Unfolding My Feelings For Crooked Kingdom

….as much as that is possible to do. Because I swear this series had my emotions in a vice. Honestly I was nervous to even start, but I needn’t have feared because this book was hella entertaining. It was as twisty as Inej on a tightrope, as funny as Jesper’s banter, as smart as Kaz… you get the idea- it was fantastic.

I fell straight back into the world and the story and the characters. And then, right when it had me in the palm of its hand, it crushed all the spirits it had previously raised so high. Don’t worry, no spoilers, but somehow Bardugo managed to simultaneously incinerate my heart, and then stoke what remained over a deliciously warm campfire, until I melted in a puddle of marshmellowy gooey goodness (can you tell I’m getting ready for bonfire night?) To say this ending was bittersweet would be an understatement. But whatever my feelings were about it: it was glorious.

There are so many levels to enjoy this series on: adventure, romance, friendship, darkness, characterisation. I feel like it has something for everyone. But speaking of characters, I have to state the obvious: I was head over heels for them. Plus, it even had a couple of great cameos from the other Grisha series- though I won’t spoil the surprise and tell you who it was for anyone planning on reading it 😉

And oh my goodness the writing! I rarely stop reading to write down quotes- but this was too damn good. “Knife edge posture”- *shivers*! Perfectly fabricated, it injected so much life into the characters and the story. I also loved the use of slang like “the deal’s the deal” to make the world feel so much more real.

Okay, clearly I could sing this book’s praises forever, so I’m gonna leave it there, with the very obvious final rating of:

5/5 bananas

So have you read this? Do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!