At first, I was going to do a review of just Crooked Kingdom, then I thought why not include Six of Crows too. Since it's a duology it will be easier to compare and review the books(Oh yes, I'm going to compare them).
Title: Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Epic Fantasy
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.
Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.
I am not icluding the blurb of the second book because I don't want to spoil the stoy for you.
Where should I start? The cover? Duh. I design book covers for a living, It's the first thing I notice in a book and often it's the reason why I buy books. Most of the time I buy books falling hard for the covers (despite others warning me that I won't like the story) and end up getting disappointed. But, this turned out to be a different case entirely. The cover was beautiful, the details gorgeous. I love how the cover is so symbolic.
I am not a big fan of the font, but it's okay. I found the hardcover version with its white font better looking than its counterpart with the red font. As for the book, Six of Crows ended up setting a new benchmark for me. It's hard for me to enjoy other books now, because I know how great a story and its writing could be now. It's like being a peasant after having been a King.
Leigh's writing is subtle, nothing is in your face, not the emotions, not the characters and definitely not the plot. I feel like the characters are independent and do whatever they want. They do not hold back on account of repulsing the reader. I know I'm talking as if they are real, but the way the six of them are written, they feel very real. I like the fact that they do not do a monologue on how unfair life has been to them, how fate toys with them and how they are being downtrodden by the powerful. They don't curse fate, they bargain with it. They overcome insurmountable odds to get what they want and they use their goddamn brains to do that and are not rescued by some super powerful characters that appear out of nowhere just for that.
The plot is brilliantly crafted in both books. I kept thinking "Oh no, they are done for this time" but they find ingenious ways to sail over that hurdle too. But their victory is never perfect. Someone always sacrifices something in order for them to stay alive. I love how the relationships progress with the story, it makes you root for them so hard. I ended up shipping everyone with everyone *grins*
I'm a very picky reader but Six of rows won me over so completely that now I keep recommending the book to everyone I meet. It's that good. You should definitely try it if you haven't.
I'm going to rate the books independently at the end, because one was stronger than the other.
Crooked Kingdom was my most awaited book of the year along with Magic Binds. I bought it the day it released and inhaled it in one sitting. It was so good and yet so sad. Sometimes I feel like I should have expected the ending, Then again it's Leigh Bardugo, anything can happen.
It took me a while to gather my thoughts after finishing it. Even though I really liked the book I could sense a tiny bit of disappointment in me. I wasn't content. The book was really well-written then why was I so disappointed. Then I realized, it was too perfect. I wanted the characters to suffer more before they achieved their final goal. I am a sadist, I know. Kaz and the others do suffer, and I am just nitpicking on the dtils, but I wanted them to fail more. They were too intelligent. This might probably be the first time, I am asking the characters to do more dumb stuff.
The writing was really powerful, like the previous book. The descriptions well done (neither rare nor overcooked). And the task herculen as always. I guess I was only 94% satisfied because I was comparing it to Six of Crows, which was so great it ruined me for others.
You would probably understand how I feel when you look at my ratings.
Six of Crows- 5/5
Crooked Kingdom- 4.5/5
I think this the first time I have give a book five stars in this blog. Summing up, this is a duology I would definitely recommend. You will be missing out on a lot if you don;t give it try.
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