Crooked Kingdom

But the sequel was EVERYTHING.
I didn't love Six of Crows, but it kept my attention long enough to want to read the sequel. And boy was I glad I did.
I didn't love the lack of character growth in the first book, but the second met my expectations there. It was equally action-packed and emotional, and it had closure at the end but enough to think about the possible future.
I ended up in love with the characters and the universe by the end and can't wait to dive into the rest of the Grishaverse and read more.

Actual rating: 4.5★

The ending is utter perfection. It's not the kind of 100% happy ending we often get, but it is the perfect ending for the story. Rating is rounded down for the dumbest reason ever because I'm salty and butthurt over the thing. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

Matthias' death. Why. Why was it so anticlimactic? Why was it so ironic that Nina's new power links to death and yet Matthias had to go? Why? Just... W H Y. I don't even dislike this outcome, I just... I can't handle this. I'm just gonna cry and drown in my own tears.

No mourners. No funerals.

Sigh. I think I'm just going to have to face the fact that me and Leigh Bardugo books just don't seem to really mix. Whilst I enjoyed the protagonists in the Six of Crows duology a lot more than the Grisha trilogy (like exponential amounts more), there just always seems to be something lacking for me. The pacing has seemed off in every single book I've read by her, but also there just seems to be a little bit of depth missing.

I know I'm definitely in the minority and everyone seems to rave about this universe, but there's just something that isn't quite clicking for me which is why I can't rate this any higher despite the atmospheric setting and protagonists I want to protect.

I don't remember when I started reading it, but Jesus JESUS WHAT THE HELL I READ? I mean in the best way, the best book I read. The development of characters, the feelings of them that in some way I felt them too, everything. Everything was my world, my heart was so happy of reading it. I totally love it, please. READ IT.

I can't right now. Holy hell. This book was everything. Everything. Above the way it's written, it made me laugh and cry and fear and cheer and all the things a good book should. But it told an amazing tale of how the bad don't always turn good and the ones who save us aren't always heros. It tackled things like PTSD and addiction with grace and drew attention to them and showed how serious they are, but didn't take away from the story to do so, the problems of the characters was woven into the story with such perfection. I can't handle it. I will be rereading this book over and over and over again

Ooh my this was a good book. It's been a long time since I read young adult and this was a good book to do it with. I'm not really sure how it's young adult, maybe on a technicality? I'm not too familiar with the genre but it has very rich and deep characters with all their flaws and goodness wrapped up into distinct characters. Not just one, not just two ... but 6 uniquely fleshed out characters in just two books. Many books struggle to develop one or two so I am very impressed here. Bardugo really manages to capture the humanity of each character, including the side characters outside of the main six.

Pacing is good, characters are strong, ending is fulfilling and satisfying, story is interesting. The story is brutal when it needs to be and gentle when it's time. A really well done book, thoroughly enjoyed it.