Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

✨“We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen.” ✨

The follow-up of Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom begins with the protagonists, Kaz, Inej, Wylan, Jesper, Nina and Matthias, fighting for their lives. Going up against one of the most powerful people, the six have their work cut out for them. Equally conniving and intelligent, Jan Van Eck crosses the six after their successful Ice Court job and kidnaps Inej to get under Kaz’s skin and to make an example of how people from the Barrel are pests in a great and corrupt city of Ketterdam.

Constantly thinking of what to do next, Kaz Brekker, the master-mind hatches a plan that equal parts crazy and genius. This time caring about the consequences because not only were their lives on the line but the people they loved were also under the threat of Van Eck.

This time “No mourners, no funerals” took an entirely different meaning.

The characters, in the first novel, were more like anti-heroes but in the second book, they want to be on the right side of things. They want to not only bring Van Eck down but highlight the corruption in the Merchant Council and their immoral laws to the rest of the people of the city and beyond. The plan, as it advances, becomes clearer and the end result is very satisfying.

The book, in the beginning, seemed disarray. The plot was confusing and the characters seemed unlike themselves- though they were still smart and cut-throat, their confidence took a hit. Until the subplots and the main plot merged, Crooked Kingdom was disorganised- although Bardugo’s writing was brilliant as in the first novel, the world-building this time was a disappointment. Bardugo’s characters, in this novel, are humanised through and through- they realise how they are up against a person who is not only backed by the city but the Barrel (even Kaz’s own club) upon bribing them. They feel things that are alien to them- fear, doubt and sadness creep into their minds. Though this may seem like character arcs gone downhill, the characters actually develop.

At a point, they seem helpless but they still pull through because they have to complete the tasks assigned to them, the only difference this time is that the job is not dictated by an outsider but by themselves.

The action sequence and the plot twists are gripping in the novel. The chapters still are written in the third-person narrative, from a character’s point of view but are rather more detailed and their desires, dreams and nightmares are more pronounced which makes the readers sympathise with them. All the characters were given equal importance; even Wylan got his own chapters, focusing more on his backstory and why he is the way he is.

All in all, it may take a lot of effort to get through the first half of the novel, but the later part and the ending somehow makes up for the substandard part. The ending, I would say, is heartening and delightful.

I would, eyes closed and without a second thought, recommend the Six of Crows duology to anyone who loves fantasy or want to read fantasy.🧡