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A review by thexwalrus
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
emotional
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
wow. that's all i have to say - wow.
as a writer, i'm blown away by the absolute brilliance bardugo demonstrates in writing kaz brekker's plans. each chapter ended with something going wrong, only for us to find out that wait, hold on, kaz accounted for this. it never felt contrived or forced - she was just that good, and kaz is just that smart. of course he'd planned for the inevitable betrayals.
that's not to say this book didn't have stakes - from the start, there was so much that could be lost, and what made it so compelling is the desire to see the crows win. each change in plan had me holding my breath, each betrayal had me gasping, each brush with death had me feeling relieved for the brief moment before things went bad yet again. these characters feel so real and i care so much about each of them.
kaz and inej, jesper and wylan, nina and matthias, jesper and colm; each of these relationships towards the end of the book had me in tears, overwhelmed with emotion. i haven't loved characters like this in quite a long time, and i have a feeling i'll be thinking about them for years to come.
absolutely fantastic end to an absolutely fantastic duology, and all i can hope for is another visit to ketterdam in the future, because i'll miss these dorks terribly.
as a writer, i'm blown away by the absolute brilliance bardugo demonstrates in writing kaz brekker's plans. each chapter ended with something going wrong, only for us to find out that wait, hold on, kaz accounted for this. it never felt contrived or forced - she was just that good, and kaz is just that smart. of course he'd planned for the inevitable betrayals.
that's not to say this book didn't have stakes - from the start, there was so much that could be lost, and what made it so compelling is the desire to see the crows win. each change in plan had me holding my breath, each betrayal had me gasping, each brush with death had me feeling relieved for the brief moment before things went bad yet again. these characters feel so real and i care so much about each of them.
kaz and inej, jesper and wylan, nina and matthias, jesper and colm; each of these relationships towards the end of the book had me in tears, overwhelmed with emotion. i haven't loved characters like this in quite a long time, and i have a feeling i'll be thinking about them for years to come.
absolutely fantastic end to an absolutely fantastic duology, and all i can hope for is another visit to ketterdam in the future, because i'll miss these dorks terribly.