Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
The must read conclusion to Six of Crows.
I am a huge fan of the Grishaverse. I loved the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but I have to say that Leigh Bardugo stepped it up with the duology that Crooked Kingdom is the conclusion of.
The underworld for crime, corruption, gambling and brothels.
Underdog, forgotten about, and stolen characters.
The drive for revenge, freedom, and justice
Crooked Kingdom picks up without so much as a breath from where Six of Crows left off. There is little exposition, and the action starts immediately. There are so many things I love about this book. Obviously, you will need to read Six of Crows first, but I think this one is even better.
The Setting
The setting of Ketterdam is expertly developed and brought to life. The whole time you can feel the oppression, there is a darkness and dampness, a grittiness that you can feel. You also feel like there is a fog hanging over the streets. The inequitable power between the merchant council and everyone else is the fuel for the conflict. In this setting, there is no remorse for wronging someone. It is clear from the actions of all parties, that you look out for only yourself, and if someone gets in your way or you can take something from someone, oh well.
This all comes to life through the characters’ own interactions with their surroundings. There is also a symbolic imagery between the setting and the characters; They are part of each other. Feed off each other. There are elements of the setting that haunt the characters and as events happen to impact Ketterdam, the characters are released from parts of their own past. They are held prisoner to some degree to Ketterdam, to decisions they made and things that were done to them.
The lessons they have learned from the streets about survival, about how to play the game lead them to this almost reverent view of their ‘home’ even though most of them desire to leave Ketterdam.
The Characters
The cast of characters is strong, made stronger by the realization that they are all 100% different from each other. When looking at them each, you wouldn’t really understand why they would all be together and be ready to die for each other, especially as they are all but teenagers. All have life experiences that would give a normal person nightmares, and this is the thread that holds them together.
I can’t really pick a favorite though.
Kaz and his amazing ability to think from all sides of a scheme. Best heist man ever.
Inej and her innocence and faith when in reality her innocence was ripped from her.
Nina and her sassiness, passion, and selflessness.
tand his internal conflict between what he knows in his soul and what he was raised to believe.
Wylan and his desire to rise above his ”deficiencies” to be someone.
Jesper and his no nonsense attitude and deep loyalty to family.
The characters blend together to make a misfit family that you want nothing more than to succeed in their plans. They frustrate you and pull you in and push you away. All the while, you can’t help but be amazed by their maturity and ingenuity. Kaz is without a doubt the main protagonist. The plans and ideas are his, he leads the team, but he does not rise above or out shadow the others. All the characters have their own spotlight which makes each of them essential.
As they say in the book, “You can’t win by only playing one game.” And these characters, this team, this family are playing many games. Some more secret and hidden than others, but sometimes it’s safer that way. The less-people-that-know philosophy and all that.
The Plot
It all boils down to revenge. It’s like a great heist movie with the planning and fulfilling of a masterfully strategic game of chess. Kaz doesn’t even tell his team all the little nuances, which makes it more intriguing when you see things happen that you weren’t expecting.
One of the many things I love is that you don’t see some of the obstacles coming until they are in your face. It makes you wonder how many times Kaz can realistically rework his plan. I will say that the one thing that didn’t make a lot of sense and seemed more of a distraction to the course of the novel were the winged Grisha hunters. I won’t say more because I don’t like putting spoilers in, but if you have read it, I would love to know what your thoughts are about this piece. Honestly, if they were removed, they wouldn’t be missed.
The Style
Bardugo definitely seemed to step up her writing in this duology. There was a depth and sophistication in the writing that wasn’t quite there in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Everything from the explicit ideas to the inferences that needed to be made were presented in an elevated fashion. The tone of the book, both books actually, was consistent and created through the parallel work of the setting, conflict and characters.
I’m also a big fan of the changing Points of View from chapter to chapter. That particular style, especially in a story that has characters that are always on edge and don’t share every thought and feeling, allows the reader to get that inside look into character motivation. This allows for chapters ending on cliffhangers, and there is nothing to do but wait until that character’s next POV chapter arrives to see what happens. This is one of the key factors in making this a not-put-downable book.
Where does this book land on my bookshelf?
Well, It’s probably pretty obvious that it is on my top shelf. Way on my top shelf! I’ve read both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom more than once, and every time has not disappointed. There are so many little things that happen that I didn’t remember everything. This is a great fantasy duology. Book 1 really is a heist story, and this one is really about these characters freeing themselves from all that binds them to their own individual personal chains.
I loved this book. There is a little magic, a little love, and a whole lot of scheming. I would recommend this book without fail. You really won’t regret reading it. And, if you like maps, there is a pretty cool map in the front of the book.