#colm fahey cause he's the true hero of the series

[but-ter-flie-ge]

Oh well I finished the duology Six Of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo.

Finally since the first book slept in my kindle library for nearly a year now and I hadn't read it.

There's so much to say that it's probably going to be a very messy post. I'm sorry.

Anyways firstly I went to the fanarts after the second book (as everyone would lmao).

Kaz is 17 and Matthias is 18. I don't understand why everyone is able to draw Wylan younger but these two just look like they're in their midtwenties. BUT no hate to any creator or artist I'm really happy to see how other people portray them which kind of brings me to another point:

Them being as young as they are do be tough to imagine.

Matthias doesn't look like 18 at all (at least in my head). The Fjerdan in general always seemed like another type of species which made their hate and prejudice against Grisha kind of funny.

He was just pure muscle, tall as my door with broad shoulders.

While we're already talking about him: I don't like nor tolerate Matthias slander.

I get why everyone didn't like him in the first book. Me neither. Don't get me wrong I absolutely loved that he behaved logical and stuff but you know? His hate against Grisha and his dumb speeches about honour weren't it.

However the fact that he was able to change and that he was able to love Nina so unconditionally was incredible and so unbelievably beautiful to witness.

Another thing would be Kaz. And how the fandom favours him so much.

I like his character. Very much even. He's really interesting. Also his whole personality is really well written and his trauma is crushing your whole life underneath.

But I'm still trying to fully love him like the fandom does because I kind of can't...?

It's not like I hate him. I just feel like maybe I don't understand him? Maybe that's the problem?

The only thing I thought about while reading the first book was: why do Jes and Inej love this dude?

He treats them like sh*t.

Though through learning about his past I came to realize more and more that he is only 17. He's anxious and scared and he was left alone in the dark with these way too big burden life laid on his shoulders when he was only 9 years old.

Inej is wonderful. Doesn't need an explanation. She's just everything you could wish for in a friend. Her keeping the group together was amazing and she's just so brave, strong and argh-- I could go on about her forever. (I also loved her Suli proverbs! (I hope this is the correct term)) And her friendship with Nina was toptier.

Basically every character was very enjoyable and I think this would just end in a gigantic loveletter if I was to mention everything I adored about every single one of them. So I'll stop here. Just know I'd adopt Wylan immediately if I was given the chance. And I'd pay everything just to see the crows sitting in my living room and talk with each other.

Now everyone seems to worship the books and I can see why but at the same time something is missing and I don't know what it is.

I'm incapable of telling anyone why I don't really count these books as part of my top three list.

They have a strong plot with many twists and turns which I love, they have great, logical characters and character development which I see as the most important part in a book. The world building too was interesting to learn about yet I can't seem to be too emotionally invested.

Not that I'm an apathetic person who doesn't react to stuff that happens in fictional media because that certainly isn't the case but these books didn't catch me as others did and I don't know why.

Maybe I need to reread them since there's probably a lot I didn't get in the first sitting?

Though there's also the fact that I found the scenes where sad stuff happens or where you would normally fear for the characters where often too short or just cut off so another pov could take the stage.

For example when Wylan and Jes fight against the Grisha on parem in the ice court.

You'd expect them to struggle and they do but it only takes them about two sentences before Jesper has figured out how to overcome their enemies.

Or Matthias whole death scene.

Everyone cried at that apparently but it was too fast for me to even realize what happened and I was just like: does Nina have an Rapunzel Arc? What's happening?

And then he was dead and I was just: oh... okay?!

Apart from that it was still a very fun read that'll probably stick with me for a longer time but it's still not one of my favourite series...

Ah-- I'm struggling!

It gets even harder since I absolutely love the characters which is contradicting with my reading philosophy that oftentimes only consists of: wonderful characters=wonderful book.