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A review by vermidian
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
God, I so did not want this book series to be over. Over the course of a little over a thousand pages, I have fallen in love with this cast of characters and I didn't want to give them up. From this description so far, it should not shock you that this book earned a solid 5 stars from me. This was an instant favorite for me.
As much as I thought the heist in the first book was more fun, the character development in this one really won me over. With the groundwork laid in the first book in place, the characters were left to grow exponentially and gosh did they ever. While Inej was my favorite in the first book, Wylan really stole the show for me in this one. I think that if we'd been able to see from his perspective in the first book, he might have been my favorite in both. However, I also think that saving all his prior drama for the second book may have made his plight more relatable given his father's nature. Plus, it might have given away the twist if we'd known what a lying sack of shit Jan Van Eck was from the jump. That's not to say that I don't still love Inej, of course. I think she's amazing and I wish there were a book just of her fucking up some slavers. Kaz was infinitely more human in this book as well, his feelings for Inej softening him as the story went on. He's still as calculating as ever, of course, but he's much more relatable in this book than he was in the first book.
And god, can I just praise how HUMAN all of Leigh Bardugo's characters are? Her characters have the gravity of a real person. They are so perfect and yet imperfect at the same time. They have all too human flaws and all too human qualities. You can imagine meeting them in real life, a quality I've always admired in fictional characters. (Kaz might fleece you, but in the end at least you'd have known you'd met Kaz Brekker.)
I don't want to give too much away about the plot or anything like that because this book was just so good. However, I will say that this book made me laugh and it made me cry. It's been a long time since a book made me cry. And also this: this book has become an instant favorite for me. I don't think I'd change a thing about it, except perhaps wishing there were more books in the series. I definitely recommend this book. Just make sure you read Six of Crows first!
As much as I thought the heist in the first book was more fun, the character development in this one really won me over. With the groundwork laid in the first book in place, the characters were left to grow exponentially and gosh did they ever. While Inej was my favorite in the first book, Wylan really stole the show for me in this one. I think that if we'd been able to see from his perspective in the first book, he might have been my favorite in both. However, I also think that saving all his prior drama for the second book may have made his plight more relatable given his father's nature. Plus, it might have given away the twist if we'd known what a lying sack of shit Jan Van Eck was from the jump. That's not to say that I don't still love Inej, of course. I think she's amazing and I wish there were a book just of her fucking up some slavers. Kaz was infinitely more human in this book as well, his feelings for Inej softening him as the story went on. He's still as calculating as ever, of course, but he's much more relatable in this book than he was in the first book.
And god, can I just praise how HUMAN all of Leigh Bardugo's characters are? Her characters have the gravity of a real person. They are so perfect and yet imperfect at the same time. They have all too human flaws and all too human qualities. You can imagine meeting them in real life, a quality I've always admired in fictional characters. (Kaz might fleece you, but in the end at least you'd have known you'd met Kaz Brekker.)
I don't want to give too much away about the plot or anything like that because this book was just so good. However, I will say that this book made me laugh and it made me cry. It's been a long time since a book made me cry. And also this: this book has become an instant favorite for me. I don't think I'd change a thing about it, except perhaps wishing there were more books in the series. I definitely recommend this book. Just make sure you read Six of Crows first!