Crooked Kingdom is a successful sequel to the popular and well-written novel, Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo. The two books in the duology are both engaging and deeply personal. As the main protagonist and his cohort plan a rescue, exact revenge, and seek the reward promised to them, the story flows seamlessly from one novel to the other. And, the beautifully executed writing in Crooked Kingdom is easily on par with the captivating first book.
Previous to the Six of Crows duology, Leigh Bardugo developed an intriguing and multi-faceted fantasy world for her popular Grisha Trilogy. The author creatively places Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom in this same world. There is very little character crossover from one series to another, yet the elements of the world stay the same. In my opinion, the duology far surpasses The Grisha Trilogy.
The Crooked Kingdom chapters alternate in perspective between a core set of characters; so, several personalities and plot lines are well developed throughout the novel. The main characters are all thieves and swindlers of one kind or another, yet they are all completely endearing. Kaz, a resourceful mastermind and the gang leader, is especially cunning and ruthless; but, his portrayal is never overdone. Even though Kaz always seems to have the right answer and has thought of nearly every outcome to every situation, his scenes are believable. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan are all struggling to forget an event or events in their past. They are struggling to find their place in the world and become better people. As a reader, I find myself rooting for every single one of them.
…perched side by side on a wire, their balance precarious, their lives tethered together by hope and belief in one another.
The physical hardcover book is beautifully designed. The cover art builds on the crow imagery from the first novel. The edges of the Crooked Kingdom pages are red; and, the Six of Crows pages have black edges. So, the two novels look lovely together. The boxed set is worth owning in hardcover.
Crooked Kingdom was recently awarded fourth place in the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction division of the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards.