Fantasy – Page 2 – Nonfiction and Nonsense

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

If you read Six of Crows, you will know that at the end of the novel things were looking very bleak for Kaz and his crew. They didn’t get their big payout, Inej was taken captive, and they were faced with a small army of Grisha on parem. While it didn’t seem possible for there to be a way for the Dregs to come out on top, I knew just by looking at the size of Crooked Kingdom, and being aware of how clever Kaz can be, that the Dregs were going to get what they worked so hard for. The deal is the deal, Van Eck going back on his word doesn’t mean a thing to Kaz.

This book was non-stop excitement with even more plans upon plans than its predecessor. You realized that you didn’t even have a glimpse of just how strategic Kaz could be, some of the intricacies of his plans being laid down years in advance. We know that Kaz and his brother were wronged when they first arrived in Ketterdam as young boys, and we know that he has been planning his revenge ever since. It works out really well for Kaz that his years of waiting for the perfect moment to finally destroy Pekka pairs perfectly well with his more recent need to right the wrongs that Van Eck has dealt him and his gang. Kaz masterminds a grand heist which he is able to pull off through the combined skills of the Ice Court crew and additional members of the Dregs which he has roped into the fold. I enjoyed this book just as much as Six of Crows, and it would be impossible for me to say which one I enjoyed more. I will say that there is only one thing that occurred in this story that made me favor the first in this duology, and that thing is a major character death. I won’t say who, but it upset me greatly. There were a few plot points that left me with some lingering questions, mostly about what the future might hold between Kaz and the Council of Tides.

That being said, I could read endless books about Kaz and his gang. I would read a novel about Kaz and Inej and what might happen between them. I would read about Inej learning to sail and working towards her dream of ending slavery. I’d love to see how Wylan and Jesper work together as business partners and how that may hinder or help their budding romance. Kuwei was on his way to Ravka, along with a few others, and I have a feeling we are going to see what happens to those few characters in the next book, Kings of Scars. These characters all have so much potential, I am desperate for more. I unfortunately don’t think that I will ever find out what happens in the future in Ketterdam, but maybe once I get to see what has been going on in Ravka in the years following the war I will be satiated. Come back next week if you have been interested in me talking about this series. I have two books to go, and I am potentially going to read a prequel book detailing the origins of the Darkling when I am finished.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Uncategorized

Before I had even finished the second chapter of this book I knew that I was going to enjoy it more than the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I spent every free moment I had every day in the pages of this gritty adventure.

Between Novyi Zem and the continent that is made up of Ravka, Fjerda, and Shu Han, in the middle of the True Sea, lies the island of Kerch. The overcrowded and maze-like city of Ketterdam is where the island’s great source of wealth comes from, trade. Like most large cities with a focus on trade, it can be easy to find exactly what you are looking for in Ketterdam, whether that be rare goods or pleasurable company, or information. Kaz Brekker, also known as Dirtyhands, can find out anything about anyone, and in exchange for doing him a favor, he won’t spill your deepest secrets. Information is power in this city, and Kaz has used his arsenal of blackmail worthy knowledge, dirty espionage, fighting skills, and business savvy to make his gang one of the most powerful and prosperous in the city. The other great power in the city is that of the merchants guild, and they want to hire Kaz and his gang to do something for them, a job that will make them more wealthy than they could have ever dreamed of. The problem is that the job is extremely dangerous and has been said to be impossible.

We get introduced to the small team that Kaz has determined have the right mix of skills to get the job done, and it is an unusual group. Not everyone likes each other, some of them actually want to kill the others, and they are not shy about voicing that fact, and there is not a lot of trust between anyone overall. The tension between everyone keeps you invested throughout the story, combined with the fact that Kaz always has a part of the plan hidden from the rest of the team that he only reveals when necessary, which is usually at the last minute. He is so incredibly clever, he seems to think of everything, and he almost always has a back up plan for the back up plan. I loved how everyones past was revealed a little bit at a time and I also loved that the book was written in a first person perspective from multiple characters. I was worried that this duology would read the same as the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but I was so relieved and excited when I discovered that it was much more dirty, dangerous, and thrilling. I liked Shadow and Bone, but it felt like something was missing, something that would make me more engaged with the story. This book had everything that I felt was missing from those books, things I couldn’t put words to at the time. If you read the trilogy and felt the same way, do not give up on the Grishaverse. Six of Crows will draw you back in and keep you. Come back next week to see what I have to say about Crooked Kingdom. I am particularly interested in seeing what happens between the three potential love interests that were set up here.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Fiction

I haven’t read a fantasy series that was not heavy on romance in a very long time. I am very glad I chose to go down that road again with this series. I would say that it may have renewed my love and enjoyment of fantasy without spice.

The third and final book in this series starts off very bleak. If you read the first two books in this series, you will remember how badly things went for Alina and her allies at the end of Siege and Storm. Book three picks back up immediately where it left off. Alina is weak both physically and emotionally, having nearly died in her attempt to kill the Darkling and having lost friends and fellow Grisha during that confrontation. She feels extremely guilty, she believes she could have killed the Darkling if Mal had not pulled her away, and that the deaths that were a result of his invasion would have meant something. And it really doesn’t help that the place she was brought to recover is not exactly a place that is conducive to healing. Eventually, Alina and those loyal to her break free of that oppressive refuge and they continue their mission. Unsurprisingly, Prince Nikolai survived the Darklings attack too, and he finds the rogue Grisha after they leave their hideaway and teams up with them once again.

The first few chapters of this book were very frustrating, and I was worried that the entire book was going to be so. I was very glad when the tone changed from gloomy prison vibes to one of strategy, adventure, and discovery. I had some feelings regarding Mal, that he was special, not just an average human, or otkazat’sya as they say, and I will say that I was correct in suspecting something and if you’ve read my reviews before you know how excited I get when my theories turn out to be correct. On another note, some of the things I got quite sad about were a few of the character deaths, and there were a lot of them so be prepared. But finally being able to discover the truth about all the theories and stories we have been reading about for three books was amazing. I am always relieved when all the loose ends are cleanly tied up. I can’t think of anything that I wanted to know that didn’t get answered, and there are five more novels related to the series, plus a book of children’s stories and a book about the saints, which I will be reading next. So, if I do think of something, perhaps I will find the answers there. My journey into the GrishaVerse has not ended, it seems it has only just begun.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Fiction

Book two in this series begins exactly where the last one left off, a nice, smooth transition. Mal and Alina have crossed the True Sea and are now in hiding in Novyi Zem, the continent to the West of Ravka. They have only been in the city of Cofton for two weeks, trying to be as ordinary and unremarkable as possible. They have gotten jobs as laborers, saving money with the intent to travel even further inland where they hope to disappear. I was surprised that they were found immediately. But it makes for a very exciting opening to this book.

We know from the first book that Mal and Alina love each other very much, their friendship of many years turning into romantic feelings. But being on the run, Alina’s growing power, and the uncertainty of their lives has been putting a strain on these feelings that they have barely begun to explore. A lot of the book is Mal and Alina being angry and frustrated with each other and their situation. Alina in particular is struggling a great deal with accepting the expectations and responsibilities that are being thrown at her because of her immense power. She comes from poor and humble beginnings, she never imagined or even expected to have become one of the most powerful people in the entirety of Ravka. Growing up in an orphanage doesn’t exactly prepare one for rubbing shoulders with the nobility, training warriors, and sitting in on war councils.

I can’t wait to see how everything ties up in the last book in this trilogy. The situation is more bleak than ever, and I don’t see how Alina and her followers are going to defeat the Darkling. They have faced off so many times, I feel as though neither side can be surprised now. The Sun Summoner and the Darkling seem about equal in power and there is possibly only one thing that could give Alina an edge over him. I feel as though Alina will get that thing in the last book and the epic final battle will take place.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Fiction

I decided to start a new series. I originally believed it to be a trilogy, only to do some more indepth research and discovered that there are actually two sets of duologies, and four additional pieces supplementing the series. I have entered the GrishaVerse.

Our female main character is Alina. She and her best friend Mal have known each other since they were both sent to the same orphanage after their parents died. Now adults, they entered the First Army, which consists of ordinary humans. They serve in the shadow of the Second Army, consisting of Grisha, humans who possess magic. The Grisha are headed by the Darkling, an extremely powerful being whose powers are different and greater than all others. While Grisha look down on anyone who doesn’t have magical abilities, and humans seem to either resent or revere them, everyone fears the Fold.

An enormous, cloudy, black mass that is the home to flying monsters, has land locked their country from the sea. In order to trade for much needed goods, ships must regularly cross through the Fold. The story begins when the regiment that Alina and Mal belong to must take a journey through the Fold on a routine trade mission. Shortly into their journey, they are attacked by the monsters that live within and something incredible happens as a result of the attack. Alina finds herself removed from the first army and sent to the king’s castle, far away from the Fold and from Mal.

This is a pretty good fantasy novel. It leans heavily on friendship and self discovery, and there is the tiniest bit of romance. I read through the first book in less than two days, not just because I have so many more books to read but because I was interested in the story. I actually already started to read the next book, but I forced myself to stop so I could write my thoughts down. I don’t want to spoil the story, so I won’t reveal any of what happens after Alina arrives at the castle and the bulk of the story begins. I think I am going to try to give an overall opinion on the series once I am finished, just giving a brief overview of the plot as I read through each book. So far, I am happy that I bought what I thought was a three book series after seeing that the show on Netflix was inspired by the books. I think I am going to watch the show after I finish the second book. I am not sure if the first, and from what I have heard will be only season, of the show ends when the first book does and I don’t want to spoil anything for myself. Perhaps when I watch the show I will throw a little bit of what I think about it into my review as well. Stayed tuned as I read through the rest of this series.