I would like to share some of my favorite quotes from Crooked Kingdom. There are not a lot of humorous quotes or exchanges.
I initially intended to have a Top 10 Favorite Quotes, because there were many moments in Crooked Kingdom that were so memorable and beautiful in their own way. However, I felt that would be unfair for future books I intend to read and therefore, kept the list to five.
These favorite quotes are based on my personal opinion – this is not meant to demean or offend anyone if your favorite quote is not in here. Everyone has their own set of favorite quotes and all are valid – feel free to comment on your favorite quote or book scenes!
WARNING: Reading book quotes could spoil details for those who have not read Crooked Kingdom (yet). If you wish to avoid spoilers in the book, please avoid reading this post. Otherwise, proceed at your own caution and advisory.
#5
“Sometimes, the only way to get justice is to take it for yourself.”
-Nina, Chapter 6
Despite this being Nina’s POV chapter, the quote is from Kaz’s dialogue to Jesper’s father. I really liked this quote because it sets one of the big themes in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom – the importance of justice. Despite the underhanded approach of trickery, lies, and disguises, the intention of the Crows is to get their own justice after their experience with injustice in the world (and circumstances). Often these injustices are enacted by untrustworthy adults in the Grishaverse (except for Jesper’s father), so I believe this quote strongly resonates with young readers and the teenage characters seeking justice within an unjust world that is not structured in their favor or side.
#4
“The really bad monsters never look like monsters.”
– Wylan, Chapter 2
– Wylan, Chapter 2
Another dialogue quote from Kaz from Wylan’s POV chapter. During this scene, Kaz and Wylan break into the home of Jan Van Eck’s lawyer, Cornelius Smeet, and are discovered by the Smeet’s young daughter. Kaz threatens her and warns her to go back to bed as both boys try to find a way to get Inej back from Van Eck. This exchange between Kaz and the little girl parallels another scene on the previous page where Kaz threatens Smeet’s clerk, which was considerably much darker and crueler to illustrate Kaz’s ruthless nature and resulting in the clerk’s demise. Before the clerk’s end, Kaz stated there were “no good men in Ketterdam,” which solidifies his perspective regarding monsters in the world. However, this scene also highlights the genuine cruelty and brutal nature are hidden in the real monsters of the world. This example can be shown in most adults in the series, who abuse their power over the powerless and use their status and wealth to get away with abuse.
#3
“No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose.”
– Inej, Chapter 17
I love how this quote explains the Dregs and Crows phrase! It emphasizes the classism and disparity of wealth within Ketterdam. Funerals and mourners are a sign of wealth, luxury, and memory; in contrast, the people living in the Barrel (who are arguably the poorest and living in the most harshest conditions) do not have the luxury or expense to pay for a funeral or mourn a life. It also foreshadows a character’s death and how the crews’ actions afterward is an inversion and negation of this phrase to illustrate how there will be people who will mourn their loved ones even if the world is unaware of who they are.
#2
“Thoughts of moonlight and silken hair evaporated in a black bolt of fury. Kaz saw Inej tug on the sleeve of her left forearm, where the Menagerie tattoo had once been. He had the barest inkling of what she’d endured there, but he knew what it was to feel helpless, and Van Eck had managed to make her feel that way again. Kaz was going to have to find a new language of suffering to teach that smug merch son of a bitch.”
– Kaz, Chapter 12
Kaz’s POV chapters were my favorites in Crooked Kingdom, and the quote above is one of the reasons. During this chapter, Kaz and Inej are scouting the sugar silos owned by Jan Van Eck to sabotage them. In this chapter, Kaz worries about Inej’s safety after rescuing her from Van Eck (i.e., demanding a safety net be set in place and anxious when she seems to not return to the boat as soon as he expected). Despite the importance of this scouting mission, Kaz imagines touching Inej’s hair on a couple of occasions. However, when she reveals how Van Eck confined her to made her feel fear and doubt, Kaz reflects back on Inej’s trauma and her feelings of helplessness while simultaneously feeling angered that Van Eck made Inej recount those negative experiences. Obviously, he couldn’t offer her the words of comfort she wanted, but I believe the dialogue above (and near the end) presents as a close second and (in my opinion) a confession of love.
#1
“Kaz thought he knew the language of pain intimately, but this ache was new. It hurt to stand here like this, so close to the circle of her arms. It isn’t easy for me either. After all she’d endured, he was the weak one. But she would never know what it was like for him to see Nina pull her close, watch Jesper loop his arm through hers, what it was to stand in doorways and against walls and know he could never draw nearer. But I’m here now, he thought wildly.“
– Kaz, Chapter 26
This is, hands down, my favorite quote from Kaz! In this chapter, where he is helping Inej bandage her wounds without his gloves – both of them are vulnerable, and he is fighting against his aversion to touch. In this quote, the reader gets a perspective of Kaz’s inner conflict of physical touch, his affection for Inej, and his desire for intimacy with her. This chapter focuses on Kaz, Inej, their trauma, and their yearning for each other. Kaz knows about pain in the way it physically, mentally, and emotionally harms – but he recounts that “this ache [love] was new.” In both books, Kaz had crushes before meeting Inej, but they were not equivalent to the love he feels for her. This quote and chapter solidifies and reflects the mutual love and trust Kaz and Inej have for each other and how they want to heal from their trauma to move forward together.
Those are my Top 5 Favorite Quotes from Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo! I tried really hard to narrow it to down and I hope you enjoyed my list!
Thank you so much for your patience and support!
Please comment below on your favorite quotes in Crooked Kingdom or answer any of the other questions down below!
Questions for You
- What are your favorite book scenes from Crooked Kingdom? Why?
- Did any of these quotes resonate with or connected with? Why or why not?
- What were some of your thoughts on Crooked Kingdom?
Midnight Skies 