I have a lot of thoughts.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. It did sort of live up to the hype, but I still had a few things that bothered me/decreased the overall enjoyability of the book.

The writing was a huge step up from Shadow and Bone. I've realized that I'm not a fan of first person narrative style in fantasy. That, combined with how annoying Alina is. I just got tired of being in her head all the time. So, I really loved how Six of Crows was in third person.

Also the world building...I finally got to see what Ketterdam was like after years of hearing people talk about it constantly. It's such a unique setting, and despite how most of the book is set in the Ice Court, we get a pretty good idea of how things are run in the Barrel. The opening scene with Geels was probably one of my favourites. It was a great way to introduce the setting and the characters all in one. The different POVs also helped flesh out the world really well, and the cast of characters were diverse and unique. The Ice Court was also fascinating and getting to see more of Fjerda and how the druskelles work was really cool. The whole heist was amazing and fast-paced with plenty of twists I wasn't expecting, though I did have a couple of issues which I'll get into later.

I think my favourite POVs were Kaz and Inej. Especially Kaz. I wasn't expecting to get so much about his life before he became Kaz Brekker. But it was nice getting little glimpses here and there and seeing how everything connects and folds into the story. And I finally understood why everyone compares this series to Peaky Blinders. Kaz is literally Thomas Shelby and I love it so much! He just has this charisma about him that makes you want to root for him no matter what. He's cunning and clever and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. And nothing is too beneath him to use as leverage. I just love characters like this, though I will admit, seeing him break near the end, and not have everything perfectly planned out ruined this perfect imagine of him that I had in my head, though it does make him more human I guess.

Inej's past was closely intertwined with the plot, so I really liked seeing that too. I loved the moment when she realizes what her purpose will be after this heist is over. And I really hope she can get Heleen back for what she's done. Her friendship with Nina was so sweet. Honestly it was one of my favourite relationships in this book. I just love girls who love and support each other always.

The "romance" between Kaz and Inej didn't annoy me. The whole "I don't know if he feels for me the same way I feel for him (vice versa)" trope didn't make me cringe or anything. I could see the two of them together, but I agree with Inej at the end there. This isn't the life she would have chosen for herself, yet Kaz doesn't seem like he wants to start anew. Inej didn't have a choice, but with the money, she's planning to make things better. But Kaz doesn't seem like he wants to change, even with the winnings he would receive for Van Eck. He wants Inej by his side, but that's it. That being said, I didn't like how Inej was all like:

"How will you have me? Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch."

I feel like this was insensitive considering what Kaz has gone through. Though also, Inej doesn't know what Kaz has gone through so its hard for her to understand, yet I still think that's hurtful to say to Kaz. I really related to him not feeling comfortable with being touched, and I would just like to see that accepted more in books, rather than challenged as being weird or not right.

Nina and Matthias' story really annoyed me. I love Nina as a character, and her parts were fun and interesting to read, except for anything to do with Matthias. I just didn't understand why they were attracted to each other, especially considering how Matthias hates her and wants to kill her. And I get he changes and realizes what he was taught was wrong, but I still don't understand that initial "chemistry" between the two of them. I'm sorry, but if someone hates my guts and wants to strangle me, I don't think I would also want to sleep with them. And even if he changed, I don't know if I would want anything more than friendship, but then that's probably just me.

Jesper's story was interesting. The end reveal was kind of a surprise and I feel bad for him in a way. I hope Kaz can come to trust him eventually, but I feel like we're going to see a lot of resentment from Jesper in the next book.

Wylan's story is so sad. I was not expecting that twist at the end. But he is such a soft boy and I love him a lot and he deserves all the happiness.

The one problem I did have with the multiple POVs was that sometimes I would get confused about which POV I was reading. Especially when it came to dialogue. Any introspective stuff was easy to figure out of course, but sometimes in the middle of a dialogue scene, I'd find myself wondering "wait, is this from Jesper's POV, or Kaz?" I think in some ways, the characters started to blend together for me, and it was hard to differentiate just based off the writing.

The other thing that annoyed me was the misleading POVs. I get this was purposely done, but I also found it to be annoying reading a POV and seeing a character panicking cause something is going wrong, only to find out later that that was all intended. The first scene with Geels was done really well. I liked seeing Inej's take on everything. She didn't know what Kaz had planned, so when he played his cards, the pay off was great. But then we have Inej get taken away by Druskelle soldiers at the party in the Ice Court, and through her perspective it sounds like that wasn't a part of the plan at all, but then a few chapters later, Inej is like "Yes, I did exactly as I was supposed to!" I would have much preferred reading through a POV where everything is going wrong, but Kaz is just grinning on the inside cause he has something up his sleeve, and then if things really go out of whack, it would be cool to see him panicking and planning on the spot. But since that doesn't happen, it's almost feels convenient how Kaz plans everything so well and in advance. I would just like to see more of what's going on in his head.

Overall, I'm giving this a 3.75/5 stars, close to 4. I'm excited to see what happens in Crooked Kingdom, and I'm more than a little worried for both Inej and Nina. I hope Matthias dies, but that's probably just me lol