Crooked Kingdom Book Review
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 3-24-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 8.7/10
Book Cover Rating: 7.1/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: Crooked Kingdom
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Pages: 561
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Subplots: Romance
Series: Six of Crows #2
Publisher: Orion Children’s Books
Published: 2016
Number of Editions: 135
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audio
Awards Won: Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.58/5
# of Goodreads Ratings: 711,758
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5
# of Amazon Ratings: 40,391
Movie/TV Show?? : No
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Multi, Third Person
Pacing: Mid-Fast
Generally: Outcasts looking for revenge against rich nobleman, magic powers, heists
My Review
Going Into It:
I’m gonna be completely honest, I was not looking forward to this book. The main reason I was reading this was to finish the series.
Main Characters:
Kaz Brekker- Kaz is the main character. He has a reputation for being ruthless, smart, and loyal, but also distant. He generally helps the people who help him, but ALWAYS make sure to hurt those who hurt him too. He’s a member of a gang called The Dregs.
Inej Ghafa- Inej is also known as the Wraith. She can move silently and climb anything. She is passionate and has a strong sense of right and wrong, even though she is a criminal. She is also a member of The Dregs.
Jesper Fahey- Jesper is another Dreg member. He is known for his pistols that he ALWAYS has with him. He is a great shot. He tends to be outgoing and likable.
Nina Zenik- Nina is a Grisha, meaning she can use magic. She is particularly good at manipulating human bodies. She is compassionate and loving, while still being strong.
Matthias Helvar- Matthias was a Drüskelle, meaning he hunted and killed Grisha ‘abominations.’ However, he fell out of contact with the organization. He is large and strong.
Wylan Van Eck- Wylan is a rich merchant’s son. But, he left his father to become a part of The Dregs instead. He is smart and skilled with explosives, but can also be insecure and easily embarrassed.
I never thought I would say this!! My absolute least favorite character went through SO MUCH character development, that I actually liked him by the end of it!! The character development was AMAZING, and each character felt unique.
Character Rating: 9.5/10
Setting:
This book takes place throughout a city called Ketterdam in Kerch.
Ketterdam was a dark and grimy city (and the reader could tell!). The setting was described quite well, and was constantly moving all throughout the city.
Setting Rating: 9.0/10
Plot:
WOW!! This plot was laid out in such an entertaining way, where small events throughout the book wove together with events before and after. It did loose me a little near the middle (just because it was a pretty long book), but the plot was still great.
Plot Rating: 7.9/10
Writing:
The writing was great in the beginning and end, but it did loose me near the middle.
Writing Rating: 7.2/10
Ending:
Wow!! Not a 100% happy ending (there was really only one section that wasn’t happy), but definitely a 100% satisfying ending!! This was actually a GREAT conclusion to the series, and wrapped up all the loose ends.
Ending Rating: 9.8/10
The Overall:
Overall, this was a great book, and was MUCH better than I expected. The characters were unique and dynamic, the setting was detailed, and the ending tied up the whole series well. The plot and writing lost me a little near the middle, but I still really enjoyed this book!!
Overall Book Rating: 8.7/10
I would obviously recommend this book
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Leigh lives in Los Angeles.
She has written a variety of popular book series.
Some of her books have even become Netflix TV shows.
For more information, view Leigh Bardugo’s website: leighbardugo.com
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