Six of Crows #2
YA Fantasy
Orion Children’s Books | September 27, 2016
 

“Where do think the money went?” he repeated.
“Guns?” asked Jesper.
“Ships?” queried Inej.
“Bombs?” suggested Wylan.
“Political bribes?” offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. “This is where you tell us how awful we are,” she whispered.
He shrugged. “They all seem like practical choices.”

I had to start this review with that quote, because it ties back to my review for book 1, Six of Crows.  I love this crew, and from that quote to this one, it shows exactly what’s changed and what hasn’t changed within the Crows.

Crooked Kingdom actually took me longer to read than I thought it would.  I think in part it was due to how much busier at work I’ve been, but also because everyone kept telling me how much I was going to cry.  I don’t fear sad books, but they sure may make me read slow.  Especially when I love each character the way I loved these.

Well guys, I cried.  Ugly cried.  If you haven’t read this yet, be prepared.

The plot itself was good, I’m probably partial to the first book (because it was the first), but it was still really good.  I know Kaz seems too good to be true, being a teenager and still able to defeat all these more worldly, professional, men.  I actually don’t think he’s impossible, because cunning and ruthlessness are traits at any age.  However, so what.  Does it matter?  There’s also no such thing as Grisha or Tidemakers either.  It’s a Fantasy world, so it’s sort of our job to suspend disbelief.  Kaz’s mind was the best part of the story, I thought.  Well, that and Wyland and Jes.

I bet there are some who are angry about the ending, but I also scoff at that.  I thought there was something poetic about how Bardugo chose to end this duology.  Be fearless with your stories, don’t hold back and don’t coddle your readers.

As far as reviewing goes, I’ve always had a hard time with reviews of sequels.  I feel like anything important needing said was written in my first review.  To say it again is redundant.  Instead, just trust me that all fantasy lovers should read Six of Crows.  If you haven’t, you should rectify that immediately.

“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.”