I'm a bit behind on the hype-train for the "Six of Crows" duo by Leigh Bardugo. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get through "Crooked Kingdom", the second book in the series, but once I got back into it again, it was addicting. This duo is so epic and character driven, it's almost addicting!

The books are set in Ketterdam, a seedy town where Kaz Brekker and his gang do what they have to do to survive. When presented with the opportunity to make millions off a heist and get revenge on enemies, what will Kaz and the gang do to succeed?

The universe is so rich and immersive, I found myself truly believing in the locations and the societies within "Crooked Kingdom". Despite Grisha, humans with varying abilities to manipulate, being obviously fictional, I was willing to suspend my disbelief. Bardugo is exceptionally talented at building realistic environments with economies, politics, and classes.

Bardugo is also talented at building characters within this world. Each character is intricately developed based on their backstory, which is informed and influenced by the locations and situations they grew up in. Each main character, and even some of the minor side characters, were well-rounded and detailed enough to make me really care about what happened to them over the course of the series.

My only complaint about this duo is that I wanted it to keep going. The ending felt too sudden for me; I wanted to know more about what the cast of characters was going to do with the rest of their lives. While we are given a brief description, it's mostly left up to our interpretation. Being as the characters are all generally in their late teens, there's just a lot more of their lives left. But maybe it's just because I loved the cast and story so much, I didn't want it to end!

If you're interested in picking up "Crooked Kingdom" be sure to read "Six of Crows" first!