When you can't beat the odds, change the game
So I am a tad late to the game reading this Leigh Bardugo offering. I was unsure whether to read it as I have yet to finish the Grisha trilogy and thought I might be lost returning to the world again. If anything reading these two has prompted me to read the rest of the original trilogy, in fact I will probably start them again. This was definitely a case of better late than never, I thoroughly enjoyed both installments of this well written, evocative and moving fantasy saga.Initially using a free audio books credit I attempted to listen to Six of Crows. Unfortunately, I disliked the way the story was read, each chapter was a different narrator and although this is the case in the written version it meant that for example when Kaz was voiced he sounded different in each chapter and I was struggling to connect.
Then my very wonderful mum purchased both of the series for me as a celebratory gift for getting my new job. A fitting farewell to the world of school libraries, not that this will be my last Young Adult read that would be absurd.
Six of Crows is sensationally written, as many of you who have read my previous reviews will know I struggle with books that flit from perspective to perspective. I find it frustrating as I often do not feel connected to the characters as much and find myself desperate for a particular characters arc to continue. However, Bardugo did a wonderful job of interlinking the chapters to a point where not only did I feel I was understanding and bonding with the characters but I was also not just waiting for a certain characters chapter. Having said that Inej was by far my favourite. Each chapter weaves eloquently into the other so the story does not lose momentum and although there are numerous twists and turns, like the Ketterdam streets, the way Bardugo writes brings you along for the ride.
In Six of Crows we meet Kaz Brekker and his unlikely team of misfits from the Dregs. They are given an impossible job that if they manage to pull off it will change all their lives. It is a thrilling story that just so happens to be set in a world of power, magic and Grisha. It has all the aspects you want from a good fast paced story. I found the story gritty with an edge to it you do not often find in YA fiction. It was much more adult than what I remember from the Shadow and Bone series. The characters all seemed a lot older then they actually were probably because they had been through such hardships whilst in Ketterdam.
The first book had me on the edge of my seat, reading at a feverish pace. The sequel did little to disappoint. Crooked Kingdom was again written in a way that had me gripped. Although it flit from character to character in each chapter they were again well connected. I felt that Bardugo tried to get a little too much into this book. Some of the rather large plot lines left from Six of Crows were tied up much faster than I had expected. The story itself felt like it was made up of a lot of different plots. It had so many facets that I was struggling to keep up with what was happening next. This was most pronounced in the second half of the story. However despite this I still found the story thrilling and un-put-downable. Bardugo wrote some truly moving scenes so coupled with all that heart-stopping tension I still manage to shed a few tears. I would love to know if Bardugo is going to use these characters again as I’d love to read more of their adventures.
Enthralling and thrilling
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