Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo Book Review Part One
“I love a little righteous comeuppance,” said Jesper. “Jogs the liver!”
(pg. 224)
About
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Universe: Grishaverse
Series: Six of Crows Duology book two
Click to read my Six of Crows book review
Click to read more Crooked Kingdom book reviews
Other Leigh Bardugo Book Reviews
Synopsis
Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.
Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.
A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
Review
Spoilers Definitely Contained Below
To the Dregs and Crows,
Wow! I mean, utterly wow! I finished Crooked Kingdom yesterday and one word came to mind, well, two: utter brilliance.
If Leigh Bardugo had a Grisha power it is writing because she writes with such brilliance, excellence, finesse, and creativity. Leigh Bardugo’s writing is utterly wow. There are no words ♥️.
I just wonder how such trickery, deceit, and action can come from one mind? I swear, Leigh Bardugo must be Kaz Brekker at this point with Jesper’s humor, Inej’s soft killingness, Nina’s spunk, Matthias’s loyalty, and Wyland’s tenderheartedness. I kid you not. Such beauty in a book and the best duopoly I ever read. The best second book in a series I ever read. Utterly wow.
While I am praising Leigh Bardguo, I just wanted to say I loved how each page made me crave more like being addicted to parem. I loved how she balanced intrigue with action and romance. I loved how the action and romance were spaced out and built up throughout the book. I think because Leigh Bardguo created such strong relationships and backstories in Six of Crows, it really moved the relationships along in Crooked Kingdom in the best way. Every action scene had me biting my thumb in anticipation, screaming with a fist in the air, or just plain screaming. Gosh, my neighbors must think I am craaazzzy 🤪. But every scene was just so good . . . chefs kisses 😘👌🏼. I also loved how detailed everything was because I felt like I was right there in Ketterdam inside the minds of all these characters. I appreciate the diversity and range of the characters as always. One thing that I loved about Crooked Kingdom was how we got to be in Ketterdam—-we got to go through most of the city and really get a feel for the lifestyle and people there. I LOVED that ♥️. Would I live in Ketterdam? Hot dang I would! But maybe not the Barrel 😅. I definitely wouldn’t raise my kids there. Gosh, it must have slipped my mind at one point how Jesper said he went to the university in Ketterdam. I’m sorry, Ketterdam had a university?! That seemed indecorous to the entire city. I was surprised Ketterdam even had sunlight 😂. I truly had started to envision an all dark, dreary, gray place. I guess not. So, I loved being immersed in the Dregs world.
Apart from my spiel, I don’t even know where to start this book review because so much happened 😂.
But I guess I want to write this review in Leigh Bardugo style, and in the style I wrote my Six of Crows book review (linked above, it’s a fun read!): by each character. I also really admired how I thought I learned the whole backstory—-or enough anyway—about these characters, but when I thought I knew it all, I learned sooooo much more about them than I thought I knew. I LOVED that. It just reminded me that we never truly know a person even if we have part of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed getting deeper with our characters. So, that’s where I will start and I will also discuss the characters’ growth from their past to their present arcs. In part two, I will discuss the ships and Ketterdam deceit/plans for utter takedown!
Without further ado, let’s start with my absolute favorite character to exist:
🖤 Kaz Brekker 🖤
“What’s wrong with him?” Nina grumbles as they went back to the sitting room to drill Colm on his cover story.
“Same thing that’s always wrong with him,” said Jesper. “He’s Kaz Brekker.”
(pg. 381)
Kaz, Kaz, Kaz, sweet Kaz.
I was reading the chapters and then I suddenly wondered, where the HECK was Kaz’s POV chapters? 🤪 So I looked back through the chapters and realized we never had a Kaz POV yet. Chapter nine was the first Kaz POV! I felt having Kaz’s POV chapter when he and the Crows rescued Inej was purposeful and I appreciated it, but gosh did I miss Kaz’s POV’s because I was thoroughly concerned for his well-being now that Inej wasn’t there.
Kaz within the first hundred or so pages honestly had no scruples or remorse because he didn’t have Inej to tether him to his humanity. I mean, this guy really threw someone off a lighthouse to figure out where his woman was. I don’t blame him, but I also thought that was Dirtyhanded and ruthless for sure. Gosh, and don’t get me started with how Kaz nearly scared the heebie jeebies out of the poor kid in Smeet’s house. I was soooo worried for the kid because I honestly didn’t know whether or not Kaz would hurt her. That’s kind of unsettling that I questioned if Kaz would show mercy to a kid 😅. I knew he would, but without Inej I kind of was unsure. I am happy he didn’t do anything terrible besides threaten the kid. That’ still terrible, but it’s better than you know . . . She’s definitely going to dream about the monster that creeped through her house that night. Was it also laughable that Kaz was nicer to the dogs but not the little girl? 😆 I would love to see Kaz with a dog, or you know, a got, preferably Milo. But Kaz should not have kids in his future. I don’t see that going over well 😅.
Kaz also didn’t have a filter without Inej there, which really made him savage Kaz and I loved it. I liked how he kept teasing Matthias, Nina, Jesper, and Wylan about anything and everything. I loved how everyone knew Kaz was on edge and they didn’t want to get on his bad side.
” . . . Matthias heard Wylan murmur to Jesper, “Why won’t he just say he wants her back?”
“You’ve met Kaz, right?”
(pg. 41)
You and me both Wylan, you and me both.
It was kind of sad how everyone thought Kaz just wanted Inej back because she was the Wraith and she would help them make the money Van Eck didn’t pay them. If only they took a look inside his mind, they would have understood how much it wasn’t about the money for Kaz, but getting back Inej because he loved her. It’s just a testament to how much of a show he puts on to everyone that he’s stony and steely and money focused. But Kaz had a heart!
When Kaz reunited with Inej at the Goedmedbridge, I could tell Kaz felt relieved and happy. And I noticed the shift from savage Kaz to regular Kaz, or as regular as Kaz can be.
But you know what got me the most about Kaz in this book—-the moment I screeched like a Volcra 🤪. When Kaz and Inej were on the garden balcony thing after climbing up there and he had her Mister Crimson outfit and her FAVORITE FLOWER!!!!!!! 😩 My heart ♥️. He EARNED her heart that’s for sure, if you know you know. Him knowing her favorite flower just showed her how much he was trying to show her he loved and cared for her! And when he told her it was nice to have her back, I was like that’s probably the nicest thing Kaz has ever said to anyone. My sweet Kaz was trying! I also loved the moments Kaz noticed her laughing or smiling and how much he loved hearing or seeing that. He just wanted her happy 🥺.
“Kaz straightened his cuffs. “I also had her stop at the Menagerie.”
She smiled then, her eyes red, her cheeks scattered with some kind of dust. It was a smile he thought he might die to earn again.”
(pg. 480)
or at the end
“Inej laughed, her hood falling back from her hair.
“That’s the laugh,” he murmured, but she was already setting off down the quay, her feet barely touching the ground.”
(pg. 529)
My BABY! 🥺 I just loved his growth with trying to let his armor down piece by piece for her and to show her that he really did care. Because I think losing her made Kaz realize how he took her for granted and he never wanted to lose her or see her in pain ever again. So he wanted to work on himself bit by bit to be the man she deserved. And that meant having a net for her when he knew she was the Wraith and could do anything or when he was always concerned for her because he was telling Inej in his own way that she mattered to him, not as an investment but someone important in his life. It’s all in the subtly for Kaz, but he has such a big heart that shows in various ways. I will get into the Kaz and Inej romantic conversations more later on in that section, but I really wanted to talk about how Kaz was trying and how it made my hurt burst to see him do so. That wasn’t easy for Kaz. Him trying to heal for Inej also meant he had to reflect on past trauma.
That’s one thing I appreciate about Kaz’s story—-is how he is a very real person healing through trauma he never had support or help in. Kaz bottled all his trauma inside for years and that had made him the man he was. Heck, he nurtured in his pain as he said.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” said Kaz. “I don’t hold a grudge. I crave it. I coddle it. I feed it fine cuts of meat and send it to the best schools. I nurture my grudges, Rollins.”
(pg. 300)
But that was never healthy for him to move on—-it only kept him stuck in this vengeful cycle of the past. So it was understandable why Kaz couldn’t just miraculously heal and be this man Inej needed—a more vulnerable man.
Part of Kaz’s backstory was his mom. I wondered what happened to Kaz’s mom. He briefly mentioned his mom and how the mom birthed him in Ketterdam harbor . . . I’m not sure if he was being truthful because wasn’t Kaz from Pim or something. Was Him in Ketterdam? Because that wouldn’t explain why Kaz and Jordie needed to get on a boat to Ketterdam and how they ended up in the Barrel. So the mom’s still a mystery to me that I would have liked to know more about.
I loved hearing the story of how Kaz came to buy his first pair of gloves. It was a really interesting story because he was working a job with two Dregs where they lifted someone’s body. At the time, Kaz didn’t wear gloves so touching the man’s skin made Kaz uncomfortable and had him shivering in a corner in anguish. That broke my heart for Kaz because there was nothing wrong with feeling disgusted with human contact when that was triggering for him. But I liked how he found solace in gloves. What made me kind of giddy was when he talked about this girl he liked, Imogen. He must have a thing for girls whose names start with I 😆. I’m joking. But I thought it was very sweet how Kaz did have a first crush or that he had crushes. Reading that part made my heart warm because Kaz was just a boy, of course he could have feelings about girls or boys if he wanted to. But it was hard for him because he didn’t feel like he could touch anyone to be in a relationship. It made me sad that the felt that he had to beat whatever he was going through. He absolutely did not need to beat what he was going through if he wasn’t ready.
“He was stronger than his sickness, stronger than the pull of the water.”
(pg. 416)
He was strong—strong by finding a way to live through his trauma on his own.
To conquer his fear, Kaz went without his gloves for one mission. I knew the mission wasn’t going to end well because Kaz was still triggered by skin to skin contact and that wasn’t going to go away in an instant. I do give Kaz the utmost credit for trying, maybe baby steps would have been better. But I felt so sad when he phased out and started to shake. Then he took the beating from Teapot because I think Kaz felt like he deserved it. He didn’t deserve a beat down just because he was trying to overcome his trauma. It wasn’t his fault. What was interesting was how ever since that moment, Kaz kept the gloves on and never made himself weak. He picked himself back up and became stronger. Kaz doing so reminded me of the quote of how someone knocks you down, you get back up twice as strong. Kaz being strong is a very high character trait for him because he doesn’t want to be taken advantage of or thought weak.
“He became twice as ruthless, fought twice as hard. He stopped worrying about seeming normal, let people see a glimmer of the madness within him and let them guess the rest. . . Let me teach you what pain looks like, he would say, and then he’d paint a picture with his fists.”
(pg. 417)
He deserved so much more help and love as a kid. I felt from that moment on Kaz pushed down love and physical touch because he thought he would never have it. He was literally untouchable.
The whole strong and weak facade was an interesting conversation Kaz had with Wylan.
“Kaz Brekker,” Rollins mocked. “Philosopher crook.”
(pg. 283)
I thought that was funny 😂. Kaz can spit poetic fire when he wants to.
But I really liked when he said this:
“When people see a cripple walking down the street, leaning on his cane, what do they feel?” Wylan looked away. . .”They feel pity. Now, what do they think when they see me coming?”
Wylan’s mouth quirked up at the corner. “They think they’d better cross the street.”
Kaz tossed the ledger back in the safe. “You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are. . .
“Think on it, Wylan,” Kaz said as he straightened the frame. “It’s a shame that lines my pockets, shame that keeps the Barrel teeming with fools ready to put on a mask so they can have what they want with no one the wiser for it. We can endure all kinds of pain. It’s shame that eats men whole.”
(pg. 283)
A philosopher crook indeed.
But he wasn’t wrong. I agree that sometimes we let shame make us fear how people perceive us. If we stopped caring what other people think, we don’t give them power to dictate how we feel about ourselves because at the end of the day there is nothing to be ashamed of if we can or cannot do something; if we are good or bad at something; or if we are different. I can’t play many sports, doesn’t mean I need to feel shameful or weak because of it. I also liked how Kaz said shame eats men whole. I like to think it’s shame that eats human’s whole. Because we let shame drive our fear and let that fear control us. I know I understand that well—I’m not proud of it, but I understand it. I also can understand it in multiple contexts when I think about people who have turned greedy, egotistical, or mean—-they are letting shame eat them up and turn them into people they might not be proud of.
Also part of Kaz’s trauma was his hate visceral feelings for Jordie. I kind of wondered why Kaz felt to blame for Jordie when it wasn’t Kaz’s fault. I knew everything Kaz was doing was to bring peace or vengeance for what happened to Kaz and Jordie, but there was a part of me that felt Kaz shouldn’t have felt that blame. I mean, it’s not like it was Jordie’s fault as well, but I did wonder if Kaz ever thought that. And he did. I liked how Kaz’s anger at Jordie was explored in this book because it showed how he was still healing. Jordie was the older brother who was supposed to protect Kaz and look after him, but he didn’t. Deep down, I knew Kaz didn’t hate Jordie, but there was an anger there that Jordie should have been there and Kaz was mad that he wasn’t. It was an anger out of love. There’s also the part of Kaz that thinks Jordie would forgive him if Kaz got vengeance. But who said Jordie was mad?
I thought it was interesting when Kaz accidentally called Jesper Jordie when Jesper and Kaz had that big argument. I know Kaz thinks of Jesper as a brother, and it was a natural slip of the tongue because it was something Kaz would have wanted to say to Jordie. I also felt like Kaz saying Jordie opened up a conversation Jesper needed to hear from Kaz. Kaz was his long time friend and sure Jesper messed up with the Ice Court heist, but Jesper was a good guy. Kaz knew that he just felt unsettled because he trusted Jesper and Kaz had trust issues. He wanted Jesper to feel that pain of slipping up. And heck, there was all this tension between them since the Ice Court, so it was natural that they needed to get their anger out in a good healthy fight. I could NOT when everyone just stared at them and let them have at it 😂. I think they ALL knew they needed to have that fight.
“That’s right. You can’t win. You think you’re a gambler, but you’re just a born loser. Fights. Cards. Boys. Girls. You’ll keep playing until you lose, so for once in your life, just walk away.”
Jesper swung first. . .
“Ghezen and his works, someone stop them!” Wylan said desperately.
“Jesper hasn’t shot him,” Nina said.
“Kaz isn’t using his cane,” said Inej.
(pg. 332)
What low standards they had for each other to just watch them 😂.
I also touched on this in my Six of Crows book review, but Kaz and Jordie were taken advantage of.
“They’d been two farm boys, missing their father, lost in this city. That was how Pekka got them. It wasn’t the enticement of money. He’d given them a new home. A fake wife who made them hot pot, a fake daughter for Kaz to play with. Pekka Rollins lured them with a warm fire and a promise of the life they’d lost.
And that was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have.”
(pg. 419)
Kaz deeply believed longing for a life you could never have was something that destroyed him because he lived it. He knew the pain of false realities. I also felt Pekka used Kaz and Jordie’s vulnerabilities against them 😢.
With this book, I also felt like Kaz was highlighted more as a leader. In Six of Crows he was the leader with the plan, but with Crooked Kingdom we got to see him lead lead where people turned to him for ideas, direction, or a pep talk. Kaz does good pep talks when he wants to, gosh knows his pep talk at the Barrel was inspiring. Sad no one listened to him. I would have listened to Kaz.
“I may not walk straight,” said Kaz. “But at least I don’t run from a fight.”
(pg. 379)
Gosh, Kaz’s fight scene back at the Slat was EPIC! When I thought Kaz couldn’t be cooler, he just became a million times cooler. I mean, to be really honest Per Haskell really didn’t do anything for the Dregs besides just be like the “adult supervision” of the gang. Kaz was the one who built them up and credited their reputation, so the fact they all unabashedly came at him felt wrong. They were asking to get beat up because Kaz wasn’t going to lose. When Kaz kept getting knocked down, I would literally gasp and then Kaz would find some move to take down his opponent. I really appreciated how Leigh Bardugo kept Kaz’s fights authentic to a non-trained fighter. It really made it feel like Dirtyhands. I also LOVED the moment when Kaz took the nail from the stairs and used it on his opponent because that was a skilled and creative move. I also was like, “WOW,” when Kaz was all bloody and buried and he STILL managed to pop someone’s knee. Who does that? Savage Kaz!
I just want to say I don’t condone violence, but when Kaz Brekker does it, I might just 🙈. This scene was also highly powerful because we’ve never seen Kaz all beat up before, so it was interesting to understand he wanted to get beat up on purpose. I also have so much respect for Kaz—-he’s crazy, but that’s okay—for going back to the Slat when he knew they wanted to kill him or turn him in. But he stood his ground on his own. I knew he was scared, but I also respected how he knew he had to go back because if he didn’t it would just make everyone win and think that he was scared to walk his town. I’m curious, though, why Kaz wants the Barrel or Ketterdam to be his city when he can have any city of his choosing. He could start a new life somewhere else. Maybe that’s where Kaz Brekker was from though.
Kaz was also still an excellent schemer and the greatest deceiver and planner there ever was. I just don’t understand how he thinks of everything! I literally cannot for the life of me figure out a smidge of what Kaz Brekker’s plans are. Even when he lays out the plan on the pages, I’m still blown away by what happens. I loved how Leigh Bardugo does that though—-she writes the plan out, but doesn’t give everything away because it surprises the reader. Gosh knows, I was surprised the ENTIRE book. I also want to know what gang Leigh Bardugo rules because I need her freaking cool mindset. I mean, how does one think of all these things!? That’s BONKERS. Honestly, Bonkers in the best, most admiring way.
It wouldn’t be Kaz if I didn’t mention Pekka Rollins.
Pekka is important to Kaz’s arc.
I thought Pekka’s defeat would have been a bit more scheme-y, if you will. I thought he had other plans for Pekka besides taking him down with Van Eck, but hey, it worked and I liked it. Kick two stones with one shoe, am I right? But I didn’t know Kaz was looking for Pekka to say Jordie’s name. That part was interesting.
I liked how Kaz gave his whole monologue, asking Pekka if he remembered him. Pekka didn’t until Kaz jogged his memory, but Pekka still couldn’t remember Jordie’s name. I still would have liked to hear Pekka say Jordie’s name because I think it would have helped Kaz move on. I am also starting to think that it was important Kaz heard Pekka say Jordie’s name so it didn’t feel like Pekka just took advantage of them without remembering what/who he did it too. When Kaz gave his monologue, I was also like, “Huh, well now everyone will know Kaz’s story.” But I liked when Pekka was on his knees groveling for mercy because he had no mercy with Kaz. It’s interesting how sometimes people just don’t think that what they do has a huge impact on someone and they might never know how. Pekka never gave two thoughts about Kaz and Jordie after he scammed them, and he didn’t mean for them to die or live terribly. But that’s what happened 🙁.
I thought it was a SAVAGE move that Kaz had Pekka’s son. I told you Kaz shouldn’t be trusted with kids! Honestly, who knew Pekka HAD a son?! 😅 Who knew Pekka had a wife?! If he had a whole family, why didn’t we know about it sooner? I guess, Pekka was keeping it on the down low because he had a lot of enemies. But honestly, if he had many enemies, then he should have at least expected that one person would be angry enough to seek vengeance. It’s all about that cockiness and comfiness Pekka felt.
Comfy quote
Again, there was a part of me that was like Kaz wouldn’t bury a kid alive 😅. But this felt different because he had a grudge with Pekka, sooooo I wouldn’t put it past him. But that seemed too wrong even for Kaz. I was starting to panic along with Inej and I felt her when she said, “Don’t do this. Don’t be this” (pg. 477). I’m glad Kaz wasn’t brutal enough to bury a kid alive, but he was bluffing the entire time. But Kaz really knew how to bring Pekka to his knees! Kaz really could have done something worse to Pekka for all the things he indirectly caused in Kaz’s life, but Kaz let him go. That was an impressive amount of strength from Kaz and I felt it came from a place of not wanting to be like Pekka or be the one who did something terrible that Pekka’s son and wife would not have a father. You know in the entire duology Kaz never killed anyone. I don’t think . . . I could be wrong because gosh knows they kind of blur together. But Kaz wasn’t a killer. I mean, he probably has, but none that I’ve read.
I still felt like Kaz had unresolved business with Pekka, so I wasn’t sure how that was going to work in the future (until you know, the epilogue, which I’ll talk about later).
What got me though was when Kaz offered Inej his hand when they left the scene. My heart 🥺♥️.
“You showed mercy, Kaz. You were the better man.”
There she went again, seeking decent when there was none to be had. “Inej, I could only kill Pekka’s son once.” He pushed the door open with his cane. “He can imagine his death a thousand times.”
(pg. 480)
Inej always sees the best in Kaz even if the best might not be the “best” in terms of typical standards of best. But I just loved how Inej knew Kaz wasn’t the bad guy no matter how ruthless he could be. I also liked what Kaz said because it sets this idea to Pekka that Kaz could come after his son, but now Pekka had to worry about all the things that could happen to his son based on all his enemies. In that way, Pekka would imagine his son’s death a thousand times and that fear might make him not scam or do shady business.
But I was happy that in the moment, Kaz had some closure with Pekka and hey, he was going to be a rich bish! 😂
He can be the new sugar daddy of the Barrel with his money. Honestly, no one should ever cross Kaz because you are gonna get it!
One thing I’m still wondering is what will Kaz do now with Van Eck in prison and Pekka in hiding? What will Kaz do with the rest of his money? Will Kaz still stick to his line of work or will he become something else now that he kind of got his vengeance on Pekka? I think Kaz should go teach at the university with how to be a con artist 😂. I would take that class. Professor Brekker, if you will.
I am also still wondering if Kaz bathes 🤪. I mean, it sounds like he kind of fears water because of the river, but I think he can handle being in water because of how he was immersed in water when escaping the Ice Court. But is water a trigger too? Not that I think triggers are funny, I’m just genuinely curious if he is uncomfortable with water because of his past. I also wonder If Kaz Brekker freaking sleeps! 🤪 I didn’t notice how Kaz never seemed like he slept until Leigh Bardugo wrote that one short scene where Kaz fell asleep in a quick nap. I didn’t think anything of Kaz’s sleeping habits because not all authors write characters who go to sleep because it’s just assumed. But I don’t think Kaz Brekker sleeps! He needs to have a sleeping schedule for sure. I swear all of them do. I mean, where does Kaz Brekker sleep? 🤪
🔪 Inej Ghafa 🔪
“‘We meet fear,’ he’d said. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen.”
(pg. 51)
Inej’s strength really runs full throttle in Crooked Kingdom. And if Kaz Brekker is a force to be reckoned with, Inej is a force to be wrecked by.
She sure wrecked me. Gosh, if I could even be a 1/4 of the strong woman she is ♥️.
It still baffles me that the beginning of the book was about rescuing Inej because it seemed like that happened in another lifetime. But gosh, my baby was in a cell and wasn’t eating and was tiny. My heart 🥺. Don’t even get me started on how Kaz looked at her when he rescued her. I felt he was ready to break. Oh, gosh, and don’t even get me started on how Kaz asked her if Van Eck hurt her! I knew that if Inej said yes, Kaz would bring FIRE! He would burn Van Eck bit by bit if He hurt Inej.
Oh, I could NOT with Van Eck and his sick torture. When he had the mallet and gave the order to break Inej’s legs, I was like, “NOOOOO!” He could not break her legs! I was also hoping Inej didn’t reveal anything to Van Eck that could be used against the Crows. I liked her plan of giving away empty places they used to use, but as Inej did that I was like, “He’s going to think her just coming clean is too easy.” Of course Van Eck didn’t buy it. But of course, he didn’t break her legs. What got me was how Inej kept thinking she was Kaz’s investment. I have no idea how many times I need to shout at Inej that Kaz did not think of her as an investment!
“In her early days at the Menagerie, she’d believe someone would come for her. Her family would find her. An officer of the law. A hero from one of the stories her mother used to tell. Men had come, but not to set her free, and eventually her hope had withered like leaves beneath too-bright sun, replaced by bitter buds of resignation.
. . . He’ll never trade if you break me. She could not pretend those words had been conjured by strategy or even animal cunning. The magic they’d worked had been born of belief. An ugly enchantment.”
(pg. 64)
First of all, Kaz was her knight in glove-cane-black suit-and-hat armor, and second, I knew Kaz wouldn’t care if she had broken legs. He loved her! GOSH DARN IT!
“I would come for you,” he said, and when he saw the wary look she shot him, he said it again. “I would come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together—knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”
(pg. 184-5)
I SCREAMED!!!! Finally this guy says the romantic thoughts he thinks!!! Let’s go Kaz, he was trying to be open and honest with her. This was one admission and we needed MORE to go! But gosh, he said he would have crawled to her because he would fight for his woman! But Inej needed to hear that because honestly, he was losing her in the beginning of the book because she just didn’t know how we truly felt. So, good for you Kaz.
But this is about Inej, so I’m going to stop talking about Kaz 🙃.
Talk about Inej’s boat dreams the suli image
With Inej, I also liked hearing more about her acrobatic training with her family. I liked seeing where she grew up and got all her skills from. Her dad, again, sounded like a very vital part of her life who taught her to trust herself—-he gave her wings to fly on her own. I would love to meet the dad, he sounds like he gives sage advice too.
“Inej would walk as she always done, with nothing to catch her, borne aloft by her invisible wings.”
(pg. 274)
I loved loved loved the scene where Inej walked across the traipse line. I loved how Leigh Bardugo cut between Inej remembering what her dad taught her and what Inej did during her shows to what Inej was doing in the moment. I thought the scene was more epic that way. I also loved the detail and description of the wind in Inej’s hair and her breathing and walking the line. It was finely written and I appreciated every second of it. I felt like Inej was connecting to her past as she walked that traipse and I loved that for her. I felt most memories with her family were happy ones.
The saddest part of Inej’s ruminations was how the vanilla smell reminded her of a man at the Menagerie. I just always feel equal parts disgusted, horrified, and devastated when Inej mentions the Menagerie. I HATE the Menagerie. The Menagerie can burn for all I care! Maybe Kaz will bull doze it one day! Heck, if Jesper and Inej still have that Fjerdan tank, LET’S GO!!!! Then they can tank all the pleasure houses! 😂That’s the novella I need 🤪.
All jokes aside, I hurt for Inej. Hearing what she endured made me understand more about why physical touch was just as hard for her. Gosh, I could only imagine. Her feelings are completely valid. The vanilla man was someone who met her at her parents ‘ circus act and remembered her. That sucked because it felt like her past was combined with her present and her past was happy memories and now he had to go and ruin some part of that. I hated that for her. I didn’t appreciate how Heleen would beat her to ensure she never cried because of her job. I didn’t appreciate the pain Inej had to go through because of the greed and filth of entitled rich men.
What happened was to her and all the boys and girls at the Menagerie was wrong. Absolutely. And I think Inej and Kaz both had that physical pain and trauma to heal from. That wasn’t easy. That wasn’t going to be easy for both of them.
But gosh, can we talk about Inej’s kick BUTT scenes! I will say hands down that Inej’s fight scenes were the absolute best and you cannot come at me with that. I loved the detail and precision Leigh Bardugo wrote every fight scene with Inej and Dunyasha. Gosh, Inej met her match but she came on strong. I was sooo enraptured by their movements and the way the whole scene was described. I felt like I was reading those scenes as fast as they were fighting! I LOVED it! I did not like this Dunyashsa person because she seemed cocky as heck and Inej needed to sit her butt down 🤪. Also, where the heck did she come from? Like I know she came from Pekka, but seriously, if she was the “greatest assassin” I think people would have heard about her 😆 👉🏼👈🏼. YIKES.
I loved Inej’s savage moment when Dunyasha introduced herself and Inej was like, “Doesn’t ring a bell.” 😂I mean, everyone knew Inej as the Wraith, and here Dunyasha was, saying she was the “greatest assassin.” Yea, right.
I will give Dunyasha credit for at least trying to get the best of Inej. But she wasn’t going to win in the end. I think it just surprised Inej to finally meet someone who was good at fighting. I liked how Kaz gave her the tip of looking for someone’s tell because that really helped her with the fight on the Chapel roof. The fact that Kaz even knew Inej’s tell was another way he loved her because he took the time to get to know her. Kaz was also a highly observant person, which I loved about him.
The Chapel fight between Dunyasha and Inej was my FAVORITE battle–by far!
It’s just so powerful to see two strong women have fought it out and actually compliment each other during their fight. I was pleasantly surprised that Dunyasha actually complimented Inej on how good a fighter she was, but what made me still not like her was how she would turn it around and say how she was still better than Inej. But then Inej whooped her butt because Dunyasha may have been the “greatest assassin” where she’s from, but she didn’t know Ketterdam, and this was Inej’s turf. I loved Inej’s final line to Dunyasha. Gosh, it was stunning—-I loved that for her!
“I told you, Wraith. I am fearless. My blood flows with the strength of every queen and conqueror who came before me.”
. . .”The girl who knows no fear,” Inej panted as the mercenary’s shape wobbled before her.
Dunyasha bowed. “Goodbye, Wraith.”
“Then learn fear now before you die.” Inej stepped aside, balancing on one foot as Dunyasha’s boot came down on the loose piece of scrollwork.”
(pg. 461-62)
Inej is sooooo cool! ♥️ She is Kaz’s woman!
I also liked when Inej said this:
“But wasn’t that what every girl dreamed? That she’d wake and find herself a princess? Or blessed with magical powers and a grand destiny? Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.”
(pg. 460)
I loved this ♥️. I was that girl who dreamed she would be a princess or who was destined for greatness, but you know, alas, I am not one of those people (but hey, I still think we’re all destined for greatness). But I love how Inej said we create magic from the ordinary whether that be in the books, shows, movies, or other content we think about. We create a magical and better version of our life and create the life of greatness we want when greatness isn’t handed to us. And I think that’s what makes ordinary people so amazing—-we have the power to create the positive lives we want.
Another pivotal piece of Inej’s story that warmed my heart was at the end, but I’m going to save that for the Kanej portion of this review 😊.
⚔️ Jesper Fahey ⚔️
“Lunch,” Jesper said, reacting to the word as if he’d just learned it. “Yes, lunch. Who doesn’t like lunch?” Lunch felt like a miracle. They’d eat. They’d talk. Maybe they’d drink. Please let them drink.”
(Pg. 75)
Jesper ever the humor and glue that kept everyone together.
But what I appreciated about Crooked Kingdom was diving into Jesper’s backstory a lot more. I liked that we got to learn about his parents. Jesper is sooooo fascinating because he’s one of the only Crows who has a parent who still cares for him to protect him.
A HOME TO GO BACK TO QUOTE–pg 89
“Would you tell your parents the truth? Would you tell them everything you’ve done . . . everything that happened?”
“I don’t know,” Inej admitted. But I’d give anything to have the choice.”
(pg. 339)
And that just reminded me how all the Crows are just kids who are trying to survive. But yet, here Jesper was throwing his life away to unhealthy addictions and situations when there was still a chance for him to do better and to form relationships with his family. Not everyone had that luxury.
Jesper sounded like he had a very wholesome and humble upbringing with his mom, Aditi Hili, and dad on the farm. I love the idyllic sense of making their own bread, riding horses, taking care of the animals, and all those fun things. I loved how Jesper’s reminiscence centered around the love and adoration he had for his mom. I enjoyed hearing how Jesper learned such strength from his mom in shooting guns. Gosh, the mom must have been a trailblazer—an amazing woman. Jesper got his Grisha part from her. I loved how the mom called Grisha zowa instead because I think she wanted Jesper to not be ashamed of his powers, but to think of them as a blessing/gift. I loved how the mom secretly used her powers when the dad wasn’t around because she knew the dad worried about her, which was understandable. In secret, the mom also kind of trained Jesper to use his powers through I think the shooting practice. Matthias mentioned something early on about how maybe Jesper was a perfect shot because he was a fabrikator and could control where the bullet went. I never thought about that before, but when Matthias mentioned that, I was like, “Huh, that would make sense.” Jesper usually talked about getting a high or a boost of serotonin if you will, whenever he shot or whenever he gambled or too a risk on something. After that, I noticed Jesper started to question his skill but then he would continue to attribute his precision to his mom’s training. But I think deep down Jesper just didn’t want to admit that his Grisha power was the reason he was good at what he did.
“I know what it is like to be ashamed of what you are, of what you’ve done.”
. . . “If Grisha don’t use their powers, they grow ill. They age, tire easily, lose appetite. It’s one way the Shu identify Grisha trying to live in secret.”
“I don’t use my power,” said Jesper. “And yet. . . ” He held up his fingers, enumerating his points as he made them. “One: On a dare, I ate a literal trough full of waffles doused in apple syrup and almost went back for seconds. Two: A lack of energy has never been my problem. Three: I’ve never been sick a day in my life.”
“No?” said Matthias. “There are many kinds of sickness.”
(pg. 254)
I liked this conversation because we got to learn the reason behind why Bo created parem. Bo created parem to help Grisha suppress their powers when they hid them, so they wouldn’t get all the effects as mentioned above. But obviously that’s not what parem became. But I liked how Matthias said there are many kinds of sick because I felt that was where Jesper’s addiction for gambling and risk taking came from; He might not have had the typical effects, but his was still just as harmful because it made Jesper on edge. Here’s the thing, as someone who is an education major and took special education classes, my initial thoughts from book one was that Jesper had ADHD because of how much he moved around and seemed hyperactive. However, there weren’t other signs that made me fully believe he might have ADHD. So the explanation of Jesper’s restlessness being attributed to his lack of using his powers made sense. Because Jesper had all this power that he wasn’t using and it was sitting inside him and that made him restless and it made him feel like there was always this part that needed to be filled. The cure was never his addictions, but accepting himself. And that meant reflecting on his past qualms about being Grisha.
With his past, his mom was selfless and had the best heart. I think all the Crows would have loved Aditi if they met her. My heart felt so sad for Jesper when he he remembered as a little boy, he saw his mom and realized she wasn’t doing well. Aditi saved a girls’ life by using her power to take out a poison from the girl, but in turn it poisoned the mom. I loved how the dad called the mom their queen. But gosh was I said for Jesper and his dad 🥺.
From there on, it was just the both of them surviving together—an unbreakable bond. But the thing was the dad blamed Grisha power for taking the mom’s life, but truly it wasn’t Grisha power itself. The dad just wanted to blame something and that was the easiest thing to be angry at. But by being angry at Grisha power, it prevented Jesper from ever feeling like it was okay to use it or okay to be himself. I understood it, though—the dad was just scared that he would lose Jesper to Grisha power and Jesper was all he had left.
“Jesper had been ten. He’d thought of his father alone on the farm, coming home to an empty house every day, sitting by himself at the table every night, no one to make him burnt biscuits.”
(pg. 341)
As someone who lives with a single parent, sometimes it can feel difficult to leave that parent because you don’t want them alone. I felt like Jesper carried this sense of responsibility that he had to be with his dad or please his dad because he knew that he was all the dad had left. But Jesper needed time to figure out who he was and he went to Ketterdam for college. However, like most new kids he went rabid with his freedom because he hid an essential part of himself—his powers.
To be honest, Jesper was like Elsa who concealed her powers and now he had to let it go.
There’s this conversation that he had with his dad later in the book—I’m getting ahead of myself with talking about Colm, but I’ll get there—where Jesper politely calls out his dad.
“I didn’t raise you to be a gambler, Jesper. I certainly didn’t raise you to be a criminal.”
Jesper released a bitter huff of laughter. “I love you, Da. I love you with all of my lying, thieving, worthless heart, but yes, you did.”
“What?” sputtered Colm.
“You taught me to lie.”
“To keep you safe.”
Jesper shook his head. “I had a gift. You should have let me use it.”
(pg. 342)
Go JESPER! 👏🏼
I think there’s something to be appreciated about people who accept and value you for who you are and don’t make you feel like you have to diminish or hide parts of yourself. So, of course, I’m going to mention Wylan for a bit 🤪 (I’ll talk about it more later in the Wesper portion).
“I’ve spent my whole life hiding things I can’t do. Why run from the amazing things you can do?”
(pg. 393)
Wylan had a point there 👌🏼.
LIke Kaz and Inej, Wylan saw the best in Jesper and wanted him to accept and be proud of who he was—including his Grisha gift. I loved that.
Another conversation I loved was Inej and Jesper’s conversation after the fight. I honestly enjoyed every bit of Inej and Jesper’s interactions because they formed a brother-sister relationship ♥️.
“‘Do you know the Suli have no words to say ‘I’m sorry’?’
. . . ‘But when someone does wrong, when we make mistakes, we don’t say sorry. We promise to make amends.’
“I will.”
‘Mati en sheva yelu. This action will have no tech. It means we won’t repeat the same mistakes, that we won’t continue to do harm.”‘
. . .’There’s a wound in you, and the tables, the dice, the cards—-they feel like medicine. They soothe you, put you right for a time. But they’re poison, Jesper. Every time you play, you take another sip. You have to find some other way to heal that part of yourself.’ She laid her hand on her chest. ‘Stop treating your pain like it’s something you imagined. fI you see the wound is real, then you can heal it.'”
(pg. 338-9)
I absolutely loved how Inej articulated this—how Leigh Bardguo wrote this. This dialogue reminded me of the saying, “Don’t say it’s okay when someone apologizes because people think they can do it again,” or something like that. Because what I got from Inej’s words was that apologies don’t mean anything without action—if you do not try to do something differently to rectify your mistakes or the harm you caused. Apologies don’t mean anything without trying—action without an echo. Inej also understood well that Jesper always had temporary relief with his wound. I listened to the podcast Unsolicited Advice recently (highly recommend!!), and Taryne said that, “It’s not a scar if it’s still hurting you, it’s an open wound.” This quote reminded me of what Inej said about Jesper’s wound. I think Jesper thinks he’s okay because his past scar is healed, but it’s an open wound that has been getting worse for years because he hasn’t actually been tending to it. He’s been gambling—-poisoning and worsening the wound. But he needed closure and to heal. That started with talking to his dad first, deep reflection, and trying to be better.
“But what if he’d been bluffing this whole time? Angry and frightened—that’s what the Fjerdan had called him. What had Matthias and Inej seen in Jesper that he didn’t understand?
“I . . . I’ll try.” It was the most he could offer right now.”
(pg. 339)
I loved that Jesper was going to try ♥️.
I loved the moment at the end when Jesper took his shot 😉.
“Maybe he was the same. A bullet in a chamber, spending his whole life waiting for the moment when he would have direction.
. . . It’s not a gift. It’s a curse. But when it came down to it, Jespers’ life had been full of blessings.”
(pg. 470-1)
Jesper was like a bullet who hid in his revolver this entire time, all this pent up energy waiting to be released. And when he finally was, it felt good. Not good to shoot something, you know, but metaphorically it feels good to let go and be who you are.
He really had all these people who cared so much about him and saw an amazing guy, just a guy who hid his emotions behind humor and addictions. I loved the Crows relationship. They hated and teased each other often, but the way they looked out for each other? Unspeakable.
I really do feel like as much as Inej displayed the most strength in this book, Jesper is one of the characters in this book who showed the most potential ❣️. He was going to try to be better.
I got ahead of myself with the whole Jesper coming to terms with his Grisha power, but I really wanted to talk about that because it was the heart of Jesper’s backstory and arc in this book. It was also what fascinated me the most about Jesper and made me connect with him more.
But now let’s talk about Jesper’s dad: Colm Fahey.
Jesper’s dad is soooo go with the flow and a no questions of guy and I was here for it.
When Colm first showed up, I was like, “YES! Finally, someone comes to check on what Jesper has been up to in college.” 🤪 I’m still shook Ketterdam has a college 😂. I mean, get that education, but truly where are these educated Ketterdam-ians at? Gosh, did I love meeting that one friend of Jesper’s in that coffee shop and Jesper was like we should get waffles sometimes. Love that someone remembered him. I wonder what Jesper studied in college 🤔.I also loved how Colm came and of course, Jesper and Wylan and Colm were getting shot at 😆. It’s not funny in a sadistic way, more like a disbelief way. Anyway, the dad was so cool about it. I would have been thoroughly freaked the heck out and I would have questioned what Jesper was up to or what he got into. I mean, Colm really didn’t question why they got shot at or why his son brought him to a cemetery and why he had to stay in a hotel. Darn, Colm was CALM.
“I’m already harboring fugitives. If I’m going to aid, I may as well abet.”
(pg. 350)
Also, the dad was a down bish. He did anything. We loved that type of acquiescence. I loved how he just went along with being the bait in Kaz’s plan and then playing his part. Gosh, this guy was pretty cool. But I will say, Colm was not that funny, so I’m thinking Jesper got his humor from his mom 🙈. I think it would have been cool if Colm cracked some dad jokes here and there, I think that would have driven Kaz mad 😂.
Jesper also had a complex relationship with his dad as touched on a bit above. Besides the Grisha part, there was the fact that Jesper owed his father money for the debt of the farm. But after their take down of Van Eck and Pekka, Jesper sure had enough to pay back his debt to their farm. I liked how Jesper said to put his share in his father’s name because he wasn’t ready to handle that much money. That was a big move for Jesper and it highlighted how he really was trying to be better. I mean, he was self-aware enough to know that much money with his addictions he was fighting wasn’t good. I also liked how much Jesper was trying to keep a strong and loving relationship with his dad because he realized he still had a parent left who cared. It was cute how worried he was for his dad.
I was also happy that Jesper would have that balance between being with Wylan and going to his father’s farm to spend time with him. Good for Jesper. I was also ecstatic that Wylan got him to use his powers and told Jesper to go train and not hide it. Don’t conceal, feel.
I’m so ready to see how Jesper takes on the world as the Fabrikator he was meant to be.
🧇 Nina Zenik 🧇
“Nina’s eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t remember saying you could give away my biscuits.”
‘It’s for a good cause,’ Matthias said, retrieving the tin. He’d purchased the biscuits in the hope of getting Nina to eat more. ‘Besides, you’ve barely touched them.’
‘I’m saving them for later,’ said Nina with a sniff. ‘And you should not cross me when it comes to sweets.'”
(pg. 111)
Nina’s my fierce, bold, fun-loving queen 🥰.
Also, she and I run on the save wavelength when it comes to people not touching our food! 🤪 I swear, if I say you can’t have any of my food, you certainly cannot touch my food, look at my food, or breathe on it. Joking. But don’t eat my food.
The biggest thing I wondered about Nina after Six of Crows was how she battled parem and how she would beat the addiction. I that appreciated we got to hear flashback moments from Nina and Matthias about how Nina was on the boat. Those flashback moments were kind of heart-wrenching because Nina was saying very brutally honest things to Matthias, but it wasn’t like she meant them to cause harm. She just had a drug in her that made her act not like herself. However, some of the things she did mention to Matthias really struck a nerve like Nina on parem intended. Nina on parem really wanted that drug because it was hard to beat that insatiable feeling that she needed it. I’m actually glad that Matthias was the one who looked after her because his unwavering loyalty and love for her helped him resist giving her the drug when others might have given it to her. Except Kaz, Kaz would never. I loved that Matthias gave the rest of the parem to Kaz because he knew Kaz wouldn’t budge either. Nina also couldn’t feel Kaz up without Kaz breaking her hands 😅. Gosh, that scene where Nina slid into bed with Matthias and tried to find the parem on him was kind of sad because she was desperate for the drug. But what made me sad was how parem already took so much from her, and now it took her dreams of kissing Matthias. I distinctly remember from Six of Crows that Nina said when they escaped the Ice Course she would kiss him silly, but the fact they hadn’t kissed because she felt ravaged by parem was hard. I understood why she didn’t kiss Matthias in her parem state, and I respect it—she didn’t want to kiss him when her entire focus was on parem.
It was also interesting to see how she had moments of conflict where she wanted parem again, but then it would go away after she tried using her powers. Nina’s Grisha powers were also a fascinating progression to see because she was the first person who kicked the addiction. At first she was scared to use her powers, which was understandable; The more she used her powers when she still had a heavy parem addiction meant that her addiction would most likely grow stronger. Everyone was kind of aware that Nina wasn’t using her powers as much, so they looked after her, especially Matthias and Kaz. You know Kaz, in his own way looks after people he cares about. It was also kind of hard to see how sickly or abstemious she was when she wasn’t using her power. She had to use makeup and other ways to cover herself or work. One thing I would have liked to see more is exactly how Nina managed to beat parem, the flashbacks were helpful, but I still would have liked to understand how they helped her. However, when Nina did use her powers, they were different. That also made Nina terrified, and her emotion reminded me of the quote Inej’s dad said with how fear means something has changed.
Nina changed.
Her Grisha power came from the living and the dead and energy around her, but the fact that she could raise the dead was PRETTY WILD! Wildly cool 👌🏼.
“‘To quote a certain big blond lump of muscle, it’s not natural.’ His voice had lost its cheery warmth. She just looked sad.
‘Maybe it is,’ said Matthias. ‘Aren’t the Corporalik known as the Order of the Living and the Dead?”
‘This isn’t how Grisha power is supposed to work.’
‘Nina,’ Inej said gently. ‘Parem took you to the brink of death. Maybe you brought something back with you.'”
(pg. 326)
Which made sense because she literally battled parem—a deadly drug—-so her powers changed with her. But I could sympathize with Nina because she had this immense heartrending power before and now she had to navigate an entirely new Grisha territory. It probably felt like she wasn’t even truly a Grisha but some weird freak of nature. But hey, if there can be a Sun Summoner and a Darkling, surely there can be someone who raised the dead? Hey, maybe the Darkling’s powers might be connected to parem because raising the dead is connected to a darker magic/summoning like Nina’s new power? 🤔
Honestly, Nina’s power was pretty kick butt and cool. I don’t blame Nina for hurting the guard because she didn’t know her new power or how to control it. But I was like, “What the heck was that cloud of dust?” Then when she went to the market with Matthias, I was like, “How did she move those bones?” At that point I did have a hunch that maybe she could play with the dead. The more she used her power, the more she discovered that that was her new power. Gosh, I CAN’T begin to tell you how freaking cool it was when Inej was battling Dunyasha on the Silos, how Nina fought the Dime Lions with the dead. And it was soooo cool how she commanded them to carry the net to save Inej. I mean, this girl was freaking awesome.
The more Nina resisted her power, the stronger the craving she felt. But again, like Jesper, she had to pull an Elsa and let it go!
Honestly, everyone in this book could be Elsa at this point 🤪. I loved how Nina felt relieved or more like herself after she used her new power. I think like Kuwei and Matthias talked about with Jesper, the more she hid her power, the more ill she was becoming. But when she released it, it felt satisfying and satiable. And gosh, when her stomach rumbled and she had her appetite back, my heart warmed. That’s our Nina 🥰.
“‘Yes, yes Nina Zenik is hungry. Now will someone feed me before I’m forced to cook one of you?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Jesper. ‘You don’t know how to cook.'”
(pg. 246)
I loved how when told people she was hungry after losing her appetite for so long, they were all surprised, but happy for Nina. I love Nina ♥️.
Another cool Nina power-move moment was when she started a fake plague. I wondered why the heck Kaz and Nina were in a morgue because I heard nothing about dead bodies in the plan 😅. But I liked how Nina and Kaz had a brief moment together because we don’t always see that. That’s another thing I liked overall about Crooked Kingdom—how we saw each Crow bond with each other or have at least one scene with each other. I thought that was cute because it helped see their dynamic. I think Nina wondered why Kaz phased out for a bit in the morgue. I mean, that’s not an easy place to be.
I thought it was smart though to start a fake plague. Ridiculous, but smart.
Nina truly did miss her calling with acting because the way she handled starting the “plague,” was pretty spot on. It sure created havoc, exactly what Kaz and everyone wanted. But what I liked most about Nina’s time to shine in the Chapel plan was when she came to terms with her power.
” . . . she felt strong. Her breath came easy, the ache in her muscles had dimmed. She was ravenous. The craving for parem felt distant, like. memory of real hunger.
Nina had grieved her loss of her power, for the connection she felt to the living world. She’d resented this shadow gift. It seemed like a sham, a punishment. But surely as life connected everything, so did death . . She was the Queen of Mourning, and in its depths, she would never drown.”
(pg. 455)
Our Queen of Mourning, let’s go Nina! She’s a bad beach!
I also appreciated Nina’s unwavering confidence to stand up to Kaz in saying she would not be part of their plan if they did not get the Grisha in the city out. Nina has so much love and pride in her people and she would be a great leader for them because she genuinely looks out for their wellbeing.
If I’m gushing about Nina, I also just wanted to mention how much I enjoyed Nina and Inej’s friendship. It was nice to see two strong women look after each other. I loved how they would joke about food and they would give each other advice. I also liked how Nina and INej were paired up on the Silo mission and Nina took care of Inej because she cared for her. I also LOVED the end scene between Nina and Inej where Inej promised to see Nina again, maybe in Ravka. Or maybe on Inej’s new boat and together they could hunt slavers—Grisha and pleasure house slavers—and take over the seas together. They will definitely give Strumhond a run for his money 😆. I would love to see them together again ♥️—they would be unbeatable.
Overall, I enjoyed Nina’s arc and to see her embrace this new power and part of her. I think people will either fear her power or think it is really cool. Again, her power seems connected to the Darkling’s powers so I’m curious about that. I’m also curious if Nina will take the parem cure when Kuwei creates it. If she does, will that change her power back to what it was used to? I also loved how true Nina was kept throughout this duology because she was the same brazen, funny, loving gal.
But I don’t even WANT to talk about Nina in the end until we address Matthias 😩.
🧊 Matthias Helvar 🧊
“‘You’re better than waffles, Matthias Helvar.”
(pg. 327)
Matthias. Where do I even begin with my non-fun, big blonde brude, Elsa caveman?
Truth be told, in my Six of Crows book review I called Matthias Elsa caveman, but Matthias really went out there and even said he was Sven. . . and I’m not going to lie, Matthias is Sven caveman.
If the Crows were Frozen characters, I think Kaz would be Hans, but in a nicer way; Jesper and Nina would be Elsa; Wylan would be Olaf; and Inej might be Anna? I don’t know, but I wanted to complete the Frozen comparisons for all of them 😂.
“‘Kaz procured papers for us in case we’re stopped in the Ravkan quarter. We’re Sven and Catrine Alfsson. Fjerdan defectors seeking asylum at the Ravkan embassy.”
(pg. 188)
One thing I admired about Matthias the most was his unending loyalty, patience, and leadership he had. He really was the rock that kept everyone calm and peaceful—-well as peaceful as they could all be. But Matthias really stepped up to take care of Nina when she battled parem and he was always concerned for her. I know him checking in on Nina was just out of love for her, but I could understand how Nina felt annoyed by Matthias’s constant questioning. Nina wasn’t fragile, but Matthias saw Nina at her worst and knew that parem still had a toll on her. So, I loved that he was the one to make sure she was okay. When Matthias was taking care of Nina on the Ferolin back, she said some very brutally honest things, one of them being:
“Can you even think for yourself? I’m just another cause for you to follow. First it was Jarl Brum, and now it’s me. I don’t want your cursed oath.”
(pg. 115)
and
“You’re not a good man,” she’d shouted. “You’re a good spoiler, and the sad thing is you don’t even know the difference.”
(pg. 238)
I couldn’t help but feel like Nina spoke truth to the two things she said. Matthias’s tell was his loyalty and duty
because he trained as a drüskelle and it was hard for him to shake those habits of protecting people—it’s what he did best. I didn’t think Matthias took care of Nina because he saw her as a cause, but I did think that Matthias could have chosen his own path. I would like to see the person beneath his caveman exterior or who Matthias was when he wasn’t taking care of others, but himself. I wonder what he would have chosen for his future.
“It’s good to feel foolish sometimes, Fjerdan.”
(pg. 120)
But that was difficult for Matthias too because of where he grew up. Something I noticed all throughout the story was Matthias’s internal conflict of what he learned as a drüskelle and what he wanted to believe now. He would often have these inner monologues about what he used to think, and then italicized thoughts would be what he wanted to believe now. I liked seeing those monologues because it’s not easy to change a whole mindset/belief overnight—it would probably take years or months for Matthias to actually shift his thinking. This was all new to him because I felt part of him felt like he was betraying Fjerda by thinking kindly of Grisha.
What I also liked seeing with Matthias was his moments with every Crow. I felt like Matthias was a lot like Kaz in protecting the ones he loves, being observable, and not knowing how to properly talk to the ladies.
With being observable, Matthias called Jesper out by saying he wasn’t being true to his Grisha self. Kaz certainly wasn’t going to say it, but it was cool that Matthias noticed. I also thought it was pretty funny when Matthias thought Inej deserved better than Kaz 😅.
“Matthias was surprised at the gratitude that flooded him. Though he’d only known the little Suli girl for a short while, he’d admired her courage from the first. . . He only wished she’d separate herself from Kaz Brekker. The girl deserved better. Then again, maybe Nina deserved better than Matthias.”
(pg. 125)
At least he was self-aware.
I also loved how Matthias had his funny moments where the gang would talk about violence or they would act violent, and Matthias would question them 🤪. He’s a man of honor. My favorite joke Matthias made was when he was like “Leave my grandmother out of this” (pg. 46). It reminded me of the ghost association quote from Six of Crows. I would have liked to see more scenes between Kaz and Matthias because I think they would have a very unique and fun dynamic. I also would have liked to see Inej and Matthias moments because I felt like we never got that. It would have also been cool to see them battle side-by-side.
Third, Kaz and him sure didn’t know how to talk to women 😂.
“‘Nina—he started, then stopped. ‘Nina, I am with you because you let me be with you. There is no greater honor than to stand by your side.’
‘Honor, duty. I get it.'”
(pg. 233)
Kaz and Matthias sure knew how to make women feel like duty and an obligation 😆.
I also cracked up when he said, “Meeting you was a disaster.” Smooth smooth, Matthias.
But he was a big softie underneath it all, and Fjerdan men didn’t know how to talk to women because they didn’t. Usually.
I also appreciated Matthias’s leadership in that scene with Jesper and Kuwei. Matthias really stepped up to help them out of the situation, and it made me think about how Matthias could have a future in being a military or ROTC person if he wanted. He sure as heck wasn’t going to be a chef, making waffles. But heck, if that was his path I would go to Helvar’s Waffle House any day 🤪.
One of the things I also enjoyed about Matthias in this book was somewhat getting a glimpse into his backstory. I would have liked to know who his parents and sister were because I think it would have given context to who Matthias was deep down. I also remembered how Grisha took his family’s (I think) life and that was why he wanted to serve as a drüsekelle, which was a noble reason. I understood it. I liked Matthias’ story of the isenulf wolf.
“‘What if something happens to the wolf?’ Nina asked.
‘A druüsekelle can train a new wolf, but it is a terrible loss.’
‘What happens to the wolf if his drüseklle is killed?’
Matthias was silent for a time. He didn’t not want to think about this. Trass had been the creature of the heart.
‘They are returned to the wild, but they will never be accepted by any pack.’ And what was a wolf without a pack? The isenulf were not meant to be lived alone.”
(pg. 239)
I think Matthias is like an isenulf wolf and Nina was the drüsekelle. Nina chose him out of the pack and made him see Grisha in a better light, but if something happened, Nina could always train other Fjerdans/people to believe Grisha are good people. Matthias reminded me of the insenulf because Nina changed his beliefs and now Matthias was on his own because he betrayed his country. This whole quote was also a high load of foreshadowing if you ask me 🙈.
Because gosh . . . Matthias.
First, let’s mention how Muzzen passed away in Heckgate. Muzzen was the Dreg they put in Matthias’s place, and he was supposed to be rescued and taken out. However, Fjerdan’s on the inside, got to Muzzen first and killed him, thinking it was Matthias. From there on, I felt Matthias felt like he owed Muzzen something, and in turn this foreshadowed the ending.
“They’d wanted him to die without honor, murdered in the infirmary bed. It was death fit for a traitor. It was the death he had earned. Now Mathias owed Muzzen a blood debt, but how would he ever pay it?”
(pg. 49)
Leigh Bardguo sure did know how Matthias would pay it 🤪.
Gosh, so here it comes. The ending seemed so happy and jolly when they took down Van Eck and Pekka, and Matthias was on his way to reunite with the Dregs and Nina. But then this little fourteen year old Fjredan munchkin comes out of nowhere. This munchkin had soooooo much hate in his tiny heart that he had to SHOOT Matthias?! Honestly, I’m surprised that his big blonde caveman went down by a fourteen year old who didn’t even want to kill. I mean, the boy was literally shaking and trying to project his tiny voice! But this munchkin really done did it because he thought he was going to be made a Fjerdan hero for taking down the “traitor” Matthias. And you know what, Matthias had such a big heart even to the end because he knew where the boy was coming from.
“‘Do not be afraid. Fear is how they control you.’ We’ll find a way to change their minds. The boy had only been with the order for six months. He could be reached. ‘There’s so much in the world you don’t have to be afraid of. If you would only open yor eyes.’
‘I told you to stay where you are.’
‘You don’t want to hurt me. I know. I was like you once.'”
(pg. 487)
Kaz was philosopher crook and Matthias was Fjerdan bard.
Fear is how people control others. It’s how society controls many things—they entice fear. Gosh, this sentiment takes me back to when I took an America and the World course and my professor talked about these ten principles or something. Okay, I looked and they were the ten principles of wealth and power by Noam Chomsky and two of the principles were keep the rabble in line and manufacture consent. Keep the rabble in line was about making sure Americans didn’t know they were being oppressed, and manufacture consent was making people fabricating consumers to be too distracted to realize their oppression. Now that I’m writing this, this has absolutely nothing to do with the point I was going for. But in this class, I remember my professor also mentioned how during certain wars, the media would entice people to feel this fear and this created this sort of enemy mindset—good versus bad. It’s also kind of what the media does today in how they villainize primarily the Black community when it comes to crimes, but it never makes Caucasian individuals look bad even if they do worse crimes (e.g., shootings, drugs, rallies, etc.). The media does this to entice fear and this message to people that Black people are to be feared, and this has continued the prejudice we see in this world. By mentioning this, I absolutely do not agree with how the media portrays the Black community. I am always disgusted with how they are portrayed wrongfully and with a fear-mongering narrative because when a person really thinks about it, the media have made everyone believe a certain thing for so long—they created fear, they continue prejudice.
Anyway, I just wanted to briefly talk about the fear controls you part because it was a very powerful statement. But what I liked about this moment was how Matthias saw himself in the boy. I mean, the boy didn’t know better. He grew up believing the same things Matthias always believed, but there was hope to make the boy see that he didn’t need to fear or hate or have these prejudices against a certain race of people. The boy didn’t seem like he wanted to hate either, but he did because that was the context of his life. It made me beyond shocked and devastated that the boy pulled the trigger.
What got me was that after everything it had to be from a fourteen year old boy who was like Matthias. But it was Matthias’s honor and duty that made him accept what met him because he felt it was his blood debt after being a traitor. It felt right that that was what needed to happen. He didn’t deserve that.
My heart ached when Nina and Inej found him. Truly ached. I kept wondering the entire time though why Inej didn’t run to get a healer or doctor—someone. I was also curious why Nina wasn’t with him in the first place because they were on the same boat and then they separated, so she couldn’t have been that far away and she should have heard a gunshot, right?
But gosh, Nina 😢 💔.
He literally crawled to her just like Kaz would have done to be with Inej. And he said he needed to see her again. MY HEART 🥺. I knew Nina wouldn’t take parem again to save him because 1) she didn’t have parem on her and 2) Matthias wanted more for her.
I felt the tears came when she told Matthias this:
“‘The other drüskelle. Swear to me you’ll at least try to help them, to make them see.’
‘We’ll go together, Matthias. We’ll be spies. Genya will tailor us and we’ll go to Fjerda together. I’ll wear all the ugly knitted votes you want.’
‘Go home to Ravka, Nina. Be free, as you were meant to be. Be a warrior, as you always had been. Just save some mercy for my people. There had to be a Fjerda worth saving. Promise me.'”
(pg. 494)
He wanted his people to be better and he knew Nina could be one of the people who changed their minds. But I liked how he told her to be free and that she was a warrior because he knew a strong woman when he saw one.
When Nina brought Matthias back to say her name, my heart swelled 😢♥️. Nina, he loved you so much.
“‘He loved you so much, Nina. Loving you made him better.'”
(pg. 511)
I thought it was only right that Inej was with her at that moment. Nina needed her friend. Also, Inej had her faith to tell Nina that she needed to let Matthias go and that they would see each other again. This whole scene took me back to the promise Matthias made her in Six of Crows—how he would always protect her. Who would protect her broken heart now? 😢
Matthias’ last chapter gave me a boost of sorrow.
I mean, he dreamt of Nina and knew she would be okay. I hope Matthias was with his family and his wolf now. I hope he was in a happier place. He was a hero for his people, not a traitor.
The tears really streamed down for me when Nina, Inej, and Matthias returned to the Dregs meeting location. Everyone was so eager to celebrate and they had their drinks, but then Kaz saw them and then my tear ducts burst. Kaz’s reaction to Matthias’s death was subtle, but spoke volumes. No mourners, no funerals, but yet there they were. Especially for Kaz, I felt like he felt responsible for what happened with the Crows and Matthias was one of them. Kaz knew a lot of passing in his life. It made me kind of sad that they didn’t know how Matthias even passed away. I’m pretty sure they knew he got shot, and maybe they had a hunch, but they weren’t sure.
What also got me was when Wylan said, “We were all supposed to make it.”
“Maybe that was naive, the protest of a rich merchant’s son who’d only had a taste of Barrel life. But Jesper realized he’d been thinking the same thing. After all their mad escapes and close calls, he’d started to believe the six of them were somehow charmed, that his guns, Kaz’s brains, Nina’s wit, Inej’s talent, Wylan’s ingenuity, and Matthias’s strength had made them somewhat untouchable. They might suffer. They might take their knocks, but Wylan was right, in the end they were all supposed to stay standing.”
(pg. 510)
What Jesper said was right. They were such an amazing crew that survived—-it all goes back to how they were survivors. And after cheating so many “mad escapes,” it did seem like they were untouchable and powerful. But this brought them closer and reminded them of the love they shared and the power they had to keep surviving and making a positive difference for those around them. Also, to create the life that they want to live. Matthias’s storyline also served as a beautiful reminder that we can be more than our past selves. People can grow and learn and change. The Crows could grow, learn, and change.
They honored Matthias in the right way. I loved his send off in the boat with the flowers. It felt like the send off scenes I would see in Thor. Yes, I compared Matthias to Thor 🤪.
The thing that worried me was how Nina was going to be after this big a loss in her life. We see Nina as grieving, and having a purpose to bury Matthias in Fjerda. But after that I just want to know if she will be okay. Matthias was the love of her life and she just lost him. That’s not easy to deal with, ever. I hope she will be okay. I know she will keep her promise to Matthias and go back to Ravka and then make her way across Fjerda, beguiling men and women alike to make them see that Grisha aren’t bad. Matthias wanted that for her.
I also loved how Kaz gave Matthias shares to Nina. I think Nina will use it to change the world and the perspective on Grisha. Maybe Nina could start a school named after Matthias where she teaches Fjerdan’s that Grisha aren’t that bad. Or maybe she could start her own crew of Grisha who preach that Grisha aren’t bad. But Nina deserves happiness. I hope to see her again. I loved her character and I just want to know where life takes her. She’s such a strong woman and I have no doubt that in time she will heal—still carrying Matthias with her, always—but she will be okay.
👓 Wylan Van Eck 👓
“‘You know, Wylan, one of these days I’m going to stop underestimating you . . .’
‘Then you’re going to be a lot harder to surprise.'”
(pg. 81)
Last, but certainly not least—but always thought of last 🤪—–Wylan.
Trust me, I was curious where the FREAK Wylan’s POV chapters were in Six of Crows because my baby was part of the crows and he had no say! So I appreciated how Leigh Bardugo put Wylan’s story in Crooked Kingdom. I loved how she made it the first crow chapter because she probably got a lot of comments about where was Wylan’s chapters? 😂 Leigh Bardugo said right here.
I also LOVED how she began Wylan’s chapters to say, “What am II doing here?” That really was Wylan’s mantra the entire time. Maybe that’s why Leigh didn’t put Wylan’s POV in the last book, it was probably a string of what the heck is going on and how did I get into this.
But I HIGHLY appreciated learning how Wylan fell in with the crows. Wylans’ arc and POV chapters were probably my favorite because we never heard from Wylan before. I also loved Wylan’s chapters because he was going through everything with fresh eyes and all his hurt and experiences were new for him. For the other Crows, they experienced their trauma years ago and so their pain is still with them, but not as new. So, Wylan provided this newness that I loved because it felt like I was experiencing everything for the first time with him. It was also interesting to see someone who had it all and who was so “innocent” turn to someone who all of a sudden had nothing and who had to grow up to survive. He was a new survivor.
There’s this quote I recently saw in how we shouldn’t praise people who we claim are mature for their age because people who are mature for their age probably had to grow up quicker to survive. That stuck with me because I have been told I was mature for my age and I have been through things myself, not Crow level things, but things. And, yes, we shouldn’t praise people who are mature for their age because they might have experienced very real trauma that forced them to grow up. I felt Wylan had to grow up.
Wylan, Wylan, Wylan.
Once Jan Van Eck knew Wylan couldn’t read and there was no hope for him, he quickly got to work on getting rid of Wylan. The dad came up with this whole story of sending Wylan to the Belendt music school indefinitely because Jan didn’t care for Wylan if Wylan could not successfully carry on the Van Eck business. I thought it was cool that Wylan found a voice in music because that was one of the only ways he could express himself and it was one of the only forms of reading he could do. I thought Wylan’s goodbye to Alys was kind of awkward because gosh knows she’s not much older than him. Alys really seemed out of it this entire book like she didn’t have a clue or a care in the world as to what was going on. I would have liked to see more depth or at least a little bit more intellect with Alys because I felt she had a brain.
What REEEEEALLLLYYYY got me was when Wylan got on the boat to go to Belendt and the two dudes Van Eck sent with Wylan tried to kill him. I WAS LIKE NOOOOOOOOO SIR! JAN VAN ECK WAS FILTH, utter garbage, trash, and filth for creating this whole made-up scheme to actually “get rid of” Wylan 😡. Who the FREAK actually does that? I wanted to hug Wylan because Prior and Miggson just towered over him out of nowhere and started choking him. Thank goodness for that random man who came at the right time to see Wylan getting choked because at least it gave Wylan an out.
I thought it was interesting how Wylan fell into the canal and had to swim his way to safety. From that point on, Wylan was like every Dreg and Crow—a survivor. But what stood out to me was the parallels between Kaz and Wylan’s stories because Kaz had to swim out of the River Barge and Wylan had to swim out of the canal. Wylan felt unwanted and disposed, swimming for his life. Both found themselves in the lower part of town—the Barrel. both also lost valuable things to them. Wylan lost his flute, clean clothes, and other things. Kaz lost his brother and his home. What also made my heart break for Wylan was the fact that when he opened up the Belendt envelope, all the papers were blank. Van Eck didn’t even care to create a rouse for Wylan because he knew Wylan couldn’t read. He really didn’t give his son enough credit. He really didn’t love his son.
Honestly, when people tear you down for something and they keep bringing you down for that one thing, it starts to make you feel ashamed and resentful of that one thing. And it makes you feel like you will never be good enough. I know that feeling well, and I saw this reflected in Wylan a lot in the beginning of the story. Wylan felt ashamed and embarrassed that he couldn’t read and he felt he couldn’t amount to anything more. He also felt like he couldn’t be a help to anyone because of the things he couldn’t do. But I just wanted to scream that Wylan was soooo smart in other areas. Just because he couldn’t read, didn’t mean he was inferior. And I DETESTED that he ever felt like he was. Van Eck didn’t deserve an amazing son like Wylan. How freaking dare he try to kill him.
“Whatever it took to survive the Barrel, Wylan knew he didn’t have it.”
(pg. 318)
Wylan did have what it took! It breaks my heart he had to survive like that, but gosh, I had so much compassion and love for Wylan after hearing his story. It made me see how he was like all the Crows, but was slowly losing this “innocent” facade that the world was inherently kind. Sometimes the richest people aren’t the happiest and just because they seem like they have it all, doesn’t mean they didn’t. I admired the way Wylan also found work and survived on his own. That’s a true Crow quality right there.
I loved how in true Wylan fashion he looked for honest work in the Barrel. Good for him. I liked that he had a menial job as a busboy of sorts and then he spoke up about how the people at the tannery could fix their evaporation and boiling problem. No one listened to him at first because he wasn’t anyone to them, but once they did, they always went to Wylan for advice. I loved that for him ♥️. I loved that people saw his talent and needed him.
What I LOVED reading was Wylan and Jesper’s love at first sight moment. I had no idea that they met before Wylan ever joined the Dregs. I knew Jesper didn’t think highly of Wylan in the beginning of Six of Crows when Kaz was creating the crew to go on the heist, but I didn’t know they had a meet cute 😆. You can really tell if a character likes someone by the lengthy description of the person 😉—all in the details. I liked how tongue-tied our little Wylan was. But that was when Wylan got recruited for the Dregs and from Kaz to create bombs for the crew. Wylan turned it down at first, but then he received a letter from his dad, taunting him. So, Wylan joined the Dregs to be under the protection of Kaz and make money to survive. I thought Wylan was smart about joining the Dregs because at least he would be safe and have enough to live on. But Wylans’ story reminded me of a real truth people go through in the real world.
Everyday there are people who are surviving or who are making a living day to day. They are the people who are kind, honorable, and respectful, but who just didn’t have the best luck, but they find ways to survive and live. Sometimes people do what they have to do to make a living and sometimes it might not be an honorable job, and it creates this cycle of work that is perpetuated by a capitalistic and hierarchical society. It’s unsettling how many people slip through the cracks of society or how many people struggle each day to survive because they did not have the best experiences growing up or an easy childhood. It’s not fair. Absolutely not. Honestly, the whole Crows story reminds me of every survivor out there and the strength they have each day. We all deserve better.
Apart from my spiel, part of Wylan’s backstory was the mom. The mom’s story seemed off to me because the dad told Wylan he couldn’t go to his own mother’s funeral and the dad would not talk about the mom. If Pretty Little Liars and Riverdale had taught me anything, it’s don’t believe someone is gone unless you’ve seen the body. YIKES, TV rots the mind 🙈. I was pretty sure the mom was alive. The only thing I was confused about was why the dad would hide her? Was she actually mentally ill? Why didn’t he tell Wylan the truth? Still confused about that.
I would have still liked to know more about the mom because I don’t think she’s mentally ill. I don’t think so. I mean, if Van Eck really wanted a new heir, couldn’t he just have divorced his wife and then sent Wylan and the mom on their way? I mean, he would be kicking two stones with one foot 🤔. I don’t know.
But I liked that when Wylan went to visit the mom’s grave, Jesper was there. It felt right that his partner was there to support him. My heart felt so sad when Wylan had a panic attack from finding out his mom was alive and that he was going to see her. His life literally changed in the blink of an eye. But it broke my heart for Wylan that his mom didn’t recognize him—to be fair, I forgot he looked like Kuwei 😂, so that’s understandable.
I loved how kind Jesper was with the mom. The mom liked music just like Wylan. But what got me was how young Wylan was in every paintingthe mom did. The mom loved Wylan. I felt so sorrowful when Wylan started to cry. I was crying with him. I just kept wondering, though, what did Van Eck do to the mom and why? I thought he loved her, so why keep her locked up? The mom seemed self-aware to know it was Van Eck’s fault, so what happened? I just could not with Van Eck. First, he tried to kill his son and second he kept his son and the mom apart? HE COULD SUCK MY TOES 😡.
“‘It’s rotten, and I’d like to string your father up in a barren field and let the vultures have at him.'”
(pg. 222)
When Jesper said that, I felt it 👌🏼.
I also wanted to hug Wylan because he felt like it was his fault. It was absolutely not.
“‘Look, Wylan. Normal people don’t wall their wives up in insane asylums. they don’t disinherit their songs because they didn’t get the child they wanted. You think my dad wanted a mess like me for a kid? You didn’t cause this. This happened because your father is a lunatic dressed in a quality suit.'”
(pg. 223)
If I said this once, I said it a million times but I feel so SUCKY for kids who grow up with Shizzy parenting because lots of issues main characters deal with are because of shizzy parents. Van Eck was the one who needed to be in an asylum. Joking, he needed real psychological help in the prison cell he deserved to be in 🙃.
Back during the Ice Court heist, Wylan said he just went along with them for the heck of it, but deep down he said he thought his father would love him again if he pulled off the heist with the Crows. I would have told Wylan his father was never going to love him the way he deserved and he wasn’t worth his love anyway.
After visiting the mom, I felt a shift in Wylan. A ground-breaking shift. Wylan had just been reluctantly kicking it up with the Dregs—his What am I doing here moments. He didn’t have what the other Crows had until that moment. Wylan had a purpose. I felt it deep within his bones that he had a new purpose of being in the Crows, and he had a purpose to get back at his dad for taking away his mom from him. lying to him, and being a generally nasty person. Wylan with a purpose was MUCH more confident and I could tell he was out for vengeance. That kind of unsettled me given how kind and “innocent” Wylan had been, but I still thought Wylan was Wylan, but a lot broke him until that moment and this was his release. He deserved better. They all did.
I also thought it was kind of a mean move that Kaz didn’t tell Wylan he knew the mom was alive. I mean, of course Kaz knew! But I understood why he did it, harsh, but it opened up Wylan’s eyes. I mean, yes, Kaz could have been nicer about it, though.
“Despite the bad hand he’d [Jesper] drawn with his father, Wylan hadn’t let his circumstance or the city knock the goodness out of him. He still believed people could do right.”
(pg. 249)
I think that’s why Wylan worked well with everyone—he reminded them of the goodness left in people. That’s something to protect and always remember.
So, Wylan came to terms with his past and his purpose, but he also had to let go of everything people thought of him and accept who he was. Kind of like Jesper. I really liked when Wylan lied for Jesper because he LOVED him and wanted to protect him. I also liked how Wylan didn’t want Colm to look at Jesper like Jan looked at him when he couldn’t read. Wylan had a pure heart ♥️. So, I loved the conversation about shame and weakness that Wylan and Kaz had when they were stealing the seal out of Van Eck’s safe. I liked that moment between Kaz and Wylan because they were very similar to each other. Honestly, if they had a heart-to-heart, they would be surprised at how alike they were. I also liked how deep down Kaz made Wylan see himself in a nicer light. We love Kaz!
“Kaz and the others tested him, but they’d given him a chance to prove himself. They valued the things he could do instead of punishing him for the things he couldn’t.”
(pg. 322)
I loved when Wylan said that—if someone really loved you they would accept you and love you for who you were. Kaz and the Crows loved Wylan for who he was since the beginning and they accepted him. That spoke volumes. I also loved how the Crows played to Wylan’s strengths without ever making him feel weak ♥️.
“Until this moment, Wylan hadn’t quite understood how much they meant to him. His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn’t keep out of the red. But they were his friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he’d had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.”
Wylan really made me cry with how sweet and pure he is! I swear, I love Kaz, but Wylan has my pure heart 😩.
I swear, surrounding yourself with good people who love and accept you, gives you the power to love and accept yourself.
“‘Always hit where the mark isn’t looking,’ Wylan had murmured.
‘Sweet Ghezen,’ said Jesper. ‘You’ve been thoroughly corrupted.'”
(pg. 106)
I LOVED how Wylan grew a spine in this book and he really started thinking like a Crow. I guess what they say is true: you do become like the five people you surround yourself with 🤪. But I could tell Wylan was becoming comfortable and confident in his skills. I loved how he would step up with his brilliant mind in making all these technological things for the group. I mean, Wylan was beyond intelligent and he didn’t get enough credit from his dad, but found it where it was appreciated—the Crows. I also loved how into the acting Wylan was when it came to his fake abduction by Dime Lions and getting roughed up! Gosh, Wylan had me for a HOT SECOND because I was like, he wouldn’t DARE betray the Crows. But then Leigh Bardguo had to write this whole spiel about how he was Wylan and then he just said the whole plan. I was like noooooo way. Kaz was going to rip fire into him if Wylan ever did that. Then I was like, “Hmmm, maybe this was part of the plan.” I just couldn’t see Wylan betraying the Crows. I had to start thinking like Kaz and Leigh Bardugo 😆. But I admired his dedication to being roughed up and it was so funny how he kept trying to talk and stand when it was obvious he took a beating.
My baby’s first beating 🤪. I loved that for him. I also loved how it was another moment Kaz and Wylan shared. I loved the Wylan and Kaz content in Crooked Kingdom, truly inspired 😘👌🏼.
Speaking of Kaz moments, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the surprise Kaz had for Wylan. I swear, Kaz Brekker just keeps surprising me in the best way. He loved Wylan and you could tell.
“You don’t win the game by running one game. How long had Kaz been planning to hand Wylan his father’s empire?”
(pg. 502)
Kaz is genuinely a good guy, but he would deny it if you told him. He didn’t just give Wylan his dad’s empire for nothing. He was looking out for Wylan and he gave Wylan what he deserved the entire time. Because Wylan was an unwanted survivor who deserved better, and I think Kaz did see himself in Wylan and he wanted to give Wylan what was his. I loved that Kaz snuck a new will into the safe, a will where Wylan inherited everything once the dad was in prison/unfit to control his money and belongings. I had no clue what Kaz was up to. Kaz was a FREAKING genius! I was just so happy for Wylan because he deserved it.
Can we also talk about Wylan’s power move!? 😆
I still believe Wylan lives with dyslexia and just needs a proper educator to support him. I really thought Jesper was going to teach Wylan how to read in this book, but I LOVED the ending when Van Eck started spewing all these hateful accusations about Wylan and the council was like, “How dare he talk about his son that way?” I mean, did no one hear him talk about Wylan that way before? Gosh, what a fake man. But I LOVED it when Jesper read to Wylan and Wylan repeated the document aloud. Someone needed to take a picture of Jan’s mouth literally hitting the floor! Good for him! LET’S GO WYLAN!!!!! He’s WILDIN’ 🤪. And good for everyone seeing what a foul, twisted, gosh awful father Van Eck was. Served him right.
I was glad that Wylan took down his dad and now he had this entire empire to run with Jesper by his side. I liked the moment Wylan walked into the Van Eck home and it felt off to him. Honestly, Wylan was so humble about the whole thing and I know he won’t go power hungry or mean, but he’s going to build a better Ketterdam.
There are many things I would still love to learn or read about from Wylan. One of them was what he was going to do with his new inherited wealth? What was he going to do if his dad came back? I also liked that it was mentioned that Wylan freed the mom and they spent time together. I am curious though, how he got her out? And that goes back to the question: was she ever mentally ill? Curious to what others think the mom is if they heard Wylan’s mom passed away?
If we are to see Wylan again I want to see where he is with his money, if he gets back into music, and if he ever learns to read. I think that would be so wonderful if there was a five or ten year reunion heist or something and Wylan knew how to read a bit more. I think that’s one thing I wanted with Wylan—-to see him learn how to read. But I did understand that his arc focused on accepting who he was, but I think we could also have him try now to learn and get the proper support he needs.
All the characters had such beautifully unique and gripping arcs that made me connect with them. I honestly have never read such a diverse and deep-rooted cast of characters who worked so well together and who loved each other so much they didn’t need to say it. Crows supremacy for sure!
Anyway, this post was lengthy, so I split the book review into two parts. Head over to part two to read about all things ships and drama/plans. I know the ships are where it is at 😉.
But if you just wanted to read this post, that’s fine! Who was your favorite Crow after reading Crooked Kingdom? Who had the best arc/storyline? Did you share similar viewpoints for each Crow like me? Let me know below in teh comments as I love hearing from you all! 💕
As always, with love,
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