Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom is AMAZING!!! It starts with Wylan still wearing Kuwei's face (Nina is dealing with the after effects of jurda parem), and wondering how Kaz and team were going to rescue Inej from his father, Van Eck. However, the team doesn't have to deal with just Van Eck, but now they must deal with the whole city of Ketterdam, as well as some extra (and extra exciting) new visitors. Can Kaz really save Inej and get the revenge that the team, and he personally, needs? 


"Have any of you wondered what I did with all the cash Pekka Rollins gave us?"
“Guns?” asked Jesper.
“Ships?” queried Inej.
“Bombs?” suggested Wylan.
“Political bribes?” offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. “This is where you tell us how awful we are,” she whispered.
He shrugged. “They all seem like practical choices.”

I think this quote basically sums up the characters and their personalities in this book. It definitely shows how far Matthias has come from being scandalized by everything they all do. I wish I never had to work because I would have finished this book in a couple of days. I simply could not stop reading it. The actions, combined with the feelings, made the whole thing relatable and I wanted to crawl into the book and help the Dregs in any way possible.

The romance between Nina and Matthias, Jesper and Wylan, and Kaz and Inej couldn't be more perfect. Each is separated by the individualism from each. Nina and Matthias already knew they were in love and loved by the other so watching them was like watching a flower flourish in the sun. Jesper and Wylan was slowly but intent. They were uncertainty, or a flower trying to bloom. Kaz and Inej were the fear. They knew but were held back because of their own demons. They were the seeds struggling to break through the earth, and survive the animals and elements. It was emotional witnessing each couple attempting to be together and be strong at the same time. However, they never let the personal romances deviate them from their plans. Instead, it seemed to make them closer than a family could possibly be.

I loved that Leigh made each chapter in a different character's perspective. It gave the novel life because we could see each individual's thoughts, fears, and backstories. The backstories alone were thorough enough to make me wonder if Leigh Bardugo had an alternate life in the CIA, or some other spy network. Each chapter also gave life to Kaz, as it was his plan, and made the reader even more aware of just how brilliant each member was, but Kaz is a certifiable genius.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars, and encourage anyone who feels like an outcast or just different to read it. I laughed, I cried (a little), my heart stopped, and I think I developed my own "scheming face" in the process. If I could make these individuals my friends and just pick Kaz's brain then I can't think of a better conversation. Unfortunately, I have not read Leigh Bardugo's Greisha Trilogy but it is on my list, so if you have (GOOD FOR YOU), and if you haven't (maybe do so....?), because I certainly will.