A review by readwithde
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

I heard some spoilers about this book which made me drag my feet a bit, and I went back and forth on how much I actually liked it, but this was honestly like reading 4 books in one.

Six of Crows was so focused, so linear on the one big job; very much like Ocean's Eleven. Crooked Kingdom had several schemes within schemes, like Russian nesting dolls. I was worried I would get lost in all the twists, but it was surprisingly easy to follow.

I really appreciated how each character had to face their weaknesses, their blind spots and traumas, in order to succeed. I loved how this talented crew faced failures and betrayals and literally had nothing left. Despite how good the team is, they felt like underdogs.

My one biggest complaint
is the death that happened. It didn't add anything to the story; it felt like someone decided that not everyone should survive, so they picked someone to die just for the sake of losing someone.
It felt out of place and random in an otherwise well-constructed story.
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