((yes, I finally got up off my ass and reviewed one of my favorite books of the last year)) 
 No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose. 
 Crooked Kingdom is one of those rare sequels that 100% lives up to the hype of the first book. This book was everything I wanted and so much more. It somehow managed to both rip my heart out and fill me with so much love and feels for these characters and this world. 
 One of the main reasons I loved SoC was its incredible character development, and there was plenty more where that came from in Crooked Kingdom. Jesper's and Wylan's backstories are further explained. Kaz is finally forced to confront what he has become in his quest for revenge, and Inej struggles to reconcile her past with the terrible things sheaEUR(tm)s done to survive. Matthias continues to grow and become more accepting, and Nina learns to come to terms with the changes that her decision to take parem have wrought on her strength and abilities. Basically my favs have all come so far and I feel like a proud parent, I love them even more than I thought was possible. 
 Once again, the plot was ALL OVER THE PLACE in the best fucking way. I kind of pride myself on having a talent for seeing most plot twists way before they happen, but this story was one hell of a ride and I wouldnaEUR(tm)t have wanted it any other way. ItaEUR(tm)s so dark and twisty and wild; I was genuinely stressing over how all my loves were going to get themselves out of all the shit that went down. 
 ALSO: These characters honestly have the best fucking chemistry out of any other series IaEUR(tm)ve read. They all fit together so amazingly as a group, and each of the friendships and romantic relationships was so well-developed. Once again, there was very little conventional romance, but somehow Bardugo managed to get me so insanely invested in these ships that I might as well have all of their initials tattooed on my heart. 
 The Princess and the Barbarian banter scene?? I was DYING of laughter, I loved it. 
 The shoulder scene???????? I felt like I was actually dying, this scene is basically a horcrux because I feel like a piece of my soul is still attached to it. 
 AlsoaEUR|aEUR|the scene with KuweiaEUR|aEUR|you know the one. I died a little of secondhand embarrassment but I also laughed until I cried. 
 As in the first book, the diversity and representation are on-fucking-point. There are LGBTQ and POC main characters, as well as so many important, real issues (including but not limited to: addiction, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, PTSD, body positivity, racism) linked to the charactersaEUR(tm) development and characterization in this series. Their stories and growth surrounding these subjects are incredibly powerful, but one of the greatest strengths of this book is how it shows that people are not their disabilities/traumas/appearances. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan are all such full humans, itaEUR(tm)s hard to believe that they donaEUR(tm)t exist in real life. They are complex and flawed and deserving of love, and although they may have been broken they are also capable of healingaEUR"also: recovery takes time, and thataEUR(tm)s okay. 
 ****MASSIVE SPOILERS FROM NOW ON**** 
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 As I got closer and closer to the end, I was torn between needing to find out what happened and being terrified of what might happen to my favs. I did predict that at least one of the MCs would die, and although I did cry, I thought the death was well-done andaEUR"as much as I hate to admit itaEUR"made sense with the plot. Matthias was killed by a young Fjerdan who had been trained to believe in a black-and-white ideology of hatred, the same worldview that Matthias himself had only just managed to distance himself from. It was sudden and seemingly unnecessary, yes, but in my opinion it brought the whole plotline of senseless discrimination and violence full-circle. That kind of violence and hatred doesnaEUR(tm)t make sense, and it frequently has devastating casualties that could have been avoided. AlsoaEUR|aEUR|.out of all of the characters, I feel like Nina is the most capable of staying strong and moving on from this. DonaEUR(tm)t get me wrong, I still ship them really fucking hard and am in denial that itaEUR(tm)s over but Nina is a bad bitch and strong as hell so I know sheaEUR(tm)ll be okay. (also it means now sheaEUR(tm)s single and we can get married wait what who said that) 
 Overall, I loved the ending. I loved the way all of the surviving charactersaEUR(tm) storylines wrapped up, and how it felt like this story was truly only a piece of their lives.Their futures may be full of danger, but they are also full of hope and possibility and freedom. 
 In regards to the world beyond the main characters, there were a few aspects I felt werenaEUR(tm)t wrapped up as well as they could have been. There were unresolved tensions with the Council of Tides, the Kherguud soldiersaEUR(tm) backstory wasnaEUR(tm)t really explained, and Dunyasha's existence seemed to exist solely to create more drama in Inej's storylineaEUR"her presence felt almost entirely irrelevant to the rest of the plot. Maybe these issues will be resolved in another Grishaverse series??? idk but I feel like there could be enough material for a third book hereaEUR|..unfortunately, that seems unlikely. (ItaEUR(tm)s fine, IaEUR(tm)m fine, IaEUR(tm)ll just be crying in a corner rereading these two works of utter perfection Leigh Bardugo has gifted to the world.) 
 I refuse to accept that this series to over, though. someone please recommend me some good fanfics so I can continue to live in denial. 
 Quotes that made me laugh/cry/have ALL OF THE FEELINGS: (warning: these will range from slightly to VERY spoiler-y and are in no particular order) 
 Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the people who wrong them too. They donaEUR(tm)t forget. They tell each other who to look after and who to watch out for.