If I had to name one series that captured my heart utterly and completely, I would pick the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo. I fell in love with this story as soon as I met Kaz Brekker in the Shadow and Bone TV series. I’ve reviewed the first book, Six of Crows, a few years ago, but I somehow never got round to reviewing the second book, Crooked Kingdom. Therefore, I’ve decided to make this series review.

Attention:  I will be reviewing both books of the Duology in this post, but everything apart from the first book will be hidden so that you will not see any spoilers (unless you want to, of course).

Book 1: Six of Crows

No mourners, no funerals

Six of Crows tells the story of a band of young criminals who decide to pull off an impossible heist. Why? For the money, of course. Because money is what makes the world go round in Ketterdam. For some of them, it’s their only shot at freedom. For others, it’s an addiction. For others still, it’s all about getting revenge.

Their leader is Kaz Brekker, a criminal prodigy who is known as “Dirtyhands” because he’ll take any job. Then there’s Inej, the Wraith. Silent as the night and deadly with her knives. Jesper is a flamboyant sharpshooter who never backs down from a wager. These are the three Crows you get introduced to in the first season of Shadow and Bone. However, as the title already suggests, there are six crows in total. The three companions are joined by Nina, a girl with magical powers and a passion for waffles, Matthias, a former witch hunter with a score to settle, and Wylan, a runaway rich boy with a talent for pyrotechnics. As unlikely a match they might seem, together they have all the skills needed to succeed in their mission. Or that’s what Kaz told them upfront anyway…

Adventure, friendship, and heartbreak (mostly mine)

As I mentioned, I was already in love with these characters before having opened the book. That made me a bit nervous, because what if the book did not live up to my expectations? What if I didn’t like the writing or the book version of the characters? I shouldn’t have worried.

As of chapter one, the reader is pulled into the action. The writing is fast-paced, the dialogue is clever, the characters are …even better than I hoped for. They are so real in their flaws, hopes, fears, and desires. They are not your typical main characters that are purely good and will rid the world of all evil. No. They are morally grey themselves, but the switching point of view let you understand why they are the way they are and do the things they do.

According to my boyfriend, it’s an adventure story, the romance is at best secondary. I beg to differ. Although the romance is maybe not present in a conventional way, it’s one of the romance storylines that captured my heart and is currently holding it hostage. The raw trauma, the desperation, the longing…it’s just so, so, so very beautiful in its own right.

I loved this book so much that I’ve put off reading part two for months. I already knew the entire story in detail 😉 but I didn’t want to read it yet, simply because I did not want it to end.

It will not come as a surprise to you that I give this book 5 gemstones out of 5:

Book 2: Crooked Kingdom

Summary & Evaluation Attention: Spoilers! (click here)

When I finally dared to read the second book, I was so relieved that it was everything I had hoped for and more. My favourite characters do not get the ending I desired (and which they desperately deserved), but the author leaves enough room for the reader to dream that they will get it, some point in the future. As I already knew the story inside out before starting this book, I wasn’t shocked by the tragic events that take place near the end. I will forever love these characters though, and would recommend this duology to anyone. Without a single doubt: 5 gemstones out of 5.

Age Category: Young adult, suitable both for a younger teen audience and for adult readers.

Representation:  LGBTQ+ main characters, PTSD, dyslexia, disability

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Warnings for severe trauma, past rape and forced prostitution, kidnapping, loss, gambling, manipulation, addiction, parental abuse & neglect, child trafficking, and graphic violence.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the first book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: Paperback Edition

Amazon.nl: eBook Edition

Until recently, there was only one special edition of this duology available in English (that I was aware of anyway), namely the collector’s edition. These books can still be purchased in some stores and are sold separately for about € 15 -20. Recently, however, two book boxes have announced their own special editions. Litjoy Crate is going to publish special editions of the entire Grishaverse, starting with a set of this duology. They will become available in April 2023, and they will be annotated by the author, with new custom covers, a digital signature, tip-in art pages, custom endpapers, slipcases, and page edges. The set will cost € 115. While I would love to have these, shipping to Europe is incredibly expensive and I have to admit I’m not blown away by the mock-ups they released earlier this week. So this will be a pass for me.

More or less simultaneously, Owlcrate announced that they too would be doing special editions of the Grishaverse, but they are going to start with the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. The Six of Crows Duology is set to be released in spring 2024, but not a lot of information has been communicated yet. Fingers crossed that I will be able to afford this one <3

Similar to this

To misquote Tante Heleen (one of the main antagonists in the story): “What do you have [to recommend] that could possibly be enough [to match Six of Crows]”. Indeed, this section of my review was more difficult to write than it usually is.

Most people will have started their journey into the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo with the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, seeing that it comes first chronologically. However, I think it is not necessary at all to start there. If you’re more into the story of Six of Crows, you can start right away with that duology. I’ve been told that that’s not the case for the King of Scars Duology though. Set a couple of years after the Six of Crows Duology, there are references to both the original trilogy and the Crow books, so I would maybe not skip directly to King of Scars.

What else can I recommend you? Personally, I was most fascinated by Kaz’s story as well as the adventure of following a band of thieves on a heist. So I’ve been on the lookout for books with “similar” characters (although no-one could compare, obviously) and I’ve received two recommendations from fellow book bloggers. The first one is The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. Set in Paris, this book tells the story of an unlikely band of “experts” who are asked to hunt down an ancient artefact. The second one is Vicious by V.E. Schwab, in which two brilliant college friends decide to explore the theory that, under the right conditions, people could develop extraordinary skills. Apparently, one of them is quite similar to Kaz. I’ve put both of those on my reading list, but I’m especially looking forward to the first one (I have a personal vendetta against super heroes and Vicious‘ summary reeks of them…tell me I’m wrong, please).