Hello
happy readers! I’m happy to be
back. My travels were pretty great it
was nice to get away from the heat, humidity, and bugs for a bit and even
better to see my family. That said I was
also thrilled to sleep in my own bed again and see my fur baby who has been
giving extra cuddles since I came home.
I did go with my mom and while I intended to get some serious audiobook
time in with two 13 hour car rides I got no audiobook time in as my mom and me
chatted most of the time and listened to music.
However,
I did have a chance to finish three books via other formats so yay for reading! I also did an interview with Hannah Bucchin
debut author of Paintbrush (review)
which will be posting Friday! I’m
excited about this one so stay tuned.
Now, one of the books I finished during my trip was one I had been both
eager to read and nervous as it was the end, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows
#2) by Leigh Bardugo. The sequel to one
of my favorite books I have read and also the final book in the two part
series. I got it the day it came out
eager to start but held off because I was scared to let it end but eventually I
had to know and started listening to the audiobooks at a slow pace to savor and
enjoy. Now having finished I am thrilled
to share my thoughts.
Rating: 5
Stars
I
previously reviewed Six of Crows and
I LOVED it! I was so devastated by the
ending. Inej was taken and I just
couldn’t believe that ending after everything they went through being beat down
at the very end. Now our crew is beat
down, separated, and tired but they are not out for the count. They have to regroup and come up with more
plans. Their lives are more dangerous
than ever and old allies could just as easily be enemies these days. When you go up against the more powerful in
Ketterdam you need to have more than luck to save you.
I
didn’t listen to the first book I read it through but having listened to this
one I really enjoyed the narration and how each character had a different
narrator. As we see the story from
different POVs hearing a different person with a different accent and style was
really rather thrilling. I now picture
certain accents with the characters that I didn’t before but now seem so
natural. The multiple POVs is something
I loved because it gave us all the information we needed but seeing things from
different views you see how everyone can hear/see the same things but take away
different things from it. All of their
prospective are important and play off one another. They each have something to bring to the
table, the same thing that made them special in the first book we just know and
love them more. Each of our characters
has a special place in my heart. Kaz and
his cold and clinical way of looking at things in terms of what they do for him
or how they can be used in the future. Inej
and her ability to blend into any shadow and disappear yet despite her life she
still has a kindness and good heart to her.
Nina who is far from her home but will risk her own life for those she
loves. Mathis and his turbulent inner
battle between what he was raised to believe and what he has seen and felt to
be true. Jesper in his flawed and self-destructive
nature full of charm and good intensions.
And Wylan the son who has always felt less than and flawed for his
inability but has found a home and people who see his abilities rather than
flaws.
“Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who
are kind to them. And the people who
wrong them too. They don’t forget. They tell each other who to look after and
who to watch out for.”
All
of my crows were in my heart and I couldn’t wait for them to save Inej because
they had to. I had no other option in my
head. Well that is the start of the
plan, save Inej and get revenge on Van Eck.
He has no only betrayed them and tried to have them killed after they
upheld their side of the plan but more he did that and took one of theirs and
when you have so many enemies your reputation is important in helping fend off
the wolves. I loved all the different
plots and schemes from the first page to get Inej and the revenge they
deserve. To get what is owed and set
things right because no monster like Van Eck can be left standing. There is a difference between being a
criminal and being a criminal with no value behind your word. Some things are sacred.
Things
don’t go as planned. Oh so many beautifully
crafted plans and of course wrenches thrown into the mix. I
am struggling so hard to review this book without spoiling things because there
is so much happening. So many little
subplots that take place and all the little details that are just amazing. Like seeing characters from the original
Grisha series come into play and go toe to toe with Kaz and crew. One of the best moments. Inej, some of her chapters just broke my
heart. Her captivity, the flashes back
to when she was forced to work in the menagerie before Kaz saved her. So powerful.
Bardugo has really captured so much emotion within the story. Things are in chaos all around them but still
even between the plotting, scheming, running, and fighting they were able to
have such deep moments between one another.
They care for one another deeply even if they fight. Even if they don’t always show it. A few lines in particular that just hit me in
all the feels….
“I would come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and
no matter how broken we were we’d fight our way out together—knives drawn,
pistols blazing. Because that’s what we
do. We never stop fighting.”
I
was rooting for my characters and rooting for others to get what was coming to
them because they are just so dang vile.
Seriously. Nina is struggling
with her addiction and how it has changed her and her power. While Mathis sees just how wrong he was and
his hope to try and help others see like he did. Oh but his time with Nina being there for her
through it all…I adore him. Kaz and Inej
are both so different but they are so good together and understanding one
another in a way that no one else can.
Both damaged. Both strong and
weak. Both with baggage. I love this and shipped them so hard! And of
course we had a bit of a spark between the wild card Jesper and our shy and
quite Wylan which is adorable how they come to count on one another and support
one another in times of need. Each of
them have their own journeys to work through and I enjoyed being there as they
went through them. They knew the odds
for the life they chose to lead.
No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be
no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their
names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose.
The
story and pacing of this book was so well done for me. With the larger overall story but full of
side stories and little inner stories that just made a more developed
adventure. The pacing was on point and
it felt like you were there with them rushed and escaping death one moment then
having a few moments to regroup. It
never let you fully off the edge of your seat but kept you leaning there ready
to go. My poor heart was a mess keeping
up with it.
This
book was everything. One of my favorite
series by far. I loved everything. Even the end that had me sobbing. Okay several parts of the book had me choking
back tears for several different reasons.
My heart raced through it all and even though I took my time reading it
fearing the end and while I wish I had more and parts made me sad I love
it. It is such a fitting end (minus one
part I don’t think I’ll ever get over) for this story and this crew. It started with one job and ended with so
much more. I love this book and I would
highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone.
Until
next time…
King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo
