Did I love this book just as much the second time of reading it? Absolutely, if not even more.

Crooked Kingdom probably remains the best book of the entire Grishaverse for so many reasons, and the crows are are six of them. This book just makes me feel everything: love, joy, angst, rage, pain, excitement, fear, more pain, love, and some more pain before it leaves me in this bittersweet state where I want to hug it close to my heart and throw it against the wall at the same time.

There's not more I can add to this that hadn't already been said a million times before. I strongly believe this book to be Bardugo's masterpiece. Everything works well within the story. The world-building, the characters, the plot. It already did so in [b:Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628438817l/23437156._SX50_.jpg|42077459] but the difference is that we get to explore these aspects on such a deeper level in this installement. Six of Crows established the characters, took us on a heist, and expanded the Grishaverse world. Crooked Kingdom let us sit back and understand everything better, while it still took us on an adventure, still made us fear for our characters (and proving our fear was right), and challenging them as much as us. The pace seemed slower to me compared to the first book of the duology, but that's exactly what allowed us to dwell longer with the characters and to love them more than we already did.

Because as much as I loved the plot that kept suprising and shocking me, this time I was able to enjoy the much slower moments between the characters more. Their relationships progressed to such a deeper level, we see them more connected, this is now a found family that would do anything for each other. Not the price or the heist are the main focus. Not even for Kaz. But the revenge, them finding their place in the world, them being able to find peace - within the story and within themselves. Crooked Kingdom is despite its thrilling plot more emotional, but in a way where one as a reader can grow and heal with them. By learning to question our beliefs like Matthias, by learning to accept a new version of us like Nina, by learning to embrace who we are like Jesper, by learning to accept our faults like Wylan, by learning to not accept anything less than we deserve like Inej, and by letting our armor fall away for the right people like Kaz.

I just love everything about this book.

No mourners. No funerals.

A thought: includes spoilers for [b:Rule of Wolves|36307674|Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598133584l/36307674._SY75_.jpg|57978381]

Spoiler

PS: Now having reread the duology, I don't know how I should really feel about another Crow installement (see here: [b:Untitled|40228844|Untitled (Six of Crows, #3)|Leigh Bardugo|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|62480640]) as I believe these books did what needed to be done, and that's tell the crows story. I truly was excited at first, but now I just think we should let them rest. While I enjoyed their cameos in Rule of Wolves, I'm not so sure if another book is necessary. We have seen them in Rule of Wolves, we know what they're doing, and we know they're okay. And that's more than we can ask of other book characters. I'm just afraid another installement could ruin the beauty and magic of these books. Just as it partly ruined The Darkling's (and Alina's) character for me in the King of Scars duology. This doesn't mean I won't be reading it, because the ending of Rule of Wolves promised a great story, and I would love to return to the Grishaverse. But maybe telling a different, complete new character's story would be more exciting than returning to the same characters instead of letting them rest.