Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)

[A quick note: I’m starting to love duologies more and more! Sometimes a long series can get tedious, but a stand alone too short. A duology seems the perfect length to create a complicated story. BUT...some duologies are so good that you WISH they were a longer series. That’s definitely this one!]

“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌, 𝑰'𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒆'𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓-𝒌𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒏, 𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒔 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐. 𝑾𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.” —Leigh Bardugo

MY SUMMARY: Kaz and his gang pulled off an impossible heist, but at a serious cost. Double-crossed and greatly weakened, they are back in Ketterdam with unfinished business. Debts must be paid, plans made, and their strength tested as they fight for what is owed to them.

MY THOUGHTS: This was a spectacular finale to the Six of Crows duology. Deeply fulfilling on every level. Its heart-pounding moments kept m invested all the way to the end. In fact, I enjoyed Crooked Kingdom even more than Six of Crows, mostly because of my attachment to the characters and the excellent plot.

I was thoroughly impressed with Bardugo’s ability to keep me guessing. Just when I thought I understood Kaz’s plans, I found myself duped. He wasn’t just running cons on his enemies, he was running cons on me!! I found myself cheering with each and every surprising success, cringing with each failure, and crying by the end.

The character development was beautiful! Each character succumbs to weakness. This paves the groundwork for personal growth. They have demons. But they are fighters. Their demons must be conquered. I love that each event is tailored for personal growth. They each find themselves in situations that force them to grow. As a reader, this is what I look for in a book.

This duology has become a favorite of mine. The world of the Greshaverse is so elaborate, so detailed, with layer upon layer of realism. It is now one of my top go-to recommendations. A must-read for every fantasy lover! 𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟱/𝟱⭐️