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A review by carlyxdeexx
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
I'm not one to write reviews. I really need to be moved to do so, and after sitting on whether or not I should write this for weeks, I'm writing this.
Bardugo gets her characters so right in this duology. While the complexity of the plotting and scheming is exciting to follow (you'll find yourself wondering if you really know who's going to come out on top every time, always second-guessing your instincts), these characters are the story's beating heart, and there really isn't one personality that outshines the rest. Their dialogue is fun and believable, their relationships are ever-evolving, and their actions seem self-propelled--no attention is drawn to the author behind the curtain.
What I most admire about the way these characters are written is Bardugo's clear commitment to them--talents, dreams, flaws, and fears alike. Trauma, addiction, injury, indoctrination, these very real afflictions aren't used as accessories, displayed to garner sympathy only to be shrugged off or hidden away in convenient moments. Bardugo really leans into the challenges these characters face and embraces them, allowing them to shape the narrative instead of altering them to fit the narrative, making the storytelling all the more powerful and organic. She doesn't hold her characters back, and it brings us to care more about them, to see them as real people.
Enjoying this degree of commitment to such complexity and diversity in YA is such a gift. It feels good to care so much about such real-seeming fictional folks. I'm super impressed, and hope to hear more about them soon.
Bardugo gets her characters so right in this duology. While the complexity of the plotting and scheming is exciting to follow (you'll find yourself wondering if you really know who's going to come out on top every time, always second-guessing your instincts), these characters are the story's beating heart, and there really isn't one personality that outshines the rest. Their dialogue is fun and believable, their relationships are ever-evolving, and their actions seem self-propelled--no attention is drawn to the author behind the curtain.
What I most admire about the way these characters are written is Bardugo's clear commitment to them--talents, dreams, flaws, and fears alike. Trauma, addiction, injury, indoctrination, these very real afflictions aren't used as accessories, displayed to garner sympathy only to be shrugged off or hidden away in convenient moments. Bardugo really leans into the challenges these characters face and embraces them, allowing them to shape the narrative instead of altering them to fit the narrative, making the storytelling all the more powerful and organic. She doesn't hold her characters back, and it brings us to care more about them, to see them as real people.
Enjoying this degree of commitment to such complexity and diversity in YA is such a gift. It feels good to care so much about such real-seeming fictional folks. I'm super impressed, and hope to hear more about them soon.