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#inej and kaz were great jesper was fun but the plot about him having a crush on kaz was dumb but otherwise love his vibes
eerna · 1 year
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ngl i find it hilarious that they just speedran crooked kingdom while matthias was just sitting in jail like 🧍‍♀️
IT'S SOOO FUNNY it was literally "Crooked Kingdom but they never got Matthias out of jail". He was just sitting there praying, drawing in the sand, developing friendship, and having sexy thoughts. Bless
I totally remember when everyone was still debating whether the bathroom scene will be present in future seasons after the sea whip plot when season 1 was released in 2021.. but now we got a Walmart version of it 🙃 No hate to Freddy and Amita.. Like I believe they could totally pull the canonical CK scene off if the showrunners cared about a steady paced plot.. So far, the only thing I frankly like about this season is the set designs
Bro I thought I could give up hope and get over it, but when I saw them in their final scene together,,,, how GOOD they were if the writing is plucked straight from the books and allowed some subtlety.... I was sitting there imagining they were on the Ferolind and it was 2 different scenes and dyin from happiness. Freddy Amita you deserved better
what made me super duper extra mad was the pekka confrontation scene included the other crows. like only inej is supposed to be there you really think kaz would say SHIT about his brother in front of everyone????? he literally called jesper jordie in the books and refused to elaborate on it when jesper kept asking. and even inej doesn’t get the full story out of him.
YEAH LOL this season took some truly important scenes for Inej and Kaz and just. Wrote Jesper into her place instead. And also Nina. And Inej is now the one with the LEAST context for his trauma (except for Wylan, who still knows Nothing). This is not who Kaz is this is not what he would have done this is NOT HIM
The way I don’t even care abt getting kaz’s backstory anymore in this season and can’t be convinced to watch it bc the show already butchered literally everything else with his character. Speaking of I don’t think I’ve seen anyone even go into detail or talk abt it much which probably says a lot abt everything else the show is doing lol.
NJKnkjnkj you see, the writers just decided to tell us his entire backstory in shittily-placed flashback during the first half of the season, so waiting for his backstory isn't a thing. There is no buildup. No hints. You find out most of it in ep1. Remember how bad and scary it was in the books? Well here it is really lazily shot and cliched and just seems like not a big deal at all, which is probably why no one is mentioning it
@jfkisonthemoon asked:
okay wesper IS being sped through as terribly as kanej. but i do have to say that theyre at least fun to watch and the dynamic from the (end of the) books really is there. it probably helps that the casting is perfect and that im looking for any crumbs of non-ruined book content, but still.
Crumbs help us cope, no worries, that's great for you! But I honestly really disliked their new dynamic, is was very flavorless. What, Jesper just decides to be monogamous out of the blue because Wylan told him he doesn't seem like someone who would do it and also played a few bars on the piano???? It's killing me because Jack is such a good Wylan, they nailed the balance between assertiveness and cuteness he needs, but for WHAT
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sunsis · 1 year
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sporadic thoughts on shadow & bone S2
1. I personally have no issue with jesper and wylan’s relationship set up since even though they were a speed-run, the chemistry was on point and being that they’re slightly older than in the book and established as having met before, it felt in character for them to get together as quick as they did. not every ship needs to be angsty and slow burn. I've always loved that they’re the more openly communicative and playful pair of the group. wesper stans were well fed this season so I'm happy about them (and I feel it’ll make the future kuwei kiss all the more iconic/messy if they’re already a couple). 
2. every monstrous thing episode was peak kaz brekker with the ruthlessness and vengeance-seeking, freddy ATE and left no crumbs. I was a bit scared of him, he was giving the right amount of unhinged and bloodthirsty that was lacking a bit last season  
3. I do not gaf about the darkling at all but i am intrigued by nikolai and alina together with his powers and potentially in their villain era?? I really hope he stays dead though 
4. some aspects of inej felt out of character and random like her friendship with zoya when tf did that happen? ditching the crows so early to go join mal’s new pirate crew? and he’s sturmhond now for some reason? slay I guess
5. that little flirty look between inej and tolya on the ship made me uncomfortable!! as fine as tolya is i will NOT be supporting whatever the writers are pushing there. like set him up with genya instead (RIP David)  
6. nina and matthias are great no notes. their whole thing is the only one that seems to not have been changed much LOL
7. I needed more friendships not only the romances; I wanted to see more of kaz trusting and inspiring confidence in wylan, was hoping for jesper and nikolai bantering/bonding and kaz chiming in with snark aimed at both of them, JESPER AND NINA barely interacted which was criminal, zoya and alina’s close friendship came out of nowhere she just suddenly started being nice to her?? on the plus side inej and nina’s friendship felt natural and true to the books, and I enjoyed seeing tolya be the first person to exasperate jesper before he could talk their ears off. would be fun to see the twins go on more quests with the crows in future seasons. they honestly fit right in
overall I view the show as a fun decently-written fanfiction,  the timeline is f*cked with the the plot and messy overlapping of characters, but the cast is so great and there’s clearly so much passion behind it that I'm still enjoying it. here’s hoping we get that spinoff for the crows so they can delve more into the characters and include the book scenes we love without having to make space for alina content. 
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readingrina · 6 months
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Six of Crows Review (No Spoilers)
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo:
If you don't know, this is about a group of 6 people from all sectors of life joining together in order to break into and steal from an impenetrable city. I had no idea what to expect going into this book. I had heard it was good but the premise just wasn't something I usually read. Then I almost gave up 50 pages in. The first 100 pages of this book are insanely boring imo and very confusing if you haven't read shadow and bone (which I hadn't). So sue me. I don't like having to read series to read other series, it feels like homework, and I have enough of that already. However, the rest of the book is worth it, and I did eventually understand the world. Mostly.........Alright I'll admit I don't really understand most of the grisha powers, but it's really just not integral to the story. Other than the world, it took me a while to warm up to the characters, but I eventually grew to love them. Mostly. I loved Nina from the start, and she is my favorite character. She's really funny and her heart was always in the right place. Matthias showed up and I was like "Ooooh, hottie alert" but then I immediately was scared of him because it seemed like he would call me slurs and take away my rights. However, I LOVED his character arc and him and Nina were just ecddgghskygdsudkgo. I liked both Jesper and Wylan immediately, but they don't really become focal points until the second book. And then we have Kaz and Inej. My least favorite characters. Inej is cool and I like her backstory. Kaz also has a good backstory. I like them in practice. In the actual book however? Nuh-uh. Kaz was just an asshole really, and that's fine, but you have to be a FUNNY asshole. And their dialogue was actually making me roll my eyes. Like they were supposedly in love or whatever, but anytime they talked to each other? If I tried to cut the tension in the room with a knife, I would have been stabbing at nothing. Anyways, the actual plot was really fun. As inconsistent as Leigh's banter writing may be, her action scenes are GREAT. All the fight scenes, and pretty much everything except the first 100 pages and any scenes between certain people was really exciting and demanded my attention. The ending also made me scramble to pick up the second one. Overall, this was a really good time. I do think this book may be a TINY bit overrated, but I think most of the hype is warranted and I would recommend. 4.25 Stars
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nyctarian · 3 years
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#1/#2/#personal#booksalt#saltblogging#sometimes i think about how soc was one of the biggest recent ya books#and how baked into a key element of the end is like magic yellowface plastic surgery#like straight up the disasterous characterization of kuwei and the way that plot is handled was one of the reasons i took#a million years to finish the second book#'this character has a crush on another boy and the boy that boy likes has had#his face magically made to look like the asian first boy so he takes advantage to kiss the second boy without his consent'#like truly its wild how so many elements of the book can be so good and geared to my specific interests and still hold no rereading interest#inej and kaz were great jesper was fun but the plot about him having a crush on kaz was dumb but otherwise love his vibes#waylan had a lot of potential but only really got interesting once he was all in on the crim lifestyle and the aforementioned yellowface is#of course a big yikes#nina and matthias. i understand the role of their characters but. they didnt need so much focus#kuwei truly was never given a single trait other than mean petty griping and the aforementioned nonconsensual kiss#and that is such an active choice by the author like#its six of crows heres the seventh i give no traits to only weird racializing semi homophobic stuff oh wait wdym no one makes content of him#this is another book that also suffered from 'i am giving every character a viewpoint chapter' and its simply a pet peeve of mine#anyways kiki strike *handshake emoji* six of crows#books i like that have weirdly unremarked upon yellowface that the narrative goes out of its way to justify as being really accurate#also i know there is headcanons and i think word of god comments from bardugo about kaz being asian or picturing him that way#and its fascinating how i can totally see that great headcanon but. it does not once make its way into the plot#and everyone else gets clear racial distinctions that the audience clearly recieved#but kaz just got generic dark haired white boy designation bc coughcough thats how hes written
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INEFFABLE - Kaz Brekker
Chapter Five
If you would like to read this on Wattpad, it’s on there as well, my @ is in_my_feels_probably and there’s a few visuals and better descriptions and stuff on there. otherwise, enjoy, let me know what you think, and you can check out my masterlist for updates and more. don’t forget to read the prologue, it’s important to the story!
INEFFABLE – Kaz Brekker
ineffable (adj.) too great to be expressed in words, utterly indescribable; too sacred to speak of. 
Chapter Five
Early that morning, the Crows were on their way through Novokribirsk, West Ravka, in a carriage. Elham had the unfortunate pleasure of being squeezed in between Jesper and the Conductor.
Kaz peered at the Conductor. “I didn’t hire you simply to get us across the Fold. You’re with us because you smuggle Grisha out of the Little Palace, and that’s the location of our target.”
Elham felt a pang of guilt in her heart. She kept telling herself that she would tell Kaz about her abilities one day, that she would tell all of the Crows, but she didn’t want to scare them away, or have them feel betrayed. She wasn’t entirely sure of how to control her abilities herself, and she already hated her powers enough. At the Little Palace, she was frequently talked about. General Kirigan often referred to her as an anomaly, but she felt more like a freak. And people talked. When the time was right, she would fess up. But until then, it was her little secret.
Elham sat up straighter, leaning closer to Jesper and further from the Conductor. Jesper noticed her discomfort, scooting closer to the carriage wall to give her room to move over. Something about him unsettled her, and she knew Kaz didn’t trust him, which furthered her discomfort. Kaz was grumbling about the Sun Summoner, or alleged one, and Inej was content to hold strong in her beliefs, that this was the Saint she was waiting for. Kaz changed the subject.
“You said you have a contact who can get us inside. A Heartrender.”
The Conductor nodded.
“How do I know we can trust her?”
“Nina grew up there.”
Elham sucked in a breath. One of her closest friends in the Little Palace had been a Heartrender named Nina. Elham had fled long before Nina had chosen to leave the Little Palace, and she had missed her very much. She was one of the only people in the entirety of Ravka who made her feel normal, wanted.
Elham tried to stifle her surprise at the name, but Kaz glanced in her direction anyways, raising a brow. “Most Grisha grew up in the Little Palace. Very few would betray their general, and fewer still would help foreigners kidnap their most prized possession.”
The Conductor smiled. “Nina’s a radical. Thinks Grisha should get to choose if they serve the Crown. She despises involuntary service more than she does Fjerdans.”
Elham longed to see Nina, but she was secretly crossing her fingers, hoping she wouldn’t find her in front of Kaz. Only Saints know how’d he react finding out his longest known friend was hiding the fact that she was secretly Grisha. As they approached the inn, Elham crossed her fingers a little tighter.
---
Once in the room that Nina should have been occupying, Elham felt both a sense of relief, and dread. If she wasn’t here, then where was she? The Crows walked around the room, looking for any sign of Nina.
The Conductor looked around, confused. “She knew to expect us.”
“She isn’t late, she’s gone.”
“Yes, but her things are all…” The Conductor lifted the bed sheet, moving the trunk off the bed, to reveal a small medal wolf's head lying in the sheets. He sighed, sounding distressed.
“Drüskelle. They are ruthless Grisha hunters.”
Kaz scoffed. “Explains the Fjerdan krydda the innkeeper was counting when we arrived. It’s likely he ratted her out.”
“She’s probably halfway to Fjerda on a ship right now.”
Elham’s heart sank, fearing the worst. She cursed herself for wishing that she wouldn’t see her friend today, all because she selfishly wanted to keep her little secret. Now she would most likely never see her friend again. She added the Fjerdans who took her to her list of people she would come after.
Inej leaned towards Kaz getting his attention. “They had a clear line of attack.”
Kaz nodded. “Take a look. Make sure there aren't any more surprises.”
Inej nodded, pulling her hood up, leaving out the window by the balcony door.
The Conductor sat on the bed, huffing. “Well, that’s that. We’ve lost our way into the Little Palace.”
Kaz sighed, his eyes drifting off as he thought of a plan. Elham picked up on this, leaning over to Jesper, whispering. “Scheming face.”
Jesper chuckled at that, quickly quieting down when Kaz turned to leave the building. Inej had jumped down from the balcony rooftops, giving the all clear.
The Conductor caught up to the Crows. “This seems like a reasonable juncture to abandon this whole Sun Summoner plan.”
Kaz whipped his head around, eyes raised, voice determined. “Abandon? We’re in this now. And I know what a million kruge means to me. What does it mean to you?”
Kaz was determined. If he didn’t get this kruge, and he somehow made it back to Ketterdam, Elham would belong to the Menagerie. There would be nothing he could do to get her out, just like Inej had been indentured. Kaz would cut down the whole of the Barrel before he let his Valkyrie step foot into Heleen’s clutches.
“Freedom.” Inej answered.
“Fun. Like at least a few months.” Jesper smiled, earning a wary look from the Conductor.
Kaz’s eyes landed on Elham. He knew what a million kruge meant to her. Never stepping foot into the Menagerie. Making sure Inej never had to go back, and that Kaz would get to keep the deed to the Crow Club.
As much as Elham dreaded making it back empty handed, if it came down to it, she was more scared of seeing the disappointment on Kaz’s face when he would see the symbol of the Menagerie branded onto her wrist, just like Inej’s. She was more scared of having to leave the Slat, not being a Crow. She would rather spend every night of her life as Heleen’s little fawn before not getting to see Kaz every day. Not seeing her family. Getting this kruge meant everything to her.
She only put a smile on her face that didn’t meet her eyes. “The chance to see Pekka Rollins choke on his greed.”
Kaz almost grinned. He moved his stare to the Conductor.
He pondered a bit. “Retirement.”
“Right, so we press on. You get us across the Fold and I’ll figure out the rest on the other side.”
“Fine. To cross, I’ll need twenty pounds of alabaster coal. A peck of Majdaloun jurda, not the kind from Kerch, it’s too weak. And, uh...a goat.”
Jesper made a face, and Kaz glanced around the group, gauging to see if he was kidding, before looking back at the Conductor, who was writing down the things he needed on a list. The Conductor looked up, oblivious to the Crow’s scrutinizing glances. “Now, we meet in the dead of night. There’s a wreckage of a skiff northeast, on the edge of town. So, who gets what?”
Kaz didn’t falter. “Inej, jurda. I’ll get the goat. And Jesper, just the coal, no detours. Am I going to have to send Elham with you, or are you capable of doing this on your own?”
Jesper smiled, ignoring Elham’s snickering, taking the kruge out of Kaz’s hand. “I’ve got it, Boss. Don’t worry. No detours.”
Kaz hesitantly nodded. “Alright. Elham, follow Inej, scope out anything that looks suspicious.”
She grinned. “You look suspicious.”
Kaz, not in the mood for her usual sarcasm, glared, and she quickly retracted. “Sorry, sorry. Inej, jurda, scoping out, I’ve got it, let’s just go.”
---
An hour later, Elham was in town with Inej, who had long since filled the task that was set for her. Elham stood by her as she was looking over a wall of names, not paying much attention, instead scoping out the crowd, listening to the rambles of what looked to be a General, warning about the so-called Sun Summoner, and the fate of Ravka.
She was getting bored, when she turned to see Kaz standing in the middle of the square, a goat under his arm, staring back at her. She stifled a laugh when she saw his not so amused face. It was quite the sight. Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel, holding a baby goat under his arm.
Kaz started making his way towards her, when he turned his head. Confused, Elham followed his gaze, only to see Arken, the Conductor, shaking hands with the General, being invited into his tent. He was plotting against them. She muttered under her breath. “Damn it.”
Kaz glared, rolling his eyes, before turning back to Elham, making his way to her and Inej. Inej was still scouring the list of names, and Elham turned to get a good look at them for the first time, eyes widening when she realized what it was. A memorial. To those who died in the Fold. Inej was looking for her family’s names. Elham quickly laced her fingers with Inej’s turning to let Kaz stand next to them.
Inej had just noticed Kaz’s presence, eyes landing on the goat. “He’s adorable.”
“Don’t get attached. I didn’t think I’d have to specify no detours to you.”
“Even if just a few minutes could end a lifetime of questions?”
Elham piped in. “She’s right, Kaz, just give her a minute. She deserves that.”
Kaz’s eyes softened. He stepped towards them. “Your parents are Suli. They don’t cross the Fold, they go around.”
Inej glanced away, and Elham gripped her hand tighter. “I know. I just thought that if I saw their names on there, I could let the idea of them go. This thing? This was all that I had when I was sold to the Menagerie, and if it was worth anything, Heleen would have taken it.”
Inej held up the necklace she wore, a simple chain, simple pendant.
“It’s beautiful, Inej.” Elham murmured, and Kaz’s eyes ghosted over her, before turning back to Inej.
“But this was just a simple token of faith that my mother stitched. Kaz, this is all I have left of them. Unless--”
Kaz butted in. “Hope is dangerous...It clouds your judgement. Pray, scream, do whatever you have to do to push this out of your mind, and move on. We all have debts to pay.”
Inej sighed, tucking her necklace back beneath her cloak, letting go of Elham’s hand, stepping away from the memorial steps, heading back towards the meeting point.
Elham sucked in a breath. Hope was just about all that was getting her through this heist, hope that it would pay off and she would never be indentured to the Menagerie. “Did you have to say all of that? There’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of hope. Saint’s know I need it right now.”
Kaz’s jaw clenched. He knew he had misspoken, and he knew he couldn’t take it back, because he really believed in what he said. Hope is dangerous. Hope is what brought him to the Barrel, and it’s what was left dead in the cold waters when he dragged himself out of the harbour the night the Rietveld name died with it. He had been clinging to that last bit of hope when Elham came into his life, and she was one of the only bits of hope he had left.
Elham was dangerous, though, and he knew it. Not in the sense of her being physically dangerous, however, even though Kaz knew that she could easily take him down if she wanted to. No, she was dangerous, because he let himself care about her. He let her be his hope. And his hope could be taken away from him. If this heist didn’t go well, she would be taken from him. His last bit of hope.
Elham watched Kaz open his mouth to speak, waiting to hear whatever excuse he had come up with, but one never came. Instead, he just tapped the end of his cane against her leg, and any resentment she was feeling melted away. She hated how he could do that.
“Come on El, let’s get back. I’m sure Jesper’s gotten himself in enough trouble by now.”
They began walking after Inej, and Elham laughed.
Kaz tried not to relish in it. Tried. Tried, and failed, despite himself. “What’s so amusing, hmm?”
“You should have sent me with Jesper. I’m the babysitter, remember?”
Kaz’s lipped curled up into the faintest of grins. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances over the next few days to get your fill of looking after Jesper. Now hurry up, we don’t have all night.”
---
A/N - here's chapter five, i hope you like it! let me know what you think, i'm excited to get into the actual heist part, and to get into elham's backstory. also, it's gonna get a little angsty, so i'm excited to get to that point, and to finally be able to put some of the quotes and moments in that i've been so excited to put in. anyways, i hope you enjoyed, as always, comment or message me with anything, and thank you so much for the support!
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isuckatreadinglol · 3 years
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Six of Crows Review
Alright, first book review on this blog...here we go: *spoiler warning, duh*
Book: Six of Crows Author: Leigh Bardugo
My Rating: 5/5
First off, this is the first YA fantasy I've ever read so I have no idea what I was expecting...and I fuckin loved it.
Second, I binge read this book in three days and it usually takes me a month to read anything ever so that's definitely saying something. I came for Kaz Brekker after watching Shadow & Bone on Netflix and stayed for the amazing plot, diverse and intricate characters, the incredible action and twists, and of course Kaz Brekker. The one thing that I loved was how fast paced this book went, and I genuinely could not stray far from the book because of how addicting it was. There was something in every chapter and you never got bored. The last part had taken the most time for me to complete because of how much action Leigh crammed in the last 60 pages, which made it a bit hard to follow along but it was still epic.
The Characters:
Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, Matthias
"“What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?” “Knife to the throat?” asked Inej. “Gun to the back?” said Jesper. “Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina. “You’re all horrible,” said Matthias."
The most diverse set of characters I have ever met. There were 6 characters, and the POV's were constantly changing and at some point, while I read someone else's chapter I was worried about the other characters and anticipating the next chapters. This was honestly an amazing decision to tell this story and I never got sick of the characters (except maybe Matthias, sorry).
Not only does Leigh do an excellent job portraying trauma in her characters (especially Kaz), she also keeps the character's as diverse as possible, from Nina being a plus sized character with badass confidence to Wylan overcoming his dyslexia and even Inej being a brown character. Every character had their own stories and the flashbacks/backstories were always a pleasure to read through.
Kaz Brekker is a stone cold, morally grey, manipulative, and terrible criminal which of course...makes him an even better protagonist. He definitely rocks the Hot Boy Who Is Mean To Everyone Except That One Chick Because Of His Tragic Backstory trope.
"There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken."
He is an anti-hero with his own plans and goals, while also caring so much about his crew that he would do anything for them. I'm very excited to see his character develop with Inej in Crooked Kingdom as well as his relationship with her because I am too obsessed with the two of them. I also enjoyed how Leigh allowed Kaz to fuck up and make mistakes, showing that he wasn't just some perfect character that knew everything about everything, and reading his inner dialogue when he realized his fuck-ups felt refreshing. His backstory was very well written and very tragic (we get it he's emo). It felt so personal knowing why he was they way he was when he sealed himself off from the world. He's also drippy as fuck.
Inej Ghafa just radiates bad bitch energy and when Kaz called her "dangerous" I screamed "DAMN RIGHT". Her mental drive was beautifully written during her chapters, especially while she climbed the incinerator.
"The heat of the incinerator wrapped around Inej like a living thing, a desert dragon in his den, hiding from the ice, waiting for her. She knew her body's limits and knew she had no more to give. She'd made a bad wager. It was as simple as that. The autumn leaf might cling to its branch, but it was already dead. The only question was when it would fall...
Should she jump now or simply wait for her body to give?
Inej felt wetness on her cheeks. Was she crying? Now? After everything she'd done and had done to her?"
Most importantly, she was a raw character who pushed herself throughout the book not just for herself but for the rest of the crew. She was selfless but she was also incredibly strong, driven by her future. Inej is the most inspiring character in the book and I have fallen in love with her more times than I could count. (lowkey carried the team imma be honest)
JESPER FAHEY Y'ALL. My queer sharpshooter king. I think I related to him the most and I loved every chapter with him. Though, I felt like Jesper was treated more as a side character than a main one, especially since he was stuck with Wylan for the entirety of the heist but BOY WHEN I FOUND OUT HE WAS A FABRIKATOR...I might have also screamed. He was definitely the comedic relief and he always kept me laughing at his little comments. Excited to see him and Wylan get together and also hoping for more of Jesper's character.
"Well, we’ve managed to get ourselves locked into the most secure prison in the world. We’re either geniuses or the dumbest sons of bitches to ever breathe air."
“If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket. The world deserves a few more moments with this face.”
Nina Zenik...bro. She is so powerful. The moment she took parem was *chefs kiss* and it was the most badass scene I had ever experienced. When I began reading her chapters I didn't really enjoy them but when the heist actually began her inner dialogue won me over completely. When she was with Jarl Brum I could not stop laughing at the things she was saying in her head, and even when things were intense she always had something to say which made her character come to life. Her personality is hilarious, and sarcastic and she's also so HOT like my gay ass was swooning. She is who I aspire to be, that is all.
Matthias Helvar. Personally, I didn't really like his character so much because of how stubborn and he was (and how many times I wanted to punch his stupid ass), however he was still a pretty cool character with some good moments in there. He demonstrated religious corruption well, and he definitely faced a lot of inner conflict due to the pressure of what he was taught when he was younger. His POVs were a little boring but I loved it when he called Kaz a demjin.
Wylan Van Eck was a super fun character to have around. I definitely enjoyed watching his character grow as he spent more time with the Dregs. I didn't love him as much as the big three (Kaz, Jesper, Inej) and don't have much to say on him except that I admired his strength throughout the last part, especially when confronting his father after hearing all the horrible things he said about his own son. Jesper defending him made me melt big time.
"He's smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you."
I literally could not have asked for such a creative group of characters and to see them work together makes me feel like I'm part of a big, criminal family.
The Ships
The ships were a fun addition to the story and the best part was that they never overstepped the actual objective of the plot but rather worked with it to enhance the connections between each character.
Kaz and Inej: Let me just cry for a second.
"She'd laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him."
"I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all."
"I'm going to get my money, Kaz vowed. And I'm going to get my girl."
This one hurt me. I am in love with these two and their relationship with each other makes it so much better. They are not meant to be together yet they are connected in so many ways. I did not think I would fall in love so easy, but here I am.
Matthias and Nina: I was not convinced by these two, especially with how weird their relationship was. They constantly seemed like they hated each other (valid) and some of their romantic scenes felt forced. In the end, I enjoyed seeing Nina grow on Matthias to wake his stubborn ass up. I swear that man refused to have feelings. Anyway, I still have mixed feelings on these two.
Wylan and Jesper: They are so cute. Like insanely cute. Like even I was blushing during their cute scenes. Their relationship isn't as developed yet so I am excited to see them in Crooked Kingdom.
Final Thoughts:
Representation? Check
Map? Check
Two maps?!? Fuck yeah
Amazing plot and worldbuilding? Check
Hilarious banter? Mhm
Great writing? Check
Well- written characters? 100%
Overall, this story will forever be my comfort book and I was impressed by the YA fantasy side of literature. It's hard to believe yet comforting that these characters are my age, makes me feel powerful. I loved every bit of this book and now I kinda wanna grab some friends and pull a heist.
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wondereads · 3 years
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Personal Review (09/19/21)
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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Why am I reviewing this book?
I first read this book in freshman year when it was the only book my entire book club liked. Now, it's really grown in popularity and a TV show has come out, so it seemed like a great time to reread it (because I didn't remember a thing) and finally finish the duology.
Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Six criminal teenagers pull off a heist to break someone out of the most secure prison in the world for a prize that could solve all their problems. They are lead by Kaz Brekker, a thief so ruthless he verges on urban legend, and consist of Inej, an acrobat-turned-spy paying off her indenture, Jesper, a sharpshooter with a gambling addiction, Nina, a heartrender who'll flirt with anything with a pulse, Matthias, a disgraced witch hunter in it for a pardon, and Wylan, a demolitions expert with no field experience.
The plot is so incredibly fast-paced. Even at the beginning, when the scene is being set and they're just preparing for the trip, gang stand-offs and long-standing grudges keep the story moving. The heist itself is one of the most ingenious, chaotic things I've ever read, and then it ends with a horrible cliffhanger that will make you instantly pick up the next book. In case you can't wrap your mind around it, the Ice Court Heist is so clever it takes me a moment to understand how the characters get from Point A to Point B, and yet I never once stopped in confusion because things were explained as they went.
My only complaint is that it relies a little heavily on the worldbuilding established in Shadow and Bone. For example, Nina's powers, while exemplified throughout the book, are never really explained. I remember when I read it for the first time that I had no idea what a Grisha was, and I kind of just had to pick up context clues because there is no definition given.
Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The character development in this book is impeccable. Each of the six gets their own arc (complete with a tragic backstory), and their development is worked into the plot, which forces them to face their troubles straight on. Buckle in, this is a long section.
Kaz, everyone's favorite, heartless, teenage mob boss, who starts off so unemotional at the beginning, gradually begins to allow himself to feel again. It's only for Inej, not everyone, but it's a start. His backstory is absolutely horrific, and, even though he is the self-titled Bastard of the Barrel, you find yourself rooting for him.
Inej's revelation in the incinerator shaft (yes, that is an actual part of the book) made me want to cheer. After so many aimless years, I was so proud of her to have established a clear goal for herself, and such a badass one too. I also appreciated that she set some clear boundaries with Kaz since a lot of YA romances tend to just throw away those sorts of reasonable concerns in favor of ~true love~.
Jesper makes me hurt. I really feel for him; he's the prime example of a kid in too deep, and I think if any of them got their money I would want it to be him so he can fix his past mistakes and start again. Besides that, he's a funny character that isn't reduced to comic relief, and I like action best from his perspective.
Nina is a walking easter egg for fans of Shadow and Bone. I didn't realize it my first go because I hadn't read the original trilogy, but the number of times she name-drops a character or event from there...I loved it. She's a levelheaded, badass woman who's comfortable in sexuality but not oversexualized. I do wish she'd gotten some more attention here, but I do know that the bulk of her arc is in Crooked Kingdom.
Matthias grew on me. I didn't like him much, but he presented an interesting dilemma–loyalty to love or loyalty to home. I liked watching the struggle between his beliefs and what he's been taught and the new friends he's made and their contrasting lifestyles. I also appreciate that he is the #1 simp for the girls in the group.
Finally, Wylan is a bit tough. There are no chapters from his perspective in the first book, which makes sense because he's got some information that would spoil everything. Still, he was absolutely hilarious in my opinion and his gradual corruption through his time spent with the crows was great. I mean, this fifteen-year-old kid wanted to wake up guards so Jesper could kill them guilt-free.
Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The writing is really good. It shifts nicely between the more serious and humorous scenes. I think the romance is written very well. There's quite a bit of it and yet it never overpowers the plot. I never had a moment of "please dear god we get it you're in love let's move on now", which is something that plagues YA.
As for the humor, it was really good in this book. There were points I had to hold back a snort because I was in class, and each of the characters, even Kaz and Matthias, got a chance for a fun one-liner or sarcastic quip. "My ghost won't associate with your ghost."
Meaning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 N/A
Be gay do crime. I'd say I'm just kidding but this book pretty much says breaking into a prison for a bounty is okay if you and your friends really need the money.
Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This book was great the first time and amazing the second time. It was well written, it was fast-paced, it was funny, it made me feel, it was all the things a good book should be. It's probably one of the best YA adventure books out there, and any adult would probably be able to read this and enjoy it. There's a reason it's so popular! I would recommend this book to people who enjoy heists, three-dimensional characters, and morbid humor.
The Author
Leigh Bardugo: 46, Israeli-American, Jewish, also wrote Shadow and Bone and Ninth House
The Reviewer
My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, and I take recommendations. Check out my about me post for more!
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flying-elliska · 3 years
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I'm in my Grishaverse phase now so I finally read King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. I had been putting it off because of the mixed reviews on the first one but I enjoyed it a lot, more than I thought I would since I'm not a huge fan of the first trilogy. Probably since I love the specific characters these books focus on.
Zoya and Nikolai are just great as a couple. They do remind me of Kaz and Inej with a reversed gender dynamic, one is a gruff traumatized badass who won't let people close out of a fear of weakness and the other one is a traumatized ray of sunshine badass who still hangs on to hope despite everything they've been through ; and they trust each other in ways they don't trust anybody else. Except they're bound by politics instead of crime. So, I love that. Lots of yearning and pining and angsting about duty, which is just The Good Shit. Leigh Bardugo is making me ship straight couples again which is high praise for me bc I tend to be a lot harsher on those 😂 I love Zoya as a female character who is angry and sharp and doesn't give a shit about being liked and doesn't have to fundamentally change who she is to find love. And Nikolai is just...great, charming and desperate to be loved and so clever, I do wish the books focused on him and his changes of heart a bit more but what we got was great. He comes up with some really badass plot twisty plans in here that had me like !!!! Yes !!! That's so clever !! And the focus on processing and growing past trauma and honoring grief really made me emotional, there are some incredible very raw scenes in there. Leigh is just incredible at writing about those topics.
Nina's parts....sometimes they were a bit too slow, and she was in mourning for a lot so she felt like less of a force of nature, but overall I did like it, she is such a resourceful and fearless badass, i thought it was a very satisfying evolution for her character, and in retrospect it gave her relationship w Matthias more depth. He would be so proud and thankful if he knew. I found her new relationship cute but a bit rushed, then again I thought the same with her previous one so I'm just getting that Nina falls in love very fast, which I don't find relatable but it's not out of character.
It was really fun to see the Crows again, even though maybe not super necessary. Jesper and Wylan are so married. Did enjoy seeing Kaz and Nikolai interacting with grudging respect bc they're both super clever and recognizing in each other that they are both whipped without wanting to acknowledge it, which was very funny. (Kaz trying to pretend he doesn't even know who Inej is before setting up an entire mission just to keep her safe from afar....then making little jabs at Nikolai for being in love w Zoya....lmao dude). Less of a fan of the return of some of the other characters from the first trilogy tbh, even if it had its moments regarding the nature of power and all that.
My main issue with both books is that they do suffer a bit from sequelitis, in that it feels a bit plodding at times, that there is less effort put in making the world exciting and thrilling and atmospheric, and the plot is a lot less tight than in the Six of Crows duology, so I do get that if you compare the two you might be a bit disappointed. I did like how mature and grim the politics got in these two books, but I get that might not be everybody's cup of tea. These are books about war and its costs, not a chosen one story or a fun fantasy heist, and I do think as such they do a great job.
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roguestarsailor · 3 years
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impressions of six of crows
***spoiler ishh, not plot spoilers but just character interactions throughout the book***
note: I have not read shadow and bone and this is the first book i’m reading in this series so i have no prior knowledge of who these people are or what happened prior to this!!
I adore all these characters in the book! I love how seamlessly everything flowed and its glorious to read. The names were all confusing to me so I had to constantly refer back to the map and the Ice court layout to fully understand everything. I think there were points where I didn’t fully understand the impact because I didn’t read the other books. Talk of the Second army was confusing for me, but I just pushed through. I just love the dynamic of this group and I really really hope they are ok. Please don’t die. Will this author do this to my sensitive heart?? idkk?? 
the heist was so fun and honestly, i dont think the ice court was that well protected haha. it felt like they had so much time to do so many things but it just might be how the story is told. i love stories of trickery and heist and this one did a really good job. I love the backstories getting interwoven together and the plot twists were lovely. I was stressed for kaz though and i was nervous he will “run out of tricks” but it ended up fine. its strange because he is sooo young and hes battling these seasoned professionals and hes gotta navigate this fucked up world. they all have to navigate this fucked up world and i can’t imagine the stress of always looking behind you but also looking at the next 10 steps and then plotting additional scenarios to live. wow. anyways this i was great 10/10!!
Notable scenes include:
“Jesper!”
I’m going to kill that little idiot. “What do you want?” he shouted down.
“Close your eyes!”
“You can’t kiss me from down there, Wylan.”
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I LOVE THEM ALREADY! JESPER AND WYLAN IS SO CUTE
“Pull your shirt up over your mouth,” [Jesper] told Wylan.
“What?”
“Stop being dense. You’re cuter when you’re smart.”
Wylan’s cheeks went pink. He scowled and pulled his collar up.
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“Discipline. Routine. Does it mean nothing to you? Djel, I can’t wait to have a bed to myself again.”
“Right,” said Nina. “I can feel just how much you hate sleeping next to me. I feel it every morning.”
Matthais flushed bright scarlet. “Why do you have to say things like that?”
“Because I like it when you turn red.”
“It’s disgusting. You don’t need to make everything lewd.”
...
“Despite her fatigue, she trotted ahead of him. “That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t want to like a Grisha. You’re scared that if you laugh at my jokes or answer my questions, you might start thinking I’m human. Would that be so terrible?”
“I do like you.”
“What was that?”
“I do like you,” he said angrily.
She’d beamed, feeling a well of pleasure erupt through her, “Now, really, was that so bad?”
“Yes!” he roared.
“Why?”
“Because you’re horrible. You’re loud and lewd and...treacherous.  Brum warned us that Grisha could be charming.”
“Oh, I see. I’m the wicked Grisha seductress. I have beguiled you with my Grisha wiles!”
She poked him in the chest.
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YOU KNOW DAMN WELL I FUCKEN LOVE THESE BICKERING IDIOTS. but also nina means so much to me. its so fucken refreshing to see a character who is overweight and can carry herself with so much sass and confidence (because thats what 17 year old me would have wished to be able to channel)!! i love that shes so flirty and especially to someone as stoic as matthais is cute af!! even the author wrote about how much she loves nina: “I probably identify most with Nina. She’s spent her whole life being told she’s too big, too loud, too much--and that’s basically me. I just wish I had Nina’ confidence at seventeen.” she has the kind of sass and big dick energy that comes w having to prove yourself and being shamed and i think thats why she has a special place in my heart!! maybe i’ll go in on my love for nina in another post but ugh i love her
“When we get back to Ketterdam, I’m taking my share, and I’m leaving the Dregs.”
He looked away. “You should. You were always too good for the Barrel.”
It was time to go. “Saints’ speed, Kaz.”
Kaz snagged her wrist. “Inej.” His gloved thumb moved over her pulse, tracing the top of the feather tattoo. “If we don’t make it out, I want you to know...”
She waited.
...
She reached up and touched his cheek...this was the first time she had touched him skin to skin, without the barrier of gloves or coat or shirtsleeves. She let her hand cup his cheek. His skin was cool and damp from the rain. He stayed still but she saw a tremor pass through him as if he were waging a war with himself.
“If we don’t survive this night, I will die unafraid, Kaz. Can you say the same?”
His eyes were nearly black, the pupils dilated. She could see it took every last bit of his terrible will for him to remain still beneath her touch. And yet, he did not pull away. She knew it was the best he could offer. It was not enough.”
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NO I LOVE THEM TOO! KAZ1!!! DO SOMETHING!!! BUT ALSO FUCKEN GOOD FOR YOU INEJ YOU FUCKEN KNOW WHAT YOU DESERVE AND IF HE AINT GIVING 100 U DONT WANT IT I LOVE HER TOO
Inej turned to go. Kaz seized her hand, keeping it on the railing. He didn’t look at her. “Stay,” he said, his voice rough stone. “Stay in Ketterdam. Stay with me.”
She looked down at his gloved hand clutching hers. Everything in her wanted to say yes, but she would not settle for so little, not after all she’d been through. “What would be the point?”
He took a breath. “I want you to stay. I want you to...I want you.”
“You want me.” She turned the words over. Gently, she squeezed his hand. “And how will you have me, Kaz?”
He looked at her then, eyes fierce, mouth set. It was the face he wore when he was fighting.
“How will you have me?” she repeated. “Fully clothed, gloves on, your head turned away so our lips can never touch?”
He released her hand, his shoulders bunching, his gaze angry and ashamed as he turned his face to the sea.
Maybe it was because his back was to her that she could finally speak the words. “I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”
Speak, she begged silently. Give me a reason to stay. For all his selfishness and cruelty, Kaz was still the boy who had saved her. She wanted to believe he was worth saving, too.
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ITERATE AGAIN, INEJ DONT WANT 90 PERCENT OR 99 PERCENT SHE WANTS 100 OR NOTHING WOW. i mean my shipping heart says NOOO buT shes right. kaz gotta figure out his shit and then share that vulnerability w her and maybe they can be truly together. UGH BUT THIS SCENE my god
Van Eck taunting Wylan and shitting on him for not being able to read was disgusting and i will fight him. I WILL PROTECT WYLAN WITH MY HEART! HES TRYING HIS BEST AND WORKING WITH WHAT HES GOT AND HE SAVED THEM ALL SO MANY TIMES. GET THIS PEDO OUT OF HERE FUCK THIS GUY
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“That’s why you disappeared during the journey,” said Jesper. “You weren’t helping Matthais care for Nina. You were hiding.”
“I didn’t hide.”
“You...how many times was it you standing beside me on the deck at night when I thought it was Kuwei?”
“Every time.”
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pekka rolllins. wow. what a man. i expect great things to happen between kaz and him. i truly did think kaz killed him back in the ice court lol but im glad he saw the grand plan and waited it out. hes a man of patience. i can respect that.
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Do you feel like the Crows were adapted well because I personally feel that while Nina and Matthias were fine, even great, the other Crows were done a disservice. Their introductions were changed to be a lot less memorable imo, Kaz was an idiot for not expecting Pekka Rollins to return the blow (I mean, come on! Book Kaz would never), their storylines in this season will take away some of the build-up and/or development of their stories from the books later on and the very fact that they got mixed up with the Alina story was not entirely smart imo. The chances that they would succeed in their mission were small, the screenwriters missed their chance to add a lot of depth to Inej's character considering her backstory and the fact that she is now tasked with kidnapping a person (and she wasn't nearly scared enough of Tante Heleen even though she is still her property while in the books she is terrified of her after years of not being in her grasp anymore) and the fact that there is another way to cross the Fold that is allegedly safer and the Darkling knows of? Wow, what a plot hole. Jesper's addiction to gambling was also treated a lot more as a plot device rather than part of his journey as a character. Personally, I don't like how they were adapted. They had a couple of good scenes but they felt pretty lackluster and not nearly complex and fleshed out enough considering how much screen time was spent on them. At one point I was almost feeling like the show runners wanted to make the show about them actually and yet... Their characterization seems subtly but profoundly misdirected.
So this is literal months after the show’s release but I wanted to rewatch to figure out my thoughts before I responded. But my boyfriend wanted to watch it with me, but he also doesn’t really binge lol so it took awhile 😂
But yeah I agree the crows were overall adapted fairly poorly. The biggest problem for me was that their plot went essentially nowhere. It was just one long easter egg for book fans as a cash grab because SoC just has the larger and more vocal audience.
I understand the choice to adapt it all in a single TV show, and to include them all in the first season from a practical stand point: negotiating screen adaptations is difficult, just because the one project happened, it’s no real guarantee that a second series would actually make it through production hell and not fizzle out like plenty of other announced TV/movie adaptations; and early cancellations are fairly frequent, so there’s also no guarantee that a linear adaptation would stick around long enough for the Crows to be introduced.
So consolidating the IP and the fan bases makes sense, but artistically it just didn’t really work. Their entire plotline was just #hijinks. They didn’t really have any character development of their own. And while the main plotline was already really poorly paced, the occasional segue into a random *completely stagnant* plot just weighed it down even more. Like I wish they actually had something to do, or that we’d simply gotten their canon backstories, or a nonlinear glimpse into the future with the Ice Court heist. Just literally anything beyond the weird improv game style plotting we got with zero real development. Or like ideally the screen time could’ve been used to…god forbid… actually flesh out the world building and to give us a better glimpse of Ravka and how things works, maybe some court intrigue or anything else. (Give us back Genya’s scenes 😭😭)
I don’t know it was just a very poor use of screen time. And I’m just personally not as invested in the Crows without the intricate plot to bolster them, so I was pretty meh about their presence.
I did like the brief moments of characterization we did get, and seeing the main trio’s dynamic before anyone else joins up. Kit Young managed to somehow carry the entire show despite the script practically giving him nothing. His performance was fantastic and just like… the sheer personal charisma it takes to be that charming with so little help from the writing. I’m generally happy with the casting choices, they were all fun. It was just the writing team that really didn’t show up for them.
And yeah the “kidnap the sun summoner” plot was just… not a great idea imo. It makes sense for how to centralize the main goal and have them be relevant (unlike Nina just off having her random separate adventures lol) but just… it obviously wasn’t going to be successful. Even for an audience that hadn’t read the books, Alina was clearly framed as the main character. And the Crows heist plotline was handled with a sort of… humor I guess? where it’s absolutely clear from the first few episodes that they are not going to actually kidnap her and get the money. So with an impossible plot, you’d think they’d focus on character work instead, right? And yet!
Like you said, that could’ve been an excellent time to get into Inej’s head and flesh her out, give her moral dilemmas, etc. And just establishing where they are as people and giving them depth and things to emotionally overcome. But I feel like they were just deliberately held in limbo, probably because the writers were trying to preserve all their arcs for the SoC era in the plotline. (FWIW the random human smuggling train didn’t bother me as much. It established the steampunky adventure vibes Nikolai brings in later, and like crossing the fold isn’t impossible in the books either. It’s just extremely dangerous, which I think the show did address at all. Having completely secure borders isn’t really realistic in any sort of setting)
I’m really curious to see what they do with season two though. A lot of people have been talking about the Ice Court heist being introduced but that’s still not exactly chronologically a thing that happens yet? I don’t really…like… this writing team’s take on completely new content. I think they spin existing stuff in cool ways, but none of the wholesale new stuff completely worked for me. So I’m not even sure what I’d prefer here lol.
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mittai · 3 years
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This was surprisingly hard to come up w/ stuff for! So I’m sending a few: which of ur urls do you like best? And if u had to pick one: the Brontës or Austen? Libraries or restaurants? Andddd if you had to sacrifice a main cast member of Shadow & Bone, who would it be?
ok so for urls hmmmm i think i’m gonna have to go w/ @phendorana just because it’s a) a canon url!!!! and b) phendorana my beloved </3. i DO like @acrostic, don’t get me wrong, and i love that both of my urls are like short + one word + recognizable. but i think i’m just more excited about phendorana! also wrt/ to past urls, i used to have diff urls on both blogs: @that-dino-girl on main and @i-am-a-stick on side (simply bc i couldn’t think of anything better). i do have some fondness left for @that-dino-girl simply bc it was an inside joke w/ irl friends, but @i-am-a-stick....well i’m not crying tears over it lmao.
ok, brontës vs. austen. oooh i’m gonna have to go with austen. i haven’t read all of the brontës’ work, but i like austen’s humor and style more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. i just feel her style has a bit more bite or personality, which makes it more fun to read.
libraries or restaurants. ohhh this is an evil question 😖💔. like hnnng libraries my beloved. but also restaurants my beloved. food and books my two great loves in life....in reality i’d probably choose libraries simply because my family very rarely eats out, but i rely on libraries and their ebook systems quite a bit, and there’s no real viable replacement for getting books so often (i cannot afford to buy every book i read LOL). like w/ restaurants you can eat at home, but with libraries it’s like w/o them you can a) pirate b) not read i guess.
ok LOL sacrificing a main cast member....uhhh could you tell me in the replies who counts as a main cast member lol? like is it just jesper, inej, kaz, mal, alina, and the darkling, or do zoya + bhagra + nina + matthias count? also u said “cast”... is it the actual actors or the characters? i’ll edit the post to add answers once you tell me :)
EDIT: for the crows cast thingy, i think if we included matthias / nina / bhagra / zoya, etc, i’d sacrifice matthias, simply on acct of get fucked slaver like the whole nina x matthias thing is FUCKED up. like i understand that grisha having powers means that the whole persecution / oppression dynamic is very different than IRL bigotry, but still having a love story between a grisha and some guy who hunted them for a living like ://// like EVEN if caution around the grisha was understandable, being grisha was an essential part of who she was, and like i am not sold on the idea that you can have a healthy relationship with a guy who used to hunt people like you 😐. you could have had nina help matthias overcome his bigotry w/o having her fall in love with him. if we were just including the main cast (jesper, inej, kaz, mal, alina, the darkling) hmmm i would either sacrifice the darkling or maybe alina. like i think their characters/plots were the least compelling. the actors did a good job, but alina succumbed to main character syndrome (read: she needed to be so relatable / likable that she was completely bland and uninteresting with no notable personality traits) and the darkling was just generally kind of boring. like i got kind of annoyed w/ his backstory where he was in love w/ a nameless grisha girl who was a fugitive with him, she got murdered by the soldiers hunting them, he went crazy & made the fold, etc. like thanks for the fridging netflix 😐 that was not a good backstory. the best part of alina’s arc was her scenes w/ inej. like “i think i like that hand with a dagger in it” oh my god iconic. the best part of the darkling was him getting his ass kicked by a bunch of teenagers (including the crows!!!!) for like 4 episodes straight LOL. so yeah, matthias if we’re including the side cast, alina or the darkling if it’s just the main cast.
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hypermania · 3 years
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Thoughts on Shadow and Bone? Does it hold up to the books? Should I give it a watch?
it’s definitely worth a watch! it’s fun and campy and it’s got heart and the good outweighs the bad by a landslide.
good:
JESPER FREAKING FAHEY. he is a delight. kit young captured him perfectly. he’s charming and obnoxious and the best part of every single scene he’s in. plus there’s a whole thing with a goat. it’s great.
alina- they pretty much fixed everything about her that was unlikable in the books. jessie mei li was a great casting choice. she makes alina earnest instead of... pathetic? infuriating? boring? idk it’s been awhile since i read the grisha trilogy but i know i did not care for alina. but played by jessie, she was fantastic!
mal- same situation. did not care for him at all in the books. loved him in the show. they did away with him being an asshole who doesn’t really treat alina as a person who matters until someone else notices her, which helped a LOT. and archie renaux did a great job.
genya- i’m pretty sure i already liked her in the books so i’m not surprised i liked her in the show. she was a scene stealer but in a quiet way. idk the name of the actress playing her but she did a great job of portraying someone who is being duplicitous without losing an ounce of sympathy or likability. 
ben barnes as the darkling! i mean honestly just an inspired choice, right? how can you go wrong? he’s the stuff of fandom legends and that really carries over to the story. and i cant lie- i am not immune to him summoning the darkness.
zoya, david, nina, and matthias were also all fine. i expect i’ll have more feelings about them in the second season when they’re utilized more.
the pacing- it moved very quickly but nothing in particular felt overly rushed. it just felt like yeah that’s how it’s moving. just bam bam bam.
the visuals- it was very nice to look at. the sets, the costumes, the lighting, effects, etc. it was all good. no complaints there.
the score- it was just great.
bad:
inej- she was unrecognizable to me. she lacked any and all subtlety. i don’t want to say too much about it because it would involve spoilers but i just really did not vibe with this inej.
kaz- also unrecognizable, as he was an idiot. sometimes he had a plan but mostly he didn’t. he actually let someone else make the plan at one point. he never seemed to know what was going on. he actually said the words “we should cut our losses” at some point. just a completely different character.
kanej- it just did not work. probably because they were entirely different characters. it felt very forced. i did not vibe with it at all.
the dregs plot- again, i don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but the plot was just stupid. they shoe-horned it in so the dregs could be a part of the story but it didn’t work.
but that’s really it for the bad. overall i liked it a LOT (and the fact that kaz and inej were so unrecognizable to me means that this won’t affect how i view them in the books haha). 
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aneomeris · 3 years
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Episode 2, here I am!
Solid episode. I was afraid that the episode would be a chase from one location to the other for the Crows trio, but it wasn’t a slog. Also, the separation between these three was very brief and felt justified. Only for them to come together again, all the stronger for it. Alina got her own “reaching a destination” moment, while Mal faffed about and ultimately decided that... what, he’ll wait? Try for heroics? Oh well, as long as he doesn’t Rise-of-Skywalker Finn it up by crying for his girl and doing nothing productive for the plot, a moment of sad introspection is fine. Especially, if the potential lovers were separated. But on that, later.
This time, the character ranking is different. In first place, Alina. Is it because I felt like saying to myself “Ye of little faith”, regarding her absence of guilt? Maybe. But generally she is still good, doesn’t seem to immediately swoon at General Kirigan (the way I have a feeling she, and the fans, might later on). The actress did a great job on the tears and emotions department. I hope Alina will get to use that Golden Pointy Makeshift Weapon. For once a main character was horrified at the death in front of them and the gore they are not used to. Also, this show acknowledged the discomfort of riding on horseback while not being an experienced rider. It... sucks, no really. Go Alina! Go lie down, you deserved it.
Second Place: costumes and production department. Credit where it’s due. Kaz’s watch, the interiors of bars and whatnot, Poppy, the coats, all awesome costumes. Just, great job.
Honourable mention: the music. 
Okay, third place comes: Kaz? Wow. Smart, someone who showed his heart, calculating, caring for Inej, has visible weaknesses (be it posturing, or being blinded by a thirst for revenge). Wouldn’t have expected him to be top three last episode.
Followed we have the other two Crows: Jesper and Inej. Jesper is still all around awesome, fun, mischief and trouble maker, greedy fae creature that he is. Inej... we got more about her. Depth and a past, values, struggles. Also, that hair, girl.
Mal slid a long way down. It’s the lack of action. This episode he wasn’t even pretending to be a main hero. Just the lovesick, troubled love interest. What defines him, other than Alina? I hope he discovers it now. And, in the meantime, finds his way to her and a proper happy ending, of course.
I feel like I have to mention KeyGen now. I’m not stupid, I saw the Ben Barnes mention last episode. And the pompous way he arrived to save Alina. I don’t know. Too much mystery, too much shadows around him, too much edge. Definitely on the brooding spectre of possible Love Interests. It’s all about the tension, the framing of the two together, the lingering glances, him being all “nah, you’re not a prisoner, if everybody else is!”. I don’t know. He hasn’t swept me off my feet yet. Too much, way too much edge.
May I just say, for a person claiming he’s all about protecting the Sun Summoner, the genious General was sure as hell irresponsible in having Alina make a lightshow in the midst of camp, out in the open, far from a safe location, instead of, I don’t know, bringing her to the Palace to Budapest and checking her for powers there. In the safety of the walls. Oh well.
Finally, a mention of how the show developing the romantic line so far. Usually, the winner is clear, there are very obvious hints pointing towards who the ultimate choice will be. Not here. I feel like the General and his beard of awesome and his long looks at Alina, his “together, we’ll defeat the Evil” is a set up for a Love interest. But I also see, and admittedly want to believe, that bed transition was very blatantly a set up for another thread. Mal and Alina have a tension that will have to be resolved. So either these drop and start forcusing on KeyGen, or I might not be a clown for once. We’ll see. Definitely interested to see more.
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teacup-tyrant · 3 years
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SHADOW & BONE REVIEW: EP 6
On today's episode: Peruvian Instant Darkness powder escapes, characters meeting who should not really be meeting, easter eggs for the readers of the Ravkan language, and feuds between women over boys. -_- I rather thought we were past that nonsense.
- Ooo more fun sound editing with heartbeats and a heartrender! I love how they use that.
- Oh dear. Angry Darkling appears and shows the audience his true colors. Well. If he had any colors. Besides black. RIP my dude Arken, this is what happens when you work with Kaz Brekker.
- Oh shit Nina was supposed to rat on them?That’s interesting. Funny how that’ll turn out later.
- Alina meeting our crows. This is SO WEIRD.
- I love the way Inej looks at her and kind of bows. She acts the way I expect Tolya to. But they uh... just let Alina walk away. What? Kaz your money is escaping? Maybe uhhh do something about that?
- I’m sorry, every time we go back to Nina and Matthias I’m just like who tf are you people again? I wish it wasn’t this way but it always is with every plot Nina is in.
- (Fucking racist ravkans x5)
- Zoya denied. I don’t... really like the way they’re writing her character here. Am I the only one? I mean, I know she's also kind of a bitch at the beginning of the books but I wish it went beyond... fighting over boys. Don't make it only about the boys. Don't pit girls against each other over boys, I thought we were past that.
- See, Nina herself is a delight. I justtttt ugh idk
- (Fucking racist Ravkans x6)
- You can’t just suddenly show Mal and then cut to a naked Nina! Lolol
- You heard the woman, Matthias, take your clothes off.
- Nina: "oh no, he’s hot"
- Kaz did a magic trick with a coin! Amazing. Spectacular. David Blaine who?
- Oh no, our parents are fighting.
- Whatdaya got there mal? Food? Is it lembas bread? I hope. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a full-grown man.
- Is he gonna see her scar is gone? Because then they don’t match anymore. Aw, he didn't. That would have been so good! They should have used that!
- They’re using a lot of the book dialogue with Nina and Matthias. And his accent? Got a bit of the History Channel Vikings thing going on. I don’t hate but it makes him kind of... talk slow? But oh look at that big Matthias smile. :)
- I’m scared for my crows o.o
- Doing the heartrender heartbeat again. I hope my upstairs neighbor didn’t just hear me yell SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD. Ahahahaha and the Jesper said he should have. Yes Jesper. Yes you should have.
- FUCKING RAVKAN RACISTS (x7), HIW DARE TOU INSULT KNIFE WIFE. YES, QUEEN TAKE YOUR KNIFE BACK AND LET HER BLEED OUT.
- Ok Kaz and the Darkling in an alley. I just slammed pause. I’m going to THROW UP.
- He’s backing up, I don’t like that, I don’t like that AT ALL. Kaz doesn't back down from ANYBODY. But uh... if he does, the Darkling would probably be the only person who would warrant that reaction. So.
- Wtf did this magic trick boy just do, did he use Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder to escape from this Death Eater? WHAT DID HE DO? They're not going to explain it, are they. Nope, they're not.
- Oh god when Kaz nods after Inej says the inferni is dead. Because he knowwwwwws. One more tally for Inej. That nod just broke my heart.
- And also, she killed a brother and sister. And apparently, she has a brother. That’s gonna fuck her up.
- Did you SEE that cane whack? Most excellent. And they’re taking the Darklings carriage. Beautiful. Good theives.
- Hold up does that BOOK say Shadow and Bone in Ravkan?! I guarantee you it does. Did I just find an Easter egg?
- Man, the Crows are so great. I would watch a whole series of just them. Just. Them. A whole series. If only that existed. 👀
ep1 | ep2 | ep3 | ep4 | ep5 | ep6 | ep7 | ep8
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bookscapadesblog · 4 years
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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (SPOILERS)
Ok guys I have A LOT of feelings about these two books, so this is gonna be a long one. First let me start off by saying I initially read SoC right after it came out in 2015 and then of course had to buy CK immediately when it came out the following year. I also first read them without finishing the original Grisha Trilogy. 
That being said, even though my reread happened 5 years later, I remembered most of the big plot points from the story.
Let me say that except for appreciating the easter eggs that the books have, you can absolutely read SoC and CK without having read the other Grishaverse books.
Spoilers ahead now so stop if you haven't read or haven't finished them!
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before we get into plot lemme talk about the six main characters 
Kaz
I have always in every book I read, been a sucker for the bad-boy so obviously I LOVE him
Honestly my favorite thing about him is that he doesn't have any redeeming qualities. He's not the “bad-boy with a heart of gold” trope. He is just bad and its awesome
Inej
I’m sorry but anyone that endures what she did and then can still keep their faith is a saint
I love that she's both soft and merciful but still could kill almost anyone. Balance is key in life right?
Nina
Nina’s confidence is just so amazing. She knows her worth and will not accept anyone treating her like she's less than she actually is.
Her constant desire to be eating is something I relate to on so many levels and I love her sarcasm and wit
Jesper
I literally love how he starts off as just some fuck-up gambling addict who’s only useful quality is being a sharpshooter. The character development is *kisses fingertips and makes that mwah sound*
His charming and easy going personality are so fun
Matthias
Ok another one that has FANTASTIC character development! Literally learns to question all his bias’s and becomes someone that can think for himself
big and broody type is another favorite classic character lol
Wylan
Honestly, Milo from Atlantis is a high quality comparison for Wylan (minus the reading bit). He’s just so smart and dorky and awkward and I love him
His growth from a scared ex-mercher’s son to a badass barrel thug is iconic.
PLOTTT
The relationships between all the characters at the beginning are so entertaining to read about
all of the characters have so much DEPTH like thank you Leigh Bardugo for gracing us with all these diverse and deep characters. They all come from different background and hardships and its so amazing to read about.
Kaz’s scheming ability is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever read about
Nina and Matthias and their hate-to-love-back-to-hate-then to love again relationship is beautiful
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When Matthias tried to choke Nina when they were rescuing him I was like 😟
The fact that Wylan thought he was able to keep his identity a secret was hilarious
When they were trying to leave for the ice court and they're ambushed and INEJ GETS STABBED I was not having it 
and then Kaz shows up the carry her, tortures the guy that did it, and throws him off the boat 
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I had totally forgotten Nina and Matthias’ whole backstory I just remembered that they hated each other and then they didn’t. That was a whole whirlwind
Also forgot about KAZ HAVING TO USE HIS DEAD BROTHER’S BODY AS A BOAT like no wonder you never want to touch anyone ever no matter how much you obviously love them (Inej).
When they get to the ice court and literally have to change their plans like 5 times, you would think it would have gotten ridiculous and I feel like 9/10 times I would have been like “ugh this is getting old” but NOPE I was walking around listening making stupid expressions 
Jesper and Wylan’s interactions are what my brother would call “A-1″ which just means amazing I think?
When they freed Kuwei and were on the boat back safe and sound everything was great
Kaz asking Inej to abandon her plan to hunt slaves and stay with him in Ketterdam had me like 
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AND THEN SHE WAS LIKE LOL ALL OR NOTHING BRUH and it was both heartbreaking because I love them but badass because yes please get ALL THE LOVE YOU DESERVE IT
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When Van Eck back stabbed them I remember being surprised the first time because they went through all that shit for nothing and I was MAD
And they I thought Wylan and Nina were both dead for a hot-sec and that was awful
Cherry on top of that ending was Inej being taken away. Like wow. Thanks for that
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nomattertheoceans · 5 years
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My thoughts on King of Scars
Ok so first of all, obviously, spoiler alert, do NOT read further if you haven’t read the book (I wanted to put a cut but I don’t have the option on mobile, sorry...)
So yeah I think I need some mindless screaming into the void before I can be constructive, so... OMGVRDCNIUBCHIRUFHEJKDFKLUHOSJDXW THIS BOOK WAS SO SO SO GOOD I WISH I COULD FORGET I READ IT JUST SO I COULD READ IT AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!! IT WAS SO AMAZING AND SO HEARTBREAKING AND SO FUNNY AND WITTY AND PERFECT UGH
Okay, I feel better now.
So... King of Scars. Where do I start?
Bardugo’s style improved so much since the Grisha Trilogy. It was obvious in the SoC duology, but it’s even more obvious now that she’s writing in the same setting, with some of the same characters. Her writing in this book is so good!
This book actually redeemed her in my eyes for the only thing I hated in SoC: Matthias’ death, that I found pointless and not very well handled. But man, did this book improve on it. Nina hearing his voice, her thinking of him when she talks about being a widow for her cover. The whole burying scene had me crying the entire time, it was so well written and so full of emotions, you could actually feel Nina get some form of closure from it, and it helped me accept his death too. So well done.
The prologue was great! I loved these in SoC and I’m glad she kept going with the idea, because introducing Nikolai and Zoya that way was a really good way to get the feeling of the current situation (and the POV of a random stranger works as well as it did in the duology).
NINA THINKING ABOUT THE CROWS ugh I’m dead, it was so amazing to read about how she wanted Inej to be with her to bury Matthias, how she used Kaz’s advice to craft her plan, how she thought about having inherited Jesper’s gift for bad decisions (I actually laughed out loud at that one XD). The whole idea that her year in Ketterdam really changed her and helped her grow into a better defender of the Grisha (even though she’s not as good at following orders ;) ), this was great. I miss the Crows so much.... OH AND NIKOLAI LEARNED TO PICK LOCKS WITH KAZ AND HE THINKS ABOUT HIM THAT WAS A GREAT REFERENCE TOO! Also, the fact that Leoni was the little girl saved by Jesper’s mom, that was such a great coincidence, I hope at some point they might meet and realize the connection, I don’t know how but it was a great detail to include, Leoni saving people thanks to Jesper’s mom’s sacrifice. (Yes, any reference to the Crows had me giggling to my book, I admit it)
So, I know a lot of people are going to be mad at me about this one because a lot of people hold the Darkling in high esteem, but the fact that he was framed as the main villain throughout the Nikolai/Zoya storyline felt really good to me. I honestly never understood how people could see him as a good person after everything that happened and that we learned in the Trilogy, and the fact that Bardugo focused mainly on him as the villain in Zoya’s story was a very good choice. Zoya feels angry and ashamed at how much she adored him and how he manipulated her and everyone around him. She cannot imagine people seeing him as a Saint because she witnessed his actions first hand and was also a victim of it, so she’s angry that even after all this, people can still ignore what he did. She’s mainly angry at herself about all this I think, but it was interesting to see this in her point of view. Continuing on the subject of The Darkling... OMG him being back at the end, I was so angry that he just wouldn’t STAY DEAD!! But I’m glad he’s back because I think his character in Bardugo’s improved style is going to be awesome (and I low-key want people to finally see him as the villain he is, but again, don’t be too angry at me, please!)
David and Genya are married now!! So are Nadia and Tamar!! And Tolya and his poetry XD and Adrik! It felt so good getting to reunite with all the Grisha characters, to see them evolve (again, thanks to Bardugo’s evolution in her writing) and become even greater than they were.
The secret laboratory was such a great addition, I can’t wait to see more of it!!! Also, Nikolai building a secret laboratory under a place of debauchery is SUCH a Nikolai thing to do XD
Nina in Fjerda is... so many emotions all along her storyline, it felt great. Knowing that she mostly managed to get over her addiction made me happy, she’s still an addict of course (kudos to Bardugo for including the fact that you never truly get over an addiction and that sobriety is a work of every day) but she managed to move past it and that’s great. Her new power is amazing but at the same time you can feel her nostalgia when she teaches Hanne, the fact that she stills misses her old powers. The experiments on the pregnant women were terrible, and so well-written, every scene with them killed me a little bit.
Hanne’s character is so good! I really love all of her evolution throughout the book, the way she’s willing to rebel at first but in small ways, and that she ends up actually rebelling with Nina. Also, even though I want it to be slow because I don’t think Nina is over Matthias yet, but UGH the way Nina describes her as so beautiful, I can’t wait for them to grow closer and maybe have a love story! Hanne’s being Brum’s daughter surprised me but in a good way, I love the irony that this monster would have a Grisha daughter (I hope he’ll find out at some point), and I love the way this laid out the plot line for the next book! Nina at the Ice Court!!!!! This is such an exciting thing to look forward to!
The whole Isaak storyline was great and ugh I was so NOT expecting this ending for it, I guess I’m a hopeless romantic because I wanted him to end up with the princess haha (but then I guess that’s what Leigh wanted us to think so good job ^^) and I really didn’t see the assassination coming! I had some doubts about the princess and the guard being interchanged but I had no idea what would be the point of that, so I guess I was seeing only half of the picture.
The fact that Nikolai was officially described as having some form of ADHD, this was a great scene, all of his childhood difficulties, and his friendship with Dominik, too. I loved all of this. I already loved Nikolai before (I mean... who didn’t?) but I love him so much more now! His struggle as King and doing what’s best for his country, knowing that letting his heart talk for him would be a mistake, preparing replacements for him in case something happens... I love him so much!!
Zoya... Zoya Zoya Zoya. She’s a great character, and she’s so interesting and complex and I’m so glad Leigh expanded on her character because it’s not often that women get to be strong and ruthless and beautiful and cold and not the villain of the story. So yeah, I love Zoya, she is amazing and all of her struggle over her past with The Darkling made her even more interesting than she used to be.
Finally, I think I’m going to end with Nikolai/Zoya relationship. I wasn’t completely sold at first, but then Nikolai had to go and think that:
“He’d come to recognize the bizarre phenomenon of Zoya’s beauty, the way men loved to create stories around it. They said she was cruel because she’d been harmed in the past. They claimed she was cold because she just hadn’t met the right fellow to warm her. Anything to soften her edges and sweeten her disposition - and what was the fun in that? Zoya’s company was like strong drink. Bracing - and best to abstain if you couldn’t handle the kick.”
And I was completely on board, never to leave again. Seriously. This quote is so perfect. Nikolai gets her, he loves being with her and how challenging she is to him, and he likes her just like she is, he doesn’t want her to change. And that’s great. Anyway, I really love their relationship throughout the book, its a challenging one but you can feel how much they like to work together and spend time together. The whole exchange when Zoya shows him the scars and he’s the first man she’d told the truth to... That was perfect. But omg, I knew there was going to be some sort of engagement for Nikolai (he’s a king after all), and during the entire book, him and Zoya both repeat more than once that they know it could never work if they let themself feel something for the other, but man I was NOT ready for Nikolai to get engaged to the Shu princess in the end.... Anyway, yes, I love them apart, and I love them together, and I can’t wait to read what happens next.
So overall, another amazing book to strengthen my complete obsession with the Grishaverse!! I will probably post a lot more about it in the coming days/weeks, and probably reread it! If you want to talk about it, don’t hesitate!!!
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