BOOKS | Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Name: Crooked Kingdom (Grishaverse series #5, Six of Crows series #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Orion's Children's Books

Date published: This edition September 2019, first published September 2016.

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, adventure, romance

Pages: 544

Rating: 5/5

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.

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.

- From Goodreads.

Crooked Kingdom was an incredible follow up to Six of Crows with a exciting plot that kept me invested the whole way through.

The way the emotional journeys of each character developed and wrapped up felt well done to me, and towards the end I found myself quite surprised by how much I reacted to the events and conclusions to the stories. I especially enjoyed Kaz and Inej's developments and how they reacted to each other and helped each other.

I also enjoyed the more in-depth exploration of Ketterdam, since in the first book the main heist took place outside of the city, it was interesting to see more of the place that meant so much to the characters and see it really become its own character. It was so detailed and well built, it felt like such a real place.

The little hints and references to the first trilogy in this series and the characters included from those books were exciting to see and well placed. They felt like they were included with good reason and because they needed to be, not just for the sake of it. Some of the small references even made me a little emotional.

Just as with Six of Crows, although a lot of the plot seemed to be set out in front of you because you knew what heist or plan or trap the characters needed to pull off, the plot still managed to be full of interesting twists and turns that were not expected and kept me wanting to read onto the ending to find out how everything resolved and what tricks the characters had up their sleeves.

Overall this was a fantastic book that was a great addition to the universe of the series in general and a great wrap up to the Six of Crows duology. It was intense and emotional and heart-breaking at times, but also had some really joyful and heart-warming moments.

BOOKS | Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Name: Six of Crows (Grishaverse series #4, Six of Crows series #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Orion Children's Books

Date published: This edition October 2018, first published September 2015

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, adventure, romance

Pages: 494

Rating: 5/5

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist: break into the Ice Court - a military stronghold that has never been breached - and retrieve a hostage whose knowledge could change Grisha magic forever. To succeed would mean riches 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.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Together they might just be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.

- From Goodreads.

Six of Crows was a thrilling story from start to finish, full of mystery and adventure and intriguing and complex characters.

The plot never ceased to be exciting and made for a very addictive storyline to follow. There were some parts where it was a little difficult to understand what was happening, but that definitely heightened the atmosphere of the mystery, and mostly everything was explained later so you could look back and realise what had been happening.

All of the characters had plenty of depth, and the way Leigh Bardugo slowly revealed information about all of them through their different perspectives was quite clever and made me very emotionally invested. I was worried I might not be as invested in all of the perspectives but I found them all interesting and Bardugo managed to give them all distinct points of view, even though it was written in third person.

Although it feels like quite a different book to the three books of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, it still fits into the series well and extends the world in a fascinating way, telling us about different parts of the world we first started learning about in that trilogy whilst also showing us how the world is carrying on after what happened in those books.

Overall this was a really brilliant book that had me very excited to read the sequel, Crooked Kingdom. The characters were compelling and made me want to keep following them to see how their journey continued, the plot was thrilling and full of well-written twists, and the world felt immersive and fit-to-burst with intriguing details. I definitely recommend it for anyone who read the Grisha trilogy and wants to see more from the world.

BOOKS | Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

 Name: Ruin and Rising

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Square Fish

Date published: June 2017

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, romance, adventure

Pages: 417

Rating: 4/5

This review contains major spoilers.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for. 

- From Goodreads.

The continued worldbuilding in Ruin and Rising was inventive and I was always fascinated to learn more about the world. The descriptions of setting and places and the technology and architecture was always interesting to read. I thought the author was very creative when inventing new parts of her world.

I loved the power struggle between Alina and the Darkling, how their interactions played out and built up in tension. Their relationship was written so well and was so engaging to read. The build up over the three books of the war between them really came to a point in this book and was very satisfying to read.

Something else I liked was that Alina made firm friends and made herself a sort of found family within her allies. It was something more light within the darker moments of the book, and I enjoyed reading about it.

However, I still did not really enjoy Alina's relationship with Mal, although he had improved from the last book, I still did not feel the desire for them to be together and thought they might have been better as friends. I did not like that Mal often seemed to make decisions for her, Alina should have been able to make more decisions for herself. Often it felt like she was pulled and pushed around when she should have had more opportunities to make her own choices. The emphasis on their relationship made it feel like Alina deciding what she would do after everything was over depended on who she would end up with, which cheapened the grander story and themes slightly, and I think it would have been better if the decision was more about what she wanted to be after the war and what kind of life she might make for herself. I would not have minded if she did end up with someone romantically, but with Mal it just felt a little forced. 

I also did not like that Alina was still made to feel like her power was bad, even when it meant so much to her. I liked that she had great power, and although I knew it was important that she did not go too far with it, I did not like the black and white nature of the implication that she would either become a villain like the Darkling or become powerless, there did not seem to be much chance for her to find a place somewhere in between.

It did not make sense to me that Mal was the third amplifier. The other amplifiers were great mythical creatures, so the fact that a person was one just felt strange and out of place. Although it was explained, it still felt like a circle had not been completed properly. Perhaps he could have had the ability to amplify, like how one of the Darkling's skills was to amplify other people's power, but it just did not fit for me that Mal was supposed to be an amplifier like the other creatures. Maybe I am biased because I am not fond of Mal as a character or love interest, but it still just seemed like it should have been the firebird to me. I did not really enjoy the way the story focused on the amplifiers generally in the book, as I found the other aspects of the story more interesting. Aspects like the dynamic between Alina and the Darkling, Alina developing as a character, resisting the pull towards the dark and learning to use her power, coming into her own, learning from people like the Darkling and Nikolai, but learning to make the most of her own strengths too, to become a wise, powerful and good person on her own, and I wish Leigh Bardugo had focused more on those. The story should have been about Alina, and I felt like towards the end it focused too much on Mal when it did not feel like it was meant to be his story.

While I did not like everything that happened and was not satisfied with every part of the ending, it was still enjoyable to read, the writing style was exciting, the plot made for a very addictive story, and I would probably happily read the book and series as a whole again. The ending was well-plotted and while I was not completely happy with how everything wrapped up, did not like everything that happened and would have liked some things to be done differently, it was clearly planned out well and well written. 

BOOKS | Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Name: Siege and Storm

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Square Fish

Date published: June 2017

Genre: Fiction, young adult, romance, fantasy, adventure

Pages: 435

Rating: 4/5

This review contains mild spoilers.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

- From Goodreads.

Siege and Storm was a great continuation of the story started in Shadow and Bone. The worldbuilding continued to be fascinating to read, the world felt very real and it was easy to become immersed in it. I think Leigh Bardugo has done a great job of creating a world that I will continue to be excited to read stories about.

One thing I did not enjoy about the story was Alina and Mal's relationship. Alina often felt inadequate when she was with Mal, and seemed to believe she was not good enough for him. I could not really understand or root for their relationship when I felt like Alina always felt worse about herself when she was with him, and when he often slipped into bad behaviour and got angry with her for things that were not her fault, or were out of her control. He did have some good qualities and of course he was not a truly evil person, but I just could not enjoy their relationship when it seemed like she would be happier by herself or with someone else. 

It also did not sit right with me that Mal did not like Alina's power. While it was good he did not want her to lose control or to become too greedy, it seemed like her power was just as much a part of her as any other part, and if he did not like it then he did not really love her. Using her power made her healthier and happier, and when he acted like it was a bad thing that she used it and enjoyed using it, it just made him seem envious and unsupportive and it did not help me like him. It made Alina physically unwell to deny that part of her, her powers, and when she accepted that part of herself and loved it, all Mal wanted was for it to be gone. He wanted her to go back to being the girl she was at the start, but she was not happy back then. She was good at being a leader and using her powers, but he wanted to take that away from her. I understood that he was struggling to find his place, but he could not seem to feel happy for her when she was happy, and it just made him seem too selfish. Alina often felt bad for how Mal felt at the palace, but she had gone to the palace to try and fix things and do good by leading the Grisha, and it seemed like he had never felt bad whenever she had felt out of place or like she did not belong. It just never seemed like their relationship was balanced or equal.

It just kept feeling like Mal and Alina were meant to go on different paths in life and like they were not meant to end up together. They argued so much and never seemed to come to an understanding. Ultimately, all this meant that I just could not love Mal like Alina apparently did, so I could not root for their relationship, and that was really the one thing in the book that fell flat for me. 

However, I did enjoy reading Alina's relationships with other characters, the interactions and dialogue were written well, and I especially enjoyed the moments between her and Genya, her and Sturmhond, and her dynamic with the Darkling continued to be engaging and thrilling.

I enjoyed the way Alina's struggle with the dark was written, how she was sometimes overcome by her powers, how it was shown that she was affected by what had happened between her and the Darkling and what had happened on the Fold. I think it felt very real that she was not completely fine after everything that had happened to her so far and Leigh Bardugo wrote that in a very compelling way that made Alina feel very relatable and strong to get through everything that she did. I really think the author played well with the idea of Alina struggling with a slippery slope into darkness, how she could easily go the same way as the Darkling, descending slowly into the desire for power. But her struggle with that and her determination to fight against it was what showed her strength and good heart.

I really enjoyed the middle of the book, the political manoeuvres, Alina learning how to lead and work with people, and her discussions with Nikolai. I thought it was all very intriguing and very enjoyable to read. The ending was also very thrilling, incredible and epic, and left me eager to read Ruin and Rising. 

UNBOXING ¦ FairyLoot: Dark Magic - April 2019

Dark Magic is a really fascinating theme, and I am always interested to see it explored in fiction, so I knew this would be an exciting box from FairyLoot, with lots of beautiful items and an intriguing book, and I was definitely not wrong! This was a brilliant box, and I have listed each item below, with the shop or creator that designed it.

The Darkling (from the Grisha trilogy) tote bag, with lettering by KDP Letters and art by morgana0anagrom.

Six of Crows tarot cards by Emmilinne.

Philosopher's Stone soap by Pretty Suds. 

A Curse So Dark And Lonely pin by Literary Emporium.

Children of Blood and Bone notebook by Stella Bookish Art. 

Mister Kindly (from Nevernight) tea strainer by FairyLoot.

A Darker Shade of Magic book sleeve by Monolime.

Nocturna by Maya Motayne, exclusive signed edition with blue sprayed edges, author letter and character art by niru. 

Fairyscoop booklet, bookmark and spoiler card with theme art by Taratjah.

I really enjoyed unpacking this box and I think I'll love making use of the items, especially the Mister Kindly tea strainer, since I've been wanting a cute one for ages. I'm also really excited to read Nocturna, the plot sounds so thrilling!
If you want to find out more about FairyLoot, you can find their website here. If you got this box too, let me know what your favourite item was in the comments below, or if you've already read the book, tell me your thoughts!

UNBOXING ¦ Illumicrate Mystery Box

I have always enjoyed the previous Illumicrate boxes that I have purchased so when they announced they were selling mystery boxes I thought it would be a great chance to get some of the wonderful items I had missed from other boxes. I was very pleased with what I got, especially since I was lucky enough not to get any items that I had already received! Below I have listed each item that came in my mystery box, with a link to each designer or shop that created them.

Hamilton quote ceramic mug, designed by Abbie Imagine.

Warcross by Marie Lu quote wooden bookmark, designed by chatty nora.

Protagonist/Antagonist necklace, designed by Down the Rabbit Hole.

Elements metal bookmarks, designed by Another Studio. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses character cards, designed by Monolime. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre and Rhysand art print, designed by Kat Adara. 

Grisha book sleeve, designed by Sparrow + Wolf. 

Tote bag, designed by KDP Letters. 

I was really happy with all of these items, I thought they were all fun, well-designed and of high quality. I think my favourites are the element bookmarks, because I love Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the Antagonist/Protagonist necklace, because it is really creative and I will love wearing it.
Comment below if you received a mystery box and let me know what you got in it! If you would like to know more about Illumicrate then you can visit their website here.

UNBOXING ¦ Illumicrate: Saints & Scars - The Grishaverse Edition Volume 2

Last year I got the Illumicrate Magic & Mayhem - The V.E. Schwab Edition box and really loved it, so when they announced they were doing their second Grishaverse box in celebration of the release of King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, I decided to order it, and I definitely do not regret it! I've listed each item below, with a picture and link to the designer or shop that each item was made or designed by (although all of the items were exclusive to the box which is always great in a book box).

Nikolai Lantsov calendar, artists credited it pictures above.

Grishaverse enamel pin set, by Fable & Black.

Ravkan Myths layered candle, from Flickerink.

Socks, by Fable & Black.

Sunburst pouch, by Fable & Black.

Nikolai plush, by Illumicrate.

Mug, by Fable & Black.

Hand fan, by Stella Bookish Art.

Grisha women bookmarks, by Monolime.

Fox blanket, by Yoshi Yoshitani. 

Book sleeve, by Chatty Nora. 

Letter from Leigh Bardugo.

Exclusive edition of King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo.

I really adored this box, I felt like it was full of brilliant and beautiful items that I will definitely use and display, and I'm so happy to have such a gorgeous edition of King of Scars! I think my favourite items were the candle (I've already lit it and it smells wonderful) and the blanket (foxes are one of my favourite animals and it has such a beautiful design). Let me know if you got the box what your favourite items were in the comments, or if you've read the book comment what you thought of it (without spoilers). If you want to find out more about Illumicrate, you can visit their website here.

BOOKS ¦ Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Name: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Date Published: 2016
Rating: 4/5

Slight spoiler warning for this review!

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the world of the kingdom's magical elite - the Grisha. Could she be the key setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a man of seductive charm and terrifying power. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina's childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can't she ever quite forget him?

What I really enjoyed about Shadow and Bone was the incredible world building it included. It was inspired by culture and folklore I don't often see used often, and was made unique into its own world. This was supported by wonderful descriptive writing that really immersed you in the world and made it easy to picture.
The characters were intriguing and Alina was a likeable main character who I rooted for. Even though she sometimes made choices I wouldn't personally have made, I could see why she made them. I enjoyed her interactions with minor characters, like Genya, who were all well-thought out and realistic even if they were only background characters.
The Darkling was a brilliant, captivating character. He was a perfectly fascinating villain, probable the best I've read since Tom Riddle in Harry Potter. He had a balance of being, dark, seductive and intense but with human moments  and reasons for his beliefs that made you understand why people followed him and believed in him, even while feeling anger at his violence and horrific actions.
The only character I didn't really enjoy reading was Mal. He wasn't truly bad, and I don't think I would have minded him so much if he wasn't supposed to be a romantic interest for Alina. I just found I didn't really feel the chemistry between them, especially not as strongly as I felt it between Alina and the Darkling. I understood why she couldn't be with the Darkling in the end, even though their interactions were compelling, but I don't think that meant Alina should be with Mal, especially after he dismissed her so much when they were in the army together, and after he got angry with her for going with the Grisha even though it was not her fault. I think I would have preferred if they became friends again, because the romance just didn't feel realistic between them.
Overall, it was a really creative story that kept me captivated and intrigued and I will definitely be reading the other two books in the series, and then possibly the other books set in the same universe, it's just a shame I felt a little let down by the romance.