He still manages to be a complex, dimensional character, who genuinely cares about his friends not dying (though he'd never admit it). He's absolutely an antihero yes, he's on a mission to save the world, but does he care about saving the world? Nope, he cares about getting his cash.

Kaz is the most manipulative, terrible, morally black protagonist I've ever read about, and I love him to pieces. She feels so real on page she has a heart but she only lets it out around the people she cares about. She's gone through hell and she's come out strong and in control. Inej is a member of a gang and a murderer, but she desperately wants to do the right thing and liberate slaves like herself. okay maybe not Matthias quite as much but w/e Every single character grows, every single character develops, every single character owns my heart. Then again, it doesn't feel as if she's trying too hard or using purple prose.Ī gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.īardugo nails character work here. The Grisha's worldbuilding is very engaging, even though we're thrown in without context I remember thinking that I would have appreciated a proper map of Ketterdam, and then we GOT a good map in book two!īardugo's prose is awesome, and there are some truly gorgeous quotes from here. The dregs need to have a thousand backup plans, and everything is brilliantly planned by Bardugo.

This book focuses on mind games and clever plotting. Her plotting is incredibly engaging, with so many twists and turns that the book is hard to put down. There's no competition whatsoever.īardugo tosses you right into the main plot from the beginning and keeps you engaged all the way through, even when her focus is on character work. This series truly is my favorite fantasy series of all time. There are very, very few books that I love so wholeheartedly. Goddamn, can Leigh Bardugo write romance. Here, Bardugo integrates a creative plot, interesting and morally grey characters, group dynamics and banter, a great writing style, and some really, really prime romance plots. This book pulled me in from the beginning, to the point where I knew I'd found a favorite before I was halfway through. It's really really fun and I can feel my brain leaking out of my ears whenever I see Inej and Kaz interact with each other.įive solid stars. Edit update or whatever I watched the Netflix show I'm on episode four and oh my god it's really good.

Six of crows crooked kingdom