Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by literaryfaery
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
Some books you get through happily with mild entertainment and satisfaction. Some books you traipse through, enjoying considerably, but by the end, something is plainly missing.
Some books are a flurry and a torment--pages flipping, time slipping, each word affecting you with a deliberate profundity. Crooked Kingdom is one of those books.
Two installments in a series does not seem like much, but in this case it certainly was. I felt worried as I reached the finish line, convinced there was no way the book could be wrapped up in so little pages. My concern was in vain, for this series was composed beautifully by an extremely talented author.
Bardugo's mind is a wonder and it should be noted that I have only ever said those words once before about J.K. Rowling. Ketterdam is a harrowing yet somehow delightful setting. In Six of Crows, the crew traveled throughout the Grishaverse, but I appreciated this book's singular focus on Ketterdam. It seemed a perfect homage to the society Bardugo built to end the duology where the story began. Sort of how Deathly Hallows ends with the Battle of Hogwarts, rather than somewhere else in the Wizarding World. It just fits.
As for the characters and narration...I don't think I'll ever find another book with multiple perspectives I enjoy equally. For example, my readings of the A Song of Ice and Fire series were often as follows: "UGH. Wake me up when Theon's chapters are over." *Flips vigorously until a Tyrion/Daenerys/Arya chapter crops up again* Not the case with this series, thus very telling of Bardugo's insanely compelling writing style and skill in character development. Crooked Kingdom is just so damn well-written.
Even the figurative language was astonishing--not normally the case for most fantasy books I encounter. Language falls to the wayside as authors attempt to build worlds and suspense and neglect the language. As an English teacher, this did not go unnoticed. I scarfed down this book upon my first read, but I plan to flip back through with post-its and mark each of these beautiful literary moments just so I can ogle at them further in the future.
There are three glorious ships in this series, each one more genuine and sexy than the last. I never imagined I'd be reading moments about thumbs brushing and eyes locking and hand-holding as if it were a full-blown, steamy sex scene. All three romances are a precious tumult even as they are haltingly heartbreaking. These characters do not even so much as squeak the words "I love you" but that's because they do not need to. Bardugo paints their love glaringly with words and it's just so impressive.
I'm sad that it's over. I want more, but the story ended so satisfyingly well that I am able to let go. Recommended for lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, action, mystery, horror, and romance alike.
Some books are a flurry and a torment--pages flipping, time slipping, each word affecting you with a deliberate profundity. Crooked Kingdom is one of those books.
Two installments in a series does not seem like much, but in this case it certainly was. I felt worried as I reached the finish line, convinced there was no way the book could be wrapped up in so little pages. My concern was in vain, for this series was composed beautifully by an extremely talented author.
Bardugo's mind is a wonder and it should be noted that I have only ever said those words once before about J.K. Rowling. Ketterdam is a harrowing yet somehow delightful setting. In Six of Crows, the crew traveled throughout the Grishaverse, but I appreciated this book's singular focus on Ketterdam. It seemed a perfect homage to the society Bardugo built to end the duology where the story began. Sort of how Deathly Hallows ends with the Battle of Hogwarts, rather than somewhere else in the Wizarding World. It just fits.
As for the characters and narration...I don't think I'll ever find another book with multiple perspectives I enjoy equally. For example, my readings of the A Song of Ice and Fire series were often as follows: "UGH. Wake me up when Theon's chapters are over." *Flips vigorously until a Tyrion/Daenerys/Arya chapter crops up again* Not the case with this series, thus very telling of Bardugo's insanely compelling writing style and skill in character development. Crooked Kingdom is just so damn well-written.
Even the figurative language was astonishing--not normally the case for most fantasy books I encounter. Language falls to the wayside as authors attempt to build worlds and suspense and neglect the language. As an English teacher, this did not go unnoticed. I scarfed down this book upon my first read, but I plan to flip back through with post-its and mark each of these beautiful literary moments just so I can ogle at them further in the future.
There are three glorious ships in this series, each one more genuine and sexy than the last. I never imagined I'd be reading moments about thumbs brushing and eyes locking and hand-holding as if it were a full-blown, steamy sex scene. All three romances are a precious tumult even as they are haltingly heartbreaking. These characters do not even so much as squeak the words "I love you" but that's because they do not need to. Bardugo paints their love glaringly with words and it's just so impressive.
I'm sad that it's over. I want more, but the story ended so satisfyingly well that I am able to let go. Recommended for lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, action, mystery, horror, and romance alike.