Parker's Reviews > Crooked Kingdom

Wow, I am appalled. It's actually disgusting that I just read this series in 2021. Netflix, how dare you? You should have made the TV show sooner. Or maybe I was just way too attached to my anti-YA-fantasy vows. Either way, I regret procrastinating on this duology so much. Thank you internet for treating me like Jesper in this pic:


After reading and loving Six of Crows, I had my hopes that the follow-up, Crooked Kingdom, would be even better. Shocker, it was.

I think what gives this book an edge over its predecessor is the established setting of Ketterdam. While the heist on the Ice Court was wildly entertaining, the crows are truly at home in this city. The small interactions that the characters have with their surroundings, from Kaz's traumatic memories of the murky waterways to Inej's memorization of the city rooftops, are fascinating. Minor details such as those really contribute to such a spectacular atmosphere. I can't say that I would want to visit Ketterdam personally (I'd probably get swindled), but boy is it tempting.

My issues with Six of Crows are virtually nonexistent here. Since it's a sequel, Bardugo doesn't need to bother with lengthy exposition. Phew. Also, there is a lot of Jesper content, and I'm happy that my cravings are finally satiated. I was longing for more exploration of his thought-process, family, and (view spoiler)[secret Grisha powers (hide spoiler)], and Leigh Bardugo provided so much.

However, despite my attachment to that beautiful gift of a character, Inej takes the cake when it comes to my favorite crow. Her backstory is absolutely haunting, and she's by far the most sincere and well-meaning of the crew. I just want to give her a hug, or maybe twenty. She deserves the world.


Also, the snippet of text below is perhaps one of my favorite scenes ever. Ughhhhhh, it's just so good.
(view spoiler)[ “Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.” (hide spoiler)]

I only have one issue with this book, and that's just Nina's ending. It feels way too abrupt, but I also know that she's one of the central characters of the Nikolai duology. So, I can understand why Bardugo wanted to leave things open. Maybe I'll check it out sometime to see what the heartrender is up to.

So was Crooked Kingdom worth breaking my vows?

I don't think I even need to answer that at this point. Just go read it and cry already.