Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows Series #2)

by Leigh Bardugo

Overview

Crooked Kingdom: the highly anticipated sequel to Leigh Bardugo's thrilling #1 New York Times-bestselling Six of Crows.

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 badly weakened, 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 the Grisha world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250076977
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	09/04/2018
Series:	Six of Crows Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	202
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times–bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse. With over one million copies sold, her Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, and The Language of Thorns—with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including Some of the Best from Tor.com and The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and the forthcoming Ninth House. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and even makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood, where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band.

leighbardugo.com grishaverse.com

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Crooked Kingdom:

"A delicious blend of masterfully executed elements... Bardugo outdoes herself in this exhilarating follow-up, and series fans will have their eyes glued to every page.”—Booklist, starred review.

"Un-put-down-able excitement from beginning to end"—Kirkus Reviews, starred review.

"Bardugo’s ingenious plotting that characterized Crows is again on full display, and the backstories, loyalties, flaws, and romantic alliances….are richly developed.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB) starred review

Praise for Six of Crows:

"This has all the right elements to keep readers enthralled: a cunning leader with a plan for every occasion, nigh-impossible odds, an entertainingly combative team of skilled misfits, a twisty plot, and a nerve-wracking cliffhanger."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Cracking page-turner with a multi ethnic band of misfits with differing sexual orientations who satisfyingly, believably jell into a family."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Set in a world that will be familiar to fans of the author, this book can be fully enjoyed without having read any previous title. . . . This is an easy choice for teens who enjoyed The Grisha Trilogy, Diviners, or any of the Shadowhunter books."—VOYA, starred review

"The whirlwind pace, along with some witty banter, burgeoning romance, and high-stakes action, makes this series opener a surefire crowd-pleaser."—Booklist

From the Publisher

This second volume of the “Six of Crows” series opens in Ketterdam, with Kaz Brekker hatching a plan to rescue Inej from double-crossing Jan Van Eck and to claim the fortune his crew was promised for smuggling Kuwei Yul-Bo from Fjerda’s impenetrable Ice Court. As Nina suffers through jurda parem detox, her tender relationship with Mattias deepens. Meanwhile, Jesper and Wylan explore their romantic attraction in the confusing period in which Wylan continues to wear the face of Kuwei, due to Nina’s skillful tailoring. Kaz fights a battle against himself to emotionally and physically engage with Inej, while Inej struggles to break free of the scars of her experience as a sex slave. It’s notable how, at the end of the story, Brekker’s kind gesture toward Inej strips her of the agency and strength she had displayed up to that point. Brekker’s crew forged their alliance through the heist in the previous novel; in this continuation they cohere loyally and nearly seamlessly, with each one contributing their unique abilities to bring about a complicated justice for Per Haskell, Pekka Rollins and Van Eck. Although it’s fascinating to watch Brekker’s plan unfold, it tests the bounds of the reader’s credulity and raises the question of whether anyone could successfully execute a plan with such prescient gamesmanship in the presence of so many variables. The story explores themes of belonging, how friends can become family, justice versus mercy, growing past prejudice, and hope. Bardugo’s world-building is at its finest. Reviewer: Michele Hughes; Ages 12 up.

Children's Literature - Michele Hughes

Jan Van Eck has much to answer for, according to Kaz Brekker and his crew of young thieves, a group whose depths and talents have only begun to fully emerge. First, the team must rescue one of their own without giving up Kuwei Yul-Bo, a boy who may hold the key to unlocking the terrible drug that turns Grisha into ravaged and fearsome foes. Not quite heroes or villains, these six unlikely comrades face new enemies and their own inner demons as they try to outwit all of Ketterdam and win the freedom they each uniquely desire and deserve. Readers of this sequel to Six Of Crows (MacMillan, 2015/Voya August 2015) will delight in a new set of schemes that grow ever more intricate and surprising, even while becoming both strikingly personal and political. Yet, more than the exciting heists, shootouts, kidnappings, tight-rope acrobatics, and newfound Grisha powers, what sets this text apart from other reprisals is the continued depth woven into its complex characters; readers learn far more of each individual’s past and personal turmoil as new family connections are uncovered and romantic relationships both blossom and stumble. Crooked Kingdom offers not only a thoughtful, multivocal third-person narrative and a wonderfully diverse cast but also a richness in characterization matched only by the unique setting. Moreover, the story ends with a pleasing degree of closure (plus a few openings for possible further character development), making it a standout for those looking for a satisfying second installment. Reviewer: Meghann Meeusen; Ages 12 to 18.

VOYA, October 2016 (Vol. 39, No. 4) - Meghann Meeusen

★ 10/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—Teens will be excited to return to Bardugo's marvelous world, first visited in her "Grisha Trilogy" and in this duology's previous Six of Crows. They will be treated to a visit from old friends—the graceful (and deadly) Inej; Nina, the Grisha Heartrender; Wylan, the discarded, illiterate merchant's son; and the mysterious and vengeful Kaz. Characters from the original trilogy (most notably Stormhund, prince-turned-privateer) also make an entrance in the heart of the slums of Ketterdam. Plots to take control of the city's underworld abound as Kaz rallies his allies and takes on the might of the rapacious merchant class and Pekka Rollins, King of the Barrel and ruler of the dregs of the city. Following the death of his brother, the antihero has surrounded himself with the castoffs of Ketterdam, all of them very young, defective in some way, and abandoned. Together they will either rule the city victoriously or fail magnificently. While it isn't absolutely necessary to have read the other titles in Bardugo's series, readers will be better served by this continuation if they are already familiar with the complex world and characters. This fast-paced dive into the Barrel, where fortunes are made and lost and life itself hangs in the balance, will keep readers enthralled long past bedtime. VERDICT A must-purchase for all YA collections.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

School Library Journal

★ 2016-08-02
This hefty sequel to Six of Crows (2015) brings high-tension conclusions to the many intertwined intrigues of Ketterdam.It's time for revenge—has been ever since old-before-his-time crook Kaz and his friends were double-crossed by the merchant princes of Ketterdam, an early-industrial Amsterdam-like fantasy city filled to the brim with crime and corruption. Disabled, infuriated, and perpetually scheming Kaz, the light-skinned teen mastermind, coordinates the efforts to rescue Inej. Though Kaz is loath to admit weakness, Inej is his, for he can't bear any harm come to the knife-wielding, brown-skinned Suli acrobat. Their team is rounded out by Wylan, a light-skinned chemist and musician whose merchant father tried to have him murdered and who can't read due to a print disability; Wylan's brown-skinned biracial boyfriend, Jesper, a flirtatious gambler with ADHD; Nina, the pale brunette Grisha witch and recovering addict from Russia-like Ravka; Matthias, Nina's national enemy and great love, a big, white, blond drüskelle warrior from the cold northern lands; and Kuwei, the rescued Shu boy everyone wants to kidnap. Can these kids rescue everyone who needs rescuing in Ketterdam's vile political swamp? This is dark and violent—one notable scene features a parade of teens armed with revolvers, rifles, pistols, explosives, and flash bombs—but gut-wrenchingly genuine. Astonishingly, Bardugo keeps all these balls in the air over the 500-plus pages of narrative. How can such a hefty tome be un-put-down-able excitement from beginning to end? (glossary) (Fantasy. 14 & up)

Kirkus Review