Action-packed Awesomeness •• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry & Holt (26th Sept 2016)
Series: Six of Crows #2
Format/Source: Paperback (sent by Pansing Singapore for review)

Blurb:
Kaz Brekker and his crew 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 left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, 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 magic in the Grisha world.

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Come through!

Hey, guys. I am so sorry for being MIA lately. University life has been hectic and I’ve been swamped with classes, tutorial, assignments and quizzes. I haven’t had the time to read and blog and I feel awful because we bookish nerds do live for books, do we not?

Now that it’s the beginning of my midterm break for a week, I can finally catch up on some reading and blogging. First up, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo which is the stunning conclusion to the fantastic Six of Crows duology.

“I would have 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 read Crooked Kingdom about 2 weeks ago and I’m still so taken by the book. The characters and story are still in my head and I can’t stop thinking about them. If you’re still hooked on Six of Crows and the epic finale that is Crooked Kingdom, please do get in touch because I really want to talk about it!

“Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.”

Crooked Kingdom continues where Six of Crows left off and I won’t go further into detail because it’s such a stunning and clever plot masterminded by Leigh Bardugo that you really don’t want to ruin it for yourself by thinking and analyzing everything that happens. Can we all please agree on the fact that Leigh Bardugo has a knack to write such mind-blowing twists that you are just compelled into being shocked?

“Meeting you was a disaster.”
She raised a brow. “Thank you.”
Djel, he was terrible at this. He stumbled on, trying to make her understand. “But I am grateful for that disaster. I needed a catastrophe to shake me from the life I knew. You were an earthquake, a landslide.”
“I,” she said, planting a hand on her hip, “am a delicate flower.”
“You aren’t a flower, you’re every blossom in the wood blooming at once. You are a tidal wave. You’re a stampede. You are overwhelming.”

I expected Crooked Kingdom to be amazing and I was right. It was so well-written and the build up to the ending was so intense and I was so living for it. Leigh Bardugo totally impressed me with the intricate details and slight twists and turns in the most unexpected places that would bring forth shocking revelations at the end. Like, can you say mindfuck?

The gang is back in full swing in Crooked Kingdom and I was so ready for some badassery and general ass kicking. I was pleasantly pleased that my little cupcake Wylan got his own chapters! Like, hello, little guy. It’s finally time for you to shine! It was also such a thrill to discover more about the characters’ backstories, especially Kaz’s because who doesn’t love the cold and calculating debonair with a soft spot for Inej? And in the words of Emma Gerber...

Who can say no to the sassy ass banter between them? I loved Jesper once again for his on point one-liners and for being the clown of the group. With all the conniving scheming and betrayals, we do need comic relief and we are ever so lucky to have it in the form of Jesper Fahey. The entire gang is basically squad goals, damn it.

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. "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."
Jesper nodded. "She's like a dessert-hoarding dragon."

Which brings us to the spoilery bit because I really need to address some things in Crooked Kingdom. I am deeply sorry for excluding you if you haven’t read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom but I really have to talk about it. I’ve been dying to talk about Crooked Kingdom.

OKAY. Let us talk about how Leigh Bardugo totally killed us with one of the deaths of the characters. Like, I am shattered and I am still reeling from the death of *beep*.

I do understand that a character death will be an impactful ending for any book but I thought that *beep*’s death wasn’t justified because it happened at the wrong time. For me, if Leigh Bardugo wanted to kill *beep*, she should have killed *beep* before things went down before the final battle. If she had done that, *beep* could have been the martyr for the gang to take down Van Eck.

Also, was I the only one who died a little bit when Jesper accidentally kissed Kuwei, thinking that he was the actual Wylan? Damn you, Leigh Bardugo for making me feel things. I just wanted to grab Wylan and wrap my arms around him, willing him to forgive Jesper. And then they kissed. I swear to every religious being, I heard fireworks. Or was that just my screaming and whooping and fist pumping? If you’re on the Wyper ship, you’d see me commandeering the ship, rowing faster than anyone and waving the flag like an overexcited child.

OKAY, spoiler part over. Come back out, guys.

There was never a dull moment in Crooked Kingdom because it was suspenseful, steeped in humour and sass and it was a triumph. Action-packed and with the right amount of swoony romance and kissing, Crooked Kingdom tied things up so perfectly and I couldn’t get enough of it.

All in all, Crooked Kingdom is the definition of a page turner. It's completely addicting and I loved every moment of the gang's adventures. No mourners, no funerals.

Let's have a celebratory dance!

With a side of Jesper's sass.

"So I'm asking, do you want to beat Van Eck?"
"Yes," said Inej. She wanted some kind of justice.
"Soundly," said Nina.
"Around the ears with Wylan's flue," said Jesper.

I'd like to thank Pansing Singapore for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.