I finished reading Crooked Kingdom, which continues where Six of Crows left off. I typically like reading books in chronological order so this works out well for me!
Crooked Kingdom Moodboard
I really liked Six of Crows so I was really eager to read Crooked Kingdom! Review and Favorite Quotes to come soon!
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo Summary
Crooked Kingdom Summary
Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.
Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.
Jesper tapped his fingers restlessly.
“Has anyone noticed this whole city is looking for us, mad at us,
or wants to kill us?”
“So?” said Kaz.
“Well, usually it’s just half the city.”
A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
Image: Crooked Kingdom Cover with colorful bubbles with different genres included.
I would like to share some of my favorite quotes from Six of Crows. It doesn’t contain the humorous dialogue or exchanges between characters – which I think should be experienced by readers first hand. However, the quotes do have spoilers for the rest of the characters and their development in the book.
Additionally, these are my top 5 favorite quotes in the book based on my personal opinion – I mean no offense or attack if your favorite quote is not in here. Everyone has their own set of favorite quotes in books and all are valid – feel free to comment on your favorite quote or book scenes in Six of Crows!
WARNING: Reading book quotes could spoil details for those who have not read Six of Crows (yet). If you wish to avoid spoilers in the book,please avoid reading this post. Otherwise, proceed at your own caution and advisory.
SPOILER WARNING: Book Quotes contina details and spoilers for those who haven’t read the book (yet). Please avoid this post to avoid spoilers. Otherwise, proceed with caution.
#5
“There is a Suli saying: The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.”
-Inej, Chapter 10
“There was a Suli saying: The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.” -Inej, Chapter 10
Early on, I already knew I was going to adore Inej as a character. I always looked Early on, I already knew I was going to adore Inej as a character. I always looked forward to reading her Chapter POVs! This is my favorite quote as it reveals many things about Inej: her faith, her family, and how she ended up in the Menagerie. Despite so much pain and trauma she experienced as a young girl, this quote exemplifies the hope, beauty, and bravery that is Inej Ghafa and other people just like her in our world.
#4
“The life you live, the hate you feel—it’s poison. I can drink it no longer.”
-Matthias, Chapter 35
“The life you live, the hate you feel – it’s poison. I can drink it no longer.”– Matthias, Chapter 35
Matthias was a character who grew on me while reading Six of Crows, and the reason I grew to like him is based on his character growth. I related to him in the sense of being unaware in my youth about what others had told me to be the truth – and then discover later on to be more complex, layered, and not entirely accurate. This is one of my favorite quotes because it shows how Matthias has grown from his national/ religious views on hating Grisha. He calls hate a “poison” he can no longer drink because he understands the errors and wrongs his country has done to all Grisha. The quote resonates with hope for those wanting to grow, learn, and change than stay willfully ignorant and hateful to others.
#3
“She wouldn’t wish love on anyone. It was the guest you welcomed and then couldn’t be rid of.”
-Nina, Chapter 14
“She wouldn’t wish love on anyone. It was the guest you welcomed and then couldn’t be rid of.” – Nina, Chapter 14
Nina was a wonderful POV character to read, too! And even though she has so much humorous dialogue, this one is one of my favorites from her. This quote succinctly explains both love and heartbreak and the pain of it all. This quote comes after Kaz gouged out Oomen’s eye and threw him overboard after hurting Inej with a grave injury. After the bloody delivery of Kaz’s ruthless actions, Nina bemusedly wonders if Kaz did it under the pretenses of love for Inej. I think this quote illustrates how there are things like love are out of our control. This quote is a reflection and (arguably) a foreshadowing of the different dynamics of love and how they were not searching for love but found it somehow.
#2
“Kaz had taught her to crack a safe, pick a pocket, wield a knife. He’d gifted her with her first blade, the one she called Sankt Petyr – not as pretty as wild geraniums, but more practical, she supposed.”
-Inej, Chapter 16
“Kaz had taught her to crack a safe, pick a pocket, wield a knife. He’d gifted her with her first blade, the one she called Sankt Petyr – not as pretty as wild geraniums, but more practical, she supposed.” -Inej, Chapter 16
This quote wonderfully illustrates the relationship between Kaz and Inej on a multitude of levels. The dynamic between Kaz and Inej is not based on hierarchy, and this quote and scene support that. Tante Heleen and her clients abused Inej at the Menagerie by taking away her voice, her autonomy, and even her name; Whereas, Kaz gifted her with skills and tools she can use (in a way) to reclaim those things she lost at the Menagerie. Later, he names her the Wraith (much to her initial displeasure), which was a way for Inej Ghafa, the Suli acrobat, can separate herself from the silent spy of Ketterdam and even erase the little lynx at the Menagerie. Kaz saw Inej as a person rather than an object, as Heleen and clients at the Menagerie did, and that’s why I think this is one of my favorite quotes. Instead of gifting her with something pretty like flowers (related to how her father and mother fell in love), he gave her skills and tools to reclaim ownership of her bodily autonomy. Overall, it reveals how Kaz and Inej have a mutual respect and trust for one another.
#1
“He needed to tell her…what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he’d begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near. He needed to thank her for his new hat.”
-Kaz, Chapter 38
“He needed to tell her…what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he’d begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near. He needed to thank her for his new hat.” -Kaz, Chapter 38
Kaz is my second favorite POV to read in Six of Crows; He has been hardened by his trauma, his brother’s death, Ketterdam, and others around him and cannot afford to express any form of vulnerability – but this quote shows that! Although Kaz is portrayed as ruthless and cruel throughout the book, Inej still sees the good in him. One of the last things Kaz was thinking about when he was so close to drowning – to dying – was Inej. In the previous paragraph, Kaz thought of Inej – her making it out of the Ice Court heist and needing her to be alive. The quote illustrates a small side of Kaz’s vulnerability as a criminal mastermind. It reinforces to the reader that he is STILL a teenager with fears and hopes despite growing up too quickly. Kaz has stated continuously in the book how he is driven by greed and money; At that moment, rather than thinking of losing the big payout on the heist, he thinks of Inej. This is my favorite quote because it illustrates the relationship between Kaz and Inej while simultaneously reminding readers that, despite the harsh world that made these characters grow up, they are still teenagers growing up still.
Those are my Top 5 Favorite Quotes from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo! I finished watching the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Grishaverse series!
I hope you all enjoyed my list! Please comment on your favorite quotes in Six of Crows or answer any of the other questions down below!
Questions for You
What are your favorite book scenes from Six of Crows? Why?
Did any of these quotes resonate with you? Why/ why not?
What are your favorite scenes with the Crows in the Netflix series? Why?
What are you hoping for season 2 in the Netflix series?
I want to start off by saying that I haven’t read a book for enjoyment in a REALLY long time. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo was an interesting read that made me want to read the rest of her book series in the Grishaverse.
Book Review: Six of Crows
Before, we get to the book review and overview, I want to give out a few trigger warnings within the book. Despite fiction books being a form of escapism from the realities of our world sometimes those realities can be reflected in fiction.
Six of Crows: Trigger Warnings
Trigger Warnings
Violence (graphic, torture, genocide)
Addiction (gambling, drugs)
Child trafficking
Sex abuse & slavery
Language (mild to moderate)
For my reviews, I will do my best to review the book without revealing spoilers to those who are currently reading, or have not read the book. Now, a look and mild breakdown of the six categories:
PLOT: The story plot was overall consistent. Jan Van Eck offers Kaz Brekker a job to rescue a Shu scientist named Bo Yul-Bayur (who has the knowledge & formula to a deadly drug named jurda parem) from the Ice Court, a Fjerdan prison (think Alcatraz but with ice). By retrieving this man from a (near) impenetrable prison, everyone who completes their task during the heist job would get their share of a big payout win: thirty million kruge (the currency in the storyline).
SETTING: The story’s main settings are the city of Ketterdam (in Kerch), Hellgate (also in Kerch), the Ice Court (in Fjerda), and (arguably) the ship used to travel to and from both locations. Additionally, the book references other locations in the Grishaverse and provides two maps at the beginning of the book: one of the Grishaverse and the other of the Ice Court.
Six of Crows Review: Plot and Setting
WRITING STYLE: Bardugo’s writing was wonderful – a balance of physical details, fast-paced action, and inner monologue. It is one of the books I was able to visualize scenes while reading the text. Chapters are written in different Character POVs (point of views): Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina and Matthias (except for the first and final chapters). The dialogue was the most humorous and enjoyable in the book – it reminded me that the characters tasked with this big heist are teenagers (aged 16-18). One thing I will critique is how slow-paced it is in the beginning as it builds up to the plot, and gathers the characters tasked with the heist. After the 100th page, the pacing moves rather quickly.
CONFLICT/ RESOLUTION: Due to the story having the main cast of six characters, you get to see each character’s internal/external conflicts within their chapter POV. I rather not reveal any spoilers or distinct details in the story for others intending to read this book, but it was well-rounded in illustrating the small and big conflicts and their (eventual) resolutions.
Six of Crows Review: Writing Style and Conflict/Resolution
CHARACTERS: The primary characters are Kaz Brekker (criminal mastermind), Inej Ghafa (spy/ acrobat called Wraith), Jesper Fahey (gambling sharpshooter), Nina Zenik (Grisha Heartrender), Matthias Helvar (Fjerdan convict), and Wylan Van Eck (wealthy runaway). Like most heist genres, the main characters are a collection of eclectic and unique individuals with important skills to help pull off the heist. In addition, the minor characters in the story help the reader understand the main character’s motivations and personalities as well as the plot of the story.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: As a reader, I could already see some character development and growth (particularly in Part II and III). There was a lot of internal/external conflict in the main characters and how they changed from the beginning to the end – especially during the Ice Court Heist. In the book, the romance was wonderfully crafted to each characters’ internal/external conflicts – Bardugo translated the yearning, desire, and the pain of it all, which (again) reminded me that these characters are (still) teenagers within their dangerous world.
Six of Crows Review: Characters and Character Development
Overall Book Rating
It took me a week to finish Six of Crows (with some gentle coaxing of an audiobook) as I read after work hours and in the evening before sleeping. I’ve just been having a hard time collecting my thoughts together because I’ve been in a huge reading slump these past few years.
Six of Crows did not disappoint with plot twists and character growth; Despite not being entirely familiar with the Grishaverse, I understood and became familiar as I read along. The plot, writing style, characters (their development), and conflict/ resolution made the story enjoyable and enthralling!
However, it took me some time to immerse myself in the book, being patient with the story plot’s momentum, and understand the mechanisms of the Grishaverse world. Typically, I would give a half-star rating for the slow start, but the other components in the book make up for the slow pacing at the beginning.
Therefore, it’s a 5 Star rating for me! I’m looking forward to reading the second book, Crooked Kingdom, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
I’m reading a book about an unlikely group of people trying to pull off a big heist. Can you guess what book it is based on the mood board below?
If you guessed, Six of Crows, you are right! I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book and its series! I was enticed to read it by Bookstagram and BookTok, so I have some high hopes it would get me out of my reading slump!
Six of Crows Summary
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
Midnight Skies 