Crooked Kingdom
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

*Starred Review* A last-minute double-cross at the end of Six of Crows (2015) left Kaz and his gang in a tight spot Inej has been captured, they never got their money, and, thanks to their new companion, a highly sought-after Grisha, they're desperate to stay out of sight. But that's not enough to stop Kaz, who concocts gambit after gambit to retrieve Inej, swindle vicious merchant Jan Van Eck out of his wealth and reputation, and finally get their hands on the cash they're owed. Bardugo cultivates an evocative, visceral sense of place, seamlessly weaving world building background into the narrative without resorting to clunky expository dialogue. Kaz's harebrained but brilliant schemes and Bardugo's twisty plot both walk a tightrope she deftly misdirects readers' attention by revealing some secrets and elsewhere keeping her audience teasingly in the dark. Amid all the hairpin plot turns and immersive scene setting, Bardugo keeps the focus on her vivid, charming characters, slowly revealing secrets from their pasts, which offer meaty context for their actions and motivations, and following their moving, redemptive growth in the present. It's a delicious blend of masterfully executed elements, and while Bardugo ties up many loose ends, she leaves a few threads tantalizingly dangling. Knowledge of the first book is required, naturally, but Bardugo outdoes herself in this exhilarating follow-up, and series fans will have their eyes glued to every page. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Fans of Six of Crows, which got cozy on the New York Times best-seller list, already know about this one, and they're champing at the bit.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist

When Kaz Brekker and his fellow thieves from Six of Crows (rev. 9/15) return to Ketterdam, unscrupulous merchant Jan Van Eck not only refuses to pay them the millions of kruge he owes them for their just-completed heist but also holds their crewmate Inej hostage to force them to hand over the object of the heist, the rescued scientist Kuwei. Kuwei is the groups best hope for finding an antidote to the new drug parem, which makes Grisha magic users incredibly powerful before it kills them, and Kaz doesnt want that knowledge to fall into the wrong hands. This sequel opens up the motivations of the six-person band of thieves, leading to a number of unwieldy subplots, but Bardugo has a clear, slightly sardonic voice and a romance-writers knack for hooking readers with alternating pathos and hope, so the length doesnt drag. Indeed, several romances hinted at previouslynot just Kaz and Inej but also Wylan and Jesper, a same-sex attractiontake notable steps toward fulfillment here, and the relationship shortfalls are just as heartstring-tugging as the successes. anita l. burkam (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This hefty sequel to Six of Crows (2015) brings high-tension conclusions to the many intertwined intrigues of Ketterdam.It's time for revengehas been ever since old-before-his-time crook Kaz and his friends were double-crossed by the merchant princes of Ketterdam, an early-industrial Amsterdam-like fantasy city filled to the brim with crime and corruption. Disabled, infuriated, and perpetually scheming Kaz, the light-skinned teen mastermind, coordinates the efforts to rescue Inej. Though Kaz is loath to admit weakness, Inej is his, for he can't bear any harm come to the knife-wielding, brown-skinned Suli acrobat. Their team is rounded out by Wylan, a light-skinned chemist and musician whose merchant father tried to have him murdered and who can't read due to a print disability; Wylan's brown-skinned biracial boyfriend, Jesper, a flirtatious gambler with ADHD; Nina, the pale brunette Grisha witch and recovering addict from Russia-like Ravka; Matthias, Nina's national enemy and great love, a big, white, blond drskelle warrior from the cold northern lands; and Kuwei, the rescued Shu boy everyone wants to kidnap. Can these kids rescue everyone who needs rescuing in Ketterdam's vile political swamp? This is dark and violentone notable scene features a parade of teens armed with revolvers, rifles, pistols, explosives, and flash bombsbut gut-wrenchingly genuine. Astonishingly, Bardugo keeps all these balls in the air over the 500-plus pages of narrative. How can such a hefty tome be un-put-down-able excitement from beginning to end? (glossary) (Fantasy. 14 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* A last-minute double-cross at the end of Six of Crows (2015) left Kaz and his gang in a tight spot—Inej has been captured, they never got their money, and, thanks to their new companion, a highly sought-after Grisha, they're desperate to stay out of sight. But that's not enough to stop Kaz, who concocts gambit after gambit to retrieve Inej, swindle vicious merchant Jan Van Eck out of his wealth and reputation, and finally get their hands on the cash they're owed. Bardugo cultivates an evocative, visceral sense of place, seamlessly weaving world building background into the narrative without resorting to clunky expository dialogue. Kaz's harebrained but brilliant schemes and Bardugo's twisty plot both walk a tightrope—she deftly misdirects readers' attention by revealing some secrets and elsewhere keeping her audience teasingly in the dark. Amid all the hairpin plot turns and immersive scene setting, Bardugo keeps the focus on her vivid, charming characters, slowly revealing secrets from their pasts, which offer meaty context for their actions and motivations, and following their moving, redemptive growth in the present. It's a delicious blend of masterfully executed elements, and while Bardugo ties up many loose ends, she leaves a few threads tantalizingly dangling. Knowledge of the first book is required, naturally, but Bardugo outdoes herself in this exhilarating follow-up, and series fans will have their eyes glued to every page. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Fans of Six of Crows, which got cozy on the New York Times best-seller list, already know about this one, and they're champing at the bit. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 7 Up—Teens will be excited to return to Bardugo's marvelous world, first visited in her "Grisha Trilogy" and in this duology's previous Six of Crows. They will be treated to a visit from old friends—the graceful (and deadly) Inej; Nina, the Grisha Heartrender; Wylan, the discarded, illiterate merchant's son; and the mysterious and vengeful Kaz. Characters from the original trilogy (most notably Stormhund, prince-turned-privateer) also make an entrance in the heart of the slums of Ketterdam. Plots to take control of the city's underworld abound as Kaz rallies his allies and takes on the might of the rapacious merchant class and Pekka Rollins, King of the Barrel and ruler of the dregs of the city. Following the death of his brother, the antihero has surrounded himself with the castoffs of Ketterdam, all of them very young, defective in some way, and abandoned. Together they will either rule the city victoriously or fail magnificently. While it isn't absolutely necessary to have read the other titles in Bardugo's series, readers will be better served by this continuation if they are already familiar with the complex world and characters. This fast-paced dive into the Barrel, where fortunes are made and lost and life itself hangs in the balance, will keep readers enthralled long past bedtime. VERDICT A must-purchase for all YA collections.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK. Copyright 2016 School Library Journal.