Review: Crooked Kingdom | Leigh Bardugo

This review is spoiler free.

“I would have 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.”

Series: Six of Crows
Published: 2016, by Orion Children’s Books.
Pages: 536
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Magic, LGBT, Romance, High Fantasy
Contains: Violence, Anger, Death, Blood/Gore, Torture, Mutilation

‘Crooked Kingdom’ is the highly anticipated sequel to ‘Six of Crows’, where Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off the most daring heist imaginable. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, they’re low on resources, allies, and hope. Kaz and his crew will have to make sure they’re on the winning side… no matter what the cost.

‘Crooked Kingdom’ was next on my Bardugo reading list, after speeding through Six of Crows. I had high expectations for this duology, wanting it to prove to me the reason why it’s so highly spoken about. Needless to say, I’m so glad that I did.

Kaz Brekker evolves in this sequel, becoming more humane the further we delve into the novel. Although, he’s as cut-throat as ever, punishing those who wrong him regardless of their position in his life, he’s somewhat mellowed around his allies. It was a joy to read, adoring his position within the gang and the city.
As expected, Nina remained my favourite character, adoring her sass and general approach to her job. She cared little for what those around her thought of her, and did what she could to protect those she cared for. She was a delight to see through the eyes of.
Jesper and Wylan continued to impress too, their relationship inspiring those around them and delighting the reader with every glance, and they’re also some of my favourites I’ve recently read about.

The writing itself is classic Bardugo, with enticing language that sets the scene up perfectly, enough to immerse you in her created world. The dialogue and interactions between the characters drove the story forward. However, I will admit that this is a slightly slow read, the story seeming to slow down on occasion and drag in places. Nevertheless, for a novel of over five-hundred pages, I still managed it fairly quickly.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this read, finding it a satisfying conclusion to the Dregs’ story and their place in Leigh Bardugo’s world.

4/5