So not to be weird anything, but I legit forgot how to speak English after I finished this book.
It was all, "RFIVJXDROISZG", "STGBSXFGIDSDKS", and we can't forget about the, "SKSKSKSKSKSSKSKSKSKSKSKSKS".
Yes. I think I got down all of my main reactions. Let us now proceed to the rest of my review.
Every single character in this book has left a gaping hole in my chest and in my lungs and in my heart and rest assured, those spots will never be filled. I shall forget none of you crows.
Wylan begins to realize that he's not riding with Kaz's crew anymore just for protection; he’s one of them now. And he loves them. And if he had to choose between a thousand soldiers to choose from, these thieves would be his first thought. "We can endure all kinds of pain. It's shame that eats men whole." In Crooked Kingdom, Wylan Van Eck embraces his faults. Yes, he can't read. Um ... okay??? I'm a genius that can create explosives, and I'm damn good at Chemistry, thank you very much. So excuse me if I can't read. Being literate is so last season.
Inej Ghafa admits that Dunyasha is better than her. Personally I disagree (as I'm sure we all fucking do), but she refuses to give power to the shadow behind her, no matter how strong it's become. Can I just pause for a quick second and say that damn, if Inej Ghafa isn't the strongest female character I've ever read about, then I don't know who is (and Helene Aquilla and Laia of Serra and Livia Aquilla and Zoya Nazyalensky and Genya Safin and Jude Duarte, but you get my point.) Do y'all understand how hard it is to admit a fault? To admit to yourself - not only that you're not perfect - but that someone is better than you? Inej legit says, "She's better than me." It's an exact quote and I just think that's fucking amazing and wonderful and a little terrifying if I'm being honest. Anyone with the guts to face themselves ... you get a standing ovation from me.
Kaz is slowly removing his armor, brick by brick (that's not really how the phrase is used but I was too tempted), and you can see it in the little things; the net he forces Inej to use, helping her with her wounds in the bathroom scene, refusing to give Jesper the jurda parem. Tell Jesper he's missed. In the Slat. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. LEIGH BARDUGO. YOU'RE CRACKING MY HEART.
By the end of Crooked Kingdom, to say that "our six main characters have changed" is a fucking understatement, and I have evidence to prove it.
Crooked Kingdom finished me in a way that a book has never finished me before. It isn’t one of those books you read and enjoy, then read another one and then forget about it. It makes an imprint on your heart, it puts a fucking stamp on it, demanding emotions you aren't willing to give. It’s one of those books that has heart and soul and nostalgia and meaning. But most importantly, CK makes you fall for people you might never have fallen for in real life, portraying that you can never say never (sorry that i just quoted justin bieber), and that life & experiences & tiny moments can make you love some pretty strange people.
But it's worth it. It's all fucking worth it.
Now, here is my analysis for my precious little characters.
Jesper Fahey - My gae uncle taught me not to hide your gifts, that you can use your strengths to help others and make the world better.
Wylan Van Eck - My smol bean little brother taught me to never hide your weakness, to instead embrace them. He taught me that there is nothing wrong with being soft in a cold, broken world, and that you can’t let your surroundings alter the good in you.
Inej Ghafa - My beautiful Kween taught me that no matter how strong the darkness gets, there is goodness in everyone and that you can choose good. She taught me that you can be brave and ruthless, but that you can be soft and forgiving, too. She taught me that there is nothing wrong with being saved, but that you should never wait around for someone to rescue you.
The following quotes are some of my favorite Inej moments in both Books 1 +2. Not to rub it in or anything (I'm totally rubbing it in), I memorized all of them. Accidentally. Because they're just that powerful.
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’s 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 from it anyway.
Her name was Inej Ghafa, and she would not quiver like a rabbit in a snare.
She was not a lynx or a spider or event the Wraith. She was Inej Ghafa, and her future was waiting above.
“You may still did in the Dregs.”
Inej’s dark eyes had glinted. “But I’ll die on my feet with a knife in my hand.”
“I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker, or I will not have you at all.” (I could recite Inej quotes all day, but let’s move on for the sake of this review.)
Matthias Helvar - My honorable father taught me that your word is your honor, that having a good heart amidst chaos and trouble is worth having. He taught me that fear is nothing unless you give power to it, that everything we fear is only scary because we give power to it. He taught me that hope lies in ourselves, and that we just have to find it. The boy had been with the druskelle for six months. He could be reached.
Nina Zenik - My waffle queen taught me that there is always something worth fighting for, whether it’s a person or a country or name, and that you can never give up, even when you're backed against a wall. We’ll find a way to change their minds. All of them. Most importantly, she taught me that having hope does not make you weak.
Kaz Brekker - My husband taught me that there is always more to learn. He taught me that even when you make it to the top, you can’t stop fighting for what you want. He taught me that the past only matters because you learn from it, and even though you can’t do anything to change it, you can make it better as it goes. Brick by brick.
Friendship matters more than anything. They taught me that sometimes friends turn to family and you never really go back to the way things were. Sometimes you will never, ever stop loving someone. 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.
I’ve only read these books twice and I have nearly both books memorized. It’s fucking insane and a little scary.
I am broken.
I am broken.
I am broken.
And I'm trying to put myself back together for the next book I read but my heart won't let me. A YA book has never hit me this hard, has never taught me so much. Six of Crows is a queen, but Crooked Kingdom is a goddess.
Sometimes when you read a book, it just fucking opens you up to this cruel, harsh disgusting little world. It just makes you want to be a better person. Those are the books you don't ever let go of. That's when you know you've found the one. When it cracks you open and spills your heart onto the pavement.
The ending shattered my heart. I won't say what happened, because this a spoiler-free review. But I wish I could say that none of it even mattered in the end. That being noble and honorable and brave doesn't mean shit, because in the end, we're all met with the same damn fate. But it did matter. Because that person touched the hearts of all the characters. They risked their lives to save each other. That's what it means to be a family. To love them so much that saving them and being there for them just becomes an instinct. That person was good. That person was noble. That person will never be forgotten.
The friendship between Nina and Inej ... I hope I have that one day. There is nothing as gorgeous as two females dealing with their own personal shit and rooting for each other on despite everything going on. That is just beauty,
That ending with Pekka Rollins had me rolling on the ground wheezing. And gave me chills. And goosebumps. Pekka Rollins--the supposed King of the Barrel--has surrended to my beautiful thugs and thieves. He has forfeited his title. It was only a matter of time, but still, it feels good. Their hunger for vengeance stronger than any gold.
Kaz is obviously the sexiest and most dangerous creature that has ever walked on book earth. He’s so precious. Well, that's not really the word I should be using for Kaz fucking Brekker, but oh god, he's precious. Cunning, intelligent, sexy as fuck, and broken. OHMYGOD, broken. I don't know ... I have a thing for broken fictional boys. (Ahem, do I hear a Cardan Greenbriar? Do I hear a Warner? Or perhaps a Will Herondale, possibly a Julian Blackthorn?) Ok bitch, we get it.
The way that Leigh Bardugo was able to masterfully develop six entire characters into the beautiful beings that they are just really makes me want to fucking kneel before her and stay there like the peasant that I am. I would literally thank her if she became dictator of America. I would kiss her if she gouged out my eyeball.