In Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, we continue with the story of the Ice Court Heist from Six of Crows (book #1). With Inej captured by Van Eck and the entire city out to get them, Kaz Brekker and his crows must find a way to get their Wraith back and get the 30 million kruge Van Eck cheated them out of, all while making sure the secret of the highly addictive and debilitating drug, “jurda parem” never reaches the wrong hands. With barely any resources, allies, or any hope of surviving, the Crows partner with unlikely comrades, brave through trepid trials and tribulations, and most important of all, accept and overcome their deepest, darkest fears. Weakness is not an option when you’re a barrel rat in the streets of Ketterdam, especially when the slightest falter can lead to your corpse in a casket…
We would give this book a 10 out of 10 because Bardugo’s execution of the entire story is flawless. There are no plot holes whatsoever and the world building is as close to perfection as possible. Her style of writing is classy but easy to understand. Just the right amount of figurative language was utilized for immersing the audience in the story. The plotline is intriguing and captures the reader’s attention from the very beginning. From start to finish, the plot never fails to deliver. While the end goal remains the same from the first book, there are plenty of subplots that add layers of depth to both the plot and the characters. For example, getting Inej back in the first arc is necessary for the plot as she is vital to beating Van Eck in the second arc. But, reading about the process of rescuing Inej also adds character development to all of the protagonists and even Van Eck. Inej and Kaz aren’t the only ones with a developing relationship, however. Jesper and Wylan grow closer but are seemingly oblivious or in denial about their feelings for each other. Nina and Matthias are in love but are still healing from old wounds stemming from bigotry. Jesper and Kaz are like brothers, but Kaz remains unforgiving towards Jesper. Even Inej is still recovering from her past traumas with touch and close interactions with her friends like Nina and Jesper. All these subplots show the complexity and growth of relationships, both platonic and romantic. The subplots all connect beautifully with each other and are relevant to the plot. The romance is not there just to be there, but instead adds layers of depth to both the storylines and the characters. The characters are also beautifully crafted, as they have good morals, but technically they should be arrested as criminals. They are undeniably good people, but they have to resort to unpleasant means to accomplish their goals. All of the characters, even the very unimportant ones, have a solid personality with reasonable motivations and goals. No one is there just to help the plot along. This helps the readers easily build an emotional connection with the characters, which makes the heartbreaking moments all the more devastating and the exciting moments all the more electrifying. Finally, the cast is very diverse, and not just in race, making them much more relatable to a wider audience. Even with all the diversity, you can truly tell that it is not for the sake of being diverse, but it is to truly bring all kinds of perspectives to light in this strangely similar yet unordinary universe. All in all, it is truly such a great read, and did not let down the millions of readers who were waiting in nail-biting anticipation for the final book in the Six of Crows duology.
