel after reading the Shadow and Bone series. The Six of Crows was the first book that I ever read in the series, it was recommended to me by a friend and I really liked the first book. When I watched Season 1 of Shadow and Bone on Netflix, it made me want to read the original series as well, which I hadn’t been sure of at first because I had heard it wasn’t as good (Leigh Bardugo herself says there are things she wishes she had changed and such). While this duology can definitely stand on it’s own and by no means do you have to read the original series in order to enjoy this one, if you are at all considering reading the original trilogy then I suggest doing so before reading this duology but especially before reading this book. Some of the characters from the original series show up in this book and again, you don’t need to read the originals to enjoy the book, but I enjoyed it so much more knowing who those characters were beforehand. I was so much more invested when they appeared, so if you’re wanting to read the original series then definitely do so first. It’ll be worth it. 

Also DUDE THE STURMHOND CAMEO. I totally thought that he would show up somehow because I mean, he’s a privateer and Nina was a student during the civil war and was trained by Zoya and Genya. Like, of course he was going to be in it. And of course those two would be too. But yet I still absolutely shrieked when he showed up because I would die for Nikolai I love him so much. 10/10 cameo. It was so perfect and I adored his conversation with Kaz and Kaz seeing right through the disguise because of course he did. Perfect. Best part of the book.

I really liked this book, I thought it was super creative and thought out. I was so impressed with how the heists were planned out. If Kaz is a genius for scheming them, then Leigh Bardugo is a genius for creating Kaz and therefore also the schemes. Like damn girl you smart. The characters are flawed but extremely lovable and I thought they all got a really nice ending. Someday I want to read both the books in this duology again because the heists are so elaborate I think they would still be enjoyable to read a second time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Rape, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Violence

There is so much violence, torture, abuse (described usually in past tense, these characters grew up in some really traumatic experiences). They are in a gang in a corrupt, medieval-ish city. So do with that what you will and be prepared. I put in all the content warnings as explicit just to be safe.

literallyliterature's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, Child abuse, Rape, Torture, Classism, Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

limabeans's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

the characters were so fun to read about. wylan’s POV and his more important involvement in this book was probably one of the best decisions leigh bardugo could have made, i’m so happy we got to see even more of him in this.


if what leigh bardugo said about the making of a third book for the six of crows duology some time in the future is true, then i will for sure read it as soon as it comes out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child death and Kidnapping

Minor: Domestic abuse

valntn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

evie_lumby's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

Amazing plot, brilliant twists and a great sequel to six of crows. I absolutely sobbed at the end I was so immersed and obsessed with this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, and Death

danye0914's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, and Classism

flordemaga's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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

This book makes me feral. This book produces so much emotions in me and the twists are unexpected but reasonable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, War, Sexual assault, Rape, Death of parent, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, and Confinement

Minor: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Emotional abuse, and Ableism

purplehulk713's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Truly compelling and masterfully crafted, Leigh Bardugo is truly a Grisha, a Corporalki able to both rend and heal your heart with her cruel and beautiful tales. My friend Alice was so right to keep insisting that I read this series. As much as I hate Kaz, he is wonderfully written, Inej is epic, Jesper is hilarious and precise, Nina is witty and pragmatic, Matthias is gorgeous and admirable in his change of heart which made his fate all the more lamentable, and Wylan is adorable and his struggles of character and family are fascinating. I find this book was even better than the first with all of its swerving twists and triumphant victories coming from the most downtrodden individuals in all of Kerch. Inej’s reunion at the end Gad me close to tears and the development of Nina’s unique power was eerie and fascinating. Leigh Bardugo is a master of her own Small Science—the manipulation of words for her own incredible manifestations! When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

Some of it is graphic but I couldn’t recall if all of them were so I thought better safe than sorry.

black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense 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

4.0

I enjoyed this book even more than the Six of Crows, both because of the insight into how young and fallible the characters were and to see the characters develop and grow as they went along.

I did find some of the plot-twists becoming predictable and found some of the writing tactics used to keep the reader in the dark both a little lazy and once purposely misleading which was frustrating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Classism, Dementia, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Trafficking

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Blood, and Chronic illness

Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, War, Slavery, Colonisation, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia