Tag: grishaverse

Review: Crooked Kingdom

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SYNOPSIS

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 the Grisha world.

Crooked Kingdom

WHAT I KNEW GOING IN

Quite a few people have told me that the Six of Crows duet is their favorite of Leigh’s series. At the end of the first book, I could see why. This group of misfits pulled off an impossible heist only to have things go sideways at the very end. Kaz was prepared for part of it, but he was not prepared for Inej’s capture. I knew there would be hell to pay for whoever took her. I also knew that things would inevitably get more complicated. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it was going to be epic and full of the unexpected. So, I started reading. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I knew this story was going to be different in size and scope than the other. We pick up mere days after the end of Six of Crows where things have not progressed much. Inej has a good grasp of her surroundings and Kaz is already working on his plan to rescue her. Things, naturally, get rather complicated rather quickly. The battle to gain control over the jurda parem continues as the crows tuck their new scientist friend away somewhere safe. I got the feeling this would be less of a single con and more of an intense, delicate game of chess played between multiple players. And I was right.

WHAT I LOVED

The characters we know and love get a chance to shine even brighter in all of their messy glory. They are back on their home turf, in the city of Ketterdam, yet that is not entirely a point in their favor. Ketterdam is a messy, complicated city run by thieves and con artists posing as businessmen. Our story follows some of the best and one of the men who will one day run this city. That is, if they can survive the building battle for the jurda parem. A drug that with drastically alter the fate of all Grisha, no matter whose hands it falls into.

Instead of being one heist with a single focus, this is a series of heists and cons daisy-chained together. A domino effect of plans that work and plans than fail leading to the final showdown between Kaz Brekker and the men who think they run this city. Dreams are made and found and, in some cases, achieved. 

There may be no heroes in Ketterdam, but that does not mean the city cannot be saved.

WHO I RECOMMEND IT TO

As I mentioned, Leigh Bardugo is an excellent fantasy author who has a gift for weaving together secrets of the past with mysteries of the future to tell a story that you cannot put down. 

If you are a fan of stories that linger near the darker side of fantasy that center around a charming group of misfits with somewhat questionable morals, this is the story for you. The world is rich and the Dregs from the Barrel may be poor but they are very good at what they do. They want to change Ketterdam, but they may just change the world. 

Review: Six of Crows

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SYNOPSIS

Six of Crows

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first. 

WHAT I KNEW GOING IN

I bought this book soon after finishing Shadow and Bone mostly because we were sold out of Siege and Storm, the second book in the series. I also had all of my coworkers who had read them telling me that this second series was much better than the first. I also knew that it takes place a few months after the end of Ruin and Rising, set in a different part of the world. So the stories don’t overlap and I was assured there weren’t any major spoilers. At the time I knew it was going to be at least a few weeks before we got the second book into the store, so I decided to dive right in. Between the fact I enjoy groups of misfits running a heist and that Leigh Bardugo’s writing was already starting to grow on me, I had a feeling I was in for a good time. 

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Right off I knew the world was going to have a totally different feel and I love it. Ketterdam is a place full of gritty streets and messy people doing whatever it takes to survive. I very much enjoyed being able to learn more about the wider world of the Grishaverse and see for myself how these different companies treat the Grisha. It is a step away from the coming of age type story that is the Shadow and Bone series and into something that is more dark, more raw, and more human. I quickly found myself growing fond of several of the characters and incredibly curious about the others. When we were introduced to the impossible job and its incredible reward, I knew I wouldn’t be putting the book down for a while because I had to know if this crew of talented misfits could pull it off. 

WHAT I LOVED

Leigh Bardugo is an incredible author and seeing how much her skill has grown from one series to another was mind blowing. I love the way she toys with your expectations of where a scene is going to go in a way that feels natural and leaves you guessing. 

This story features some of my favorite things. Found families. Incredible world building. Complex characters with their own fears and dreams. HEISTS! Everything is woven together so beautifully that I devoured the book in a few days. 

Some of them exist in that grey area where they are doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and sometimes I am not sure if they know why they are doing what they are doing aside from a sheer need to survive. The leader of the group, Kaz, is an absolute enigma even after we are finally introduced to what he is trying to accomplish and why. Yet it is hard not to root for the Dregs as they lay it all on the line to follow Kaz’s plan to break into an impenetrable prison to steal a man whose invention could set the world ablaze. 

Needless to say, I loved everything about it. 

WHO I RECOMMEND THIS TO

As I mentioned, Leigh Bardugo is an excellent fantasy author who has a gift for weaving together secrets of the past with mysteries of the future to tell a story that you cannot put down. 

If you are a fan of stories that linger near the darker side of fantasy that center around a charming group of misfits with somewhat questionable morals, this is the story for you. The world is rich and the Dregs from the Barrel may be poor but they are very good at what they do. And this story has an ending that will have you immediately reaching for Crooked Kingdom. 

Review: Ruin and Rising

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SYNOPSIS

BOOK THREE of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy

Ruin and Rising

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

WHAT I KNEW GOING IN

The end of Siege and Storm had me screaming on the inside for a variety of reasons. I had a coworker say not great things about it but I was enjoying the story far too much to bother worrying about his opinion. I was far too eager to witness the further downfall of the Darkling and whatever else happened leading up to his final showdown with Alina. 

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I had no idea what kind of situation Alina would find herself in after running to the Apparat. I also was not sure if I particularly trusted him or his motivations to begin with. But Leigh Bardugo pulled out all of the stops for this finale so I buckled myself and held on for dear life. 

The king’s former spiritual advisor has essentially become the leader of a fanatical cult that is worshipping a girl who never wanted to become a saint. The fact that he is doing what he genuinely believes is the right thing to do makes it all the more unsettling, because belief is a powerful thing. It can lead people to do all kinds of unexpected and sometimes unspeakable things. Belief is what is powering the Darkling as he continues on in his quest to make Alina his equal. His queen. And Alina has to decide just how far she is willing to go to make sure that she does not end up like him. 

WHAT I LOVED

This finale is absolutely epic. Leigh Bardugo pulled no punches with this one. The relationships between the characters are twisted and strained as they deal with the sheer impossibility of what they are trying to do. The Darkling has already succeeded in taking over the Ravkan throne. All he lacks is a queen. 

Throughout this book we get to see several characters who have been with us since the beginning really come into their own. Everyone gets a chance to shine, for good or for evil. 

I loved watching Alina’s continued struggle between the girl she used to be and the saint she has had to become. Couple that with the weight of the situation and the truth of the Darkling’s past that is finally fully revealed, it makes for a deliciously complicated situation. And we get the joy of 

WHO I RECOMMEND THIS TO

If you are looking for:

  • A coming of age story featuring someone who has had to fight for everything
  • Well developed characters and realistic dynamics between those characters
  • The juxtaposition between those with political power, magical power, and those who have neither
  • The impossible choices that come with being the person who is supposed to save everyone