This duology devastated me. I had no idea how incredibly fast I would be pulled into the lives of these crazy teenagers or how much I would love them like family. Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan are all such complex and amazing people that grow and change in such amazing ways throughout the two books.
The first book, Six of Crows, is all about one giant heist. It’s dangerous, it’s impossible, and it’s going to pay enough to save them all. The action begins immediately and doesn’t stop; there isn’t more than single moments where these characters catch a break.
Kaz Brekker, an infamous player in the gangs of the Barrel known as Dirtyhands, leads this mismatched team through a prison and across the world on a suicide rescue mission.
Inej is Kaz’s spy, a silent collection of information known as the Wraith. Never seen coming or going, Inej provides a necessary service on their mission.
Jesper is a sharpshooter with a serious gambling problem, but he carries a fierce loyalty to Kaz and eventually, to the others as well.
Nina is a Heartrender, a former Grisha soldier capable of incapacitating their foes by slowing their heart rates until their hearts cease to beat. A former captive of the drüskelle Mattias Helvar, Nina feels responsible for getting him out of the prison Hellgate that he was thrown in because of her.
Mattias Helvar is a drüskelle, a holy soldier for Djel who believes that all Grisha are witches and don’t deserve to live. After surviving a terrible event with Nina, he begins to question everything. A beautiful Heartrender can’t be a witch that deserves death, right?
The final and most unlikely member of the Crows is Wylan. The son of the merchant who hired Kaz for this job, Wylan is insurance of their payment. In addition to this, Wylan is handy with chemistry and making bombs that act as a backup for many of Kaz’s insane ideas.
These six young adults are the perfect team to accomplish this impossible heist. I love every one of them. Each one of them grows and changes over the course of the duology, while remaining true to themselves. Put another way, none of them changed so much that it didn’t make sense. All of them carry insane trauma and grief, yet they all begin to heal through each other. No one understands an outcast like another outcast.
The second novel, Crooked Kingdom, begins right after Six of Crows ends. Most of the plot in this novel completely spoils the first book, but I was happy to see that Bardugo wasn’t afraid to continue throwing terrible things at these young adults. Happy endings are great and all, but its much more interesting to end a novel on a note that undoes everything.
I hate that Crooked Kingdom ended. I wanted more adventures with the Crows, with more time getting to know them and watching them grow further. I know we’ll see more of some of them in the King of Scars duology, but it won’t feel the same. It had an extremely satisfying conclusion, but I wanted more. I want more.
This series is going to be a favourite of mine for a long time. I’ll reread this series in a year or so and then I’ll read it again. I hope that if you decide to check it out, it becomes a favourite for you as well.
I’ve read so many amazing books this year, but these two are exceedingly high on the list. I highly recommend this series for – yes – everyone. Read it. The hype is worth it.
Six of Crows: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Crooked Kingdom: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Lit&Leta 
Leave a Reply