'Six of Crows' and 'Crooked Kingdom' by Leigh Bardugo
- Reed
- Nov 20, 2025
- 3 min read
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Rating: B+
Vibe: : Ocean's Eleven meets fantasy noir with morally ambiguous criminals, ambitious revenge plots, and casual gayness.
I'm going to review these two books together because they're really one very long story—Six of Crows ends on a cliffhanger that launches you directly into Crooked Kingdom, and trying to separate them feels arbitrary. Think of it as one ambitious, messy, deeply satisfying heist-and-revenge saga told over 900 pages.
The setup: Kaz Brekker, a teenage crime lord with a cane and a taste for long cons, assembles a crew of skilled misfits to pull off an impossible heist. There's Inej, the Wraith—a spy who moves like smoke. Jesper, a sharpshooter with a gambling problem. Nina, a Grisha Heartrender with a complicated past. Matthias, a soldier from a country that hates magic. And Wylan, a demolitions expert with secrets of his own. They're criminals, all of them, and the book doesn't pretend otherwise. These are not Robin Hood types stealing from the rich to help the poor. They're stealing because they want money, power, revenge, or all three.
The first book is a heist—break into an impenetrable fortress, retrieve a valuable prisoner, get out alive. It's tightly plotted, full of twists, and introduces a world (the trade hub of Ketterdam, the magic system of the Grisha, the politics of warring nations) that requires a little patience. You have to let some of the worldbuilding wash over you at first. There are terms that don't get explained right away, factions that feel opaque, a magic system that takes time to click. But if you stick with it, it all starts to cohere—and by the second book, when the foundation is set, Bardugo gets to really cook.
Crooked Kingdom is where this duology shines. The board is set, the characters are established, the world is built—and now the story can breathe. The second book is still a heist of sorts, but it's messier, more sprawling, and higher stakes. If you liked the first book, you're going to love the second. The revenge plot feels earned, the emotional beats land harder, and the crew dynamics deepen in ways that surprised me.
And speaking of those dynamics: the cast is the real strength here. These six characters are distinct, flawed, and compelling. Bardugo gives each of them clear motivations, painful backstories, and entertaining arcs. Some of the relationships are romantic (and I'll get to that), but others are friendships, rivalries, or uneasy alliances—and they're all well-drawn. I won't spoil which two characters are gay for each other (it's revealed near the end of the first book, and it's a delightful surprise), but I will say this: in this world, queerness just is. People are attracted to who they're attracted to, and no one blinks. It's not a plot point, not a source of angst, not a thing that needs addressing. It's just part of the fabric of the world—and it absolutely adds to the story.
The moral ambiguity is another highlight. These are people who've been wronged, yes—but they're also people who lie, steal, manipulate, and occasionally kill. Bardugo doesn't sanitize them, though there are moments where things wrap up just a little too neatly, where characters feel just a touch less ruthless than the story wants you to believe. But overall, it works beautifully. The revenge they enact feels complicated, messy, and human. You root for them even when you're not sure you should.
If I have a critique, it's that the pacing occasionally drags (especially in the middle of the first book), and some of the twists rely on coincidences that stretch believability. But those are minor complaints in a duology that's this propulsive and this much fun.
I'm giving this a solid B+. It's ambitious, emotionally satisfying, and features an outstanding ensemble cast. If you're looking for morally gray characters, clever plotting, and a world where queerness doesn't need a disclaimer, this is your book. Just be prepared to commit—once you start, you're in for the whole ride.
