Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

*** This is the second book in a series. If you have not read Six of Crows beware of spoilers and proceed with caution. Also... READ SIX OF CROWS! It's amazing. Here's my review! ***

Title: Crooked Kingdom Series: The Dregs #2 Written by: Leigh Bardugo Published: September 27, 2016 by Henry Holt Co (Macmillan) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.  Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

After having such a not great reading month is September I think I am officially out of my reading slump. Because guys, this book was so fantastic! So so fantastic! I loved Six of Crows and so I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next in this series. Excited and nervous. And no surprise here, but this was just as amazing and enthralling.

The best thing about this series is probably the characters. This is a book full of a diverse and quirky cast of characters and everyone of them is complex and likable. But everyone of them is also incredibly dubious. These are dark and devious thieves and murderers and yet you love them so much. They walk that fine line between good and evil, which makes them my favorite kind of characters. We get perspectives from all six main characters here and it definitely makes for an interesting narrative and helps you connect with each of the characters making. Them even more sympathetic. I wanted to see them all succeed and come out on top. I wanted to see them all celebrating at the end with waffles.

But this is not the kind of book, née series, where things go perfectly. This is the kind of book where things go horribly wrong and you have to compensate for that with the next plot and scheme that means you'll win in the end. But that kind of plot is so compelling and I loved that about Crooked Kingdom. This is a book so well plotted and that things slowly start unfolding to reveal things that you didn't expect. With this book I didn't even bother to figure out how it was all going to end because I knew I would never be able to predict it. And I love predicting how things. But the charm of this book is that it is unpredictable.

The other amazing thing about this book is the world. I am a big fan of the Grisha magic system and I will always enjoy seeing it at work. There are also still some surprises when it comes to Grisha powers which was an amazing addition to the magical system. In addition to the magic, this world has a great setting. Instead of taking to a new part of the world, this book narrowed it's focus to Ketterdam. Which honestly was a great call. We get to see more of the dark and gritty underworld of the city which made for the perfect setting for this dark fantasy heist novel. I'm such a fan of this universe's world and Leigh does a great job building and explaining it with every passing book.

On the whole Crooked Kingdom was everything I was hoping it would be.I have been nervously anticipating this book for a year now and I am happy to report that it was just as amazing as the first book. This is an amazing series with complex characters, a great heist plot, and a dark fantasy world and Crooked Kingdom was a great ending to that series. But honestly I still want more!

I give Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! f you loved Six of Crows then you will love this book, it is a great ending to an amazing series. YA fantasy fans should definitely check this series out. But even if you don't read a lot of fantasy and you like well-plotted and interesting mysteries especially heist novels, check this out.

Have you read Crooked Kingdom? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts? Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Crooked Kingdon Series: The Dregs #2 Author: Leigh Bardugo Published: September 27, 2016 by Henry Holt Co. (Macmillan) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.

Why I'm Waiting 

I loved Six of Crows. I mean I love Leigh Bardugo. I was a big fan of the Grisha trilogy and I really liked the idea that she was expanding that universe by setting a series in a different location. Plus Six of Crows and the Dregs duology is even more up my alley. It's the same magical system but in a place with a strong criminal underground which was fantastic. Plus it's a heist novel about six unlikely heroes. They are thieves and rogues who are dark and hard to like sometimes but that's what makes them all the more amazing that way. Plus the way that book ended, ugh I have been waiting forever (aka almost a year) to find out will would happen next.

So naturally this has been one of my post anticipated books for the fall. I have had the book preorder for months now and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy. Not to mention that these are some amazingly designed books with a gorgeous cover, beautiful chapter headings, and colored edges. You guys this book has red edges! I am so worried that this means blood. I need mor Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan but I'm terrified by what will happen to them. I need this book to find out!

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on Crooked Kingdom along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows Series: The Dregs #1 Author: Leigh Bardugo Published: September 29, 2015 by Henry Holt (Macmillian) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...  A convict with a thirst for revenge.  A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.  A runaway with a privileged past.  A spy known as the Wraith.  A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.  A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.  Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

**** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at BEA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ****

I absolutely loved the Grisha trilogy. I found it a fantastic YA fantasy with a great world, dubious characters, and a plot full of mystery. So when I heard she was writing a new series, set in the same universe but with new characters and a heist-style plot I was absolutely on board. It was one of my must have books to get at BEA and I couldn't have been more ecstatic to get a copy. And once again I fell in love with the world, the characters, and the plot. But Six of Crows is a very different story from the Grisha trilogy. It's somehow darker and more dramatic which was pretty fantastic.

One of the things that makes Six of Crows darker and more dramatic is the world. I thought Ravka was a scary and dark place but Ketterdam makes it look downright demure. I mean, not really but it's still darker. Ketterdam is center of trade but it's also a center for underworld. It feels almost Dickensian with it's pickpockets and brothels, along with it's sharply dressed dandies in suits and women in elaborate gowns. Leigh's descriptions of dark alleys and dingy streets set the tone and atmosphere for the book while providing a compelling and elaborate setting. But it's more than that. In The Grisha trilogy we got to know all about Grisha powers. In Six of Crows there isn't much use of Grisha powers despite the fact that they are very much still a part of the world and the plot. But they are treated very differently in this book. They're not viewed as heroes and soldiers in this part of the world and as a reader who has grown to see them that way, it makes things seems darker and more treacherous even. The darker setting and their view on Grisha also added a lot on conflict to the book.

The characters of Six of Crows are also much darker and more dramatic. Because Ketterdam is a place with a thriving underworld, our characters are dubious underworld types. The book is told from five different perspectives and each one of them is a thief and/or a rogue. I personally love those kinds of characters. I love unlikable characters that do devious and morally grey things. No one is more devious than Kaz Brekker who is the leader leader of the gang. Kaz is pretty hard to love but his intellect, resourcefulness, and loyalty to his crew makes him a compelling and complex character and someone I love to read about. But each character was just as complex, compelling, and just as memorable. My personal favorite was probably Inej who is Kaz's spy, right hand woman, and arguably his moral compass. She has tons of vulnerability and badass fighting skills. I also really enjoyed Jesper who is great comic relief and a reckless gambler, as well as Nina a Grisha heartrender who doesn't think twice about using her powers and still has a heart of gold. But all the characters are also full of secrets. Throughout the book we get a little bit of their backstories which informs us how they got to be the way they are and where they are. Plus there are some truly magnificent ships (this from someone who just did a post about how they are romancephobic).

But the characters are not the only thing that is full of secrets, so is the plot. I don't want to give too much away because while this isn't really a mystery, the real story of the book comes to you in pieces as it develops. The general plot here is a heist type of story. The characters are trying to break into a place that is impossible to break into. But this reckless crew is perfect for the job and yet things still don't go well. I mean of course it's going to be a challenge. What fun would it be if things didn't go a little wrong? There are so many twists, twists that may or not have all been part of the plan to begin with but had me on the edge of my seat wondering just how the characters were going to get out of one scrap after another. The schemes are elaborate and interesting and it gave the book a real high stakes adventure feel which I totally loved.

But because it is about scheming and plotting a crime the plot here was a little bit slow. We had to meet and get attached to the characters so when they were put in trouble we would be invested in their success and when they were thrown twists from within the group and without we would be shocked and concerned. That kind of took awhile and for someone like me who is more of a plot driven reader I was waiting to get to the more action-packed moments. There were a few moments of action towards the beginning of the book but it did take a little bit for things to really get interesting. Despite the fact that the pacing was a little slower than I usually like, it was incredibly entertaining and I stayed up much later than I expected reading it and I really had to force myself to go to sleep a few nights because I was furiously turning pages and needing to know what happens next.

On the whole Six of Crows was a dark and dramatic read with an interesting setting and world, complex and devious characters, and a plot full of mystery and action. And even though the pacing was a little slower than I usually like I was hooked from the very beginning and when it was all over I was in desperate need of the next book in the series.

I give Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 9.5 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. Leigh Bardugo has done it again. She has taken a world that I already was a fan of and relocated us to a place that is just as much if not more interesting, with dark and complex characters who you can't help but love, and given us a plot that will keep you reading through all 460 amazing pages. Another fantastic series that fans of the Grisha trilogy will love and even if you haven't read that series and you enjoy fantasy heist books or books about thieves, check this one out.

Have you read Six of Crows? What did you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!