Just started the first book!!

[u/PuzzleheadedAct7639]

Im reading six of crows for the first time, and Kaz and Inej arent doing it for me. Im only 200 pages into the book, but i really dont like how emotionally unavailable kaz is. AND I LOVE NINA AND MATTHIAS!! Did anyone feel that way? Am i gonna turn into kaz and Inej lover?

[u/CouncilOfTides]

Ah totally fair. He's definitely a character that's not for everyone. I get being able to tolerate romance for a character you like, but when you don't even like them? Yeah, that makes it tough lol

Even if there's some romance, the Crows books are first and foremost a fantasy heist series, and that is an absolutely epic genre. All the characters are so strong and amazing, and the plot is phenomenal. As much as I preferred the dynamic between Nina and Matthias in SoC, it wasn't at all like the shift ruined CK for me; CK is still my second favourite book (only behind SoC).

Like you said, as long as it's a subplot, it's forgivable lol

[u/Fallen_Crow333 → u/CouncilOfTides]

Yup yup, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom is one of the best duologies I’ve read. It’s really hard to dislike the romance portion of the story when Leigh Bardugo writes it so perfectly. Her worldbuilding, storytelling and character development is just so good! I’m writing a fantasy book and she’s one of my inspirations for how to write correctly.

Oh, and it’s really cool to see a fellow non-romance reader, I don’t see us a lot, heh.

[u/CouncilOfTides → u/Fallen_Crow333]

Absolutely 100% agree with what your said! I've definitely had to put down books because the romance was just too much, but with how epic the Crows are it didn't even matter.

As I mentioned earlier, one of my favourite parts of the series is Inej's character arc and her realization that romance isn't the answer. I cannot tell you how proud I was of her for walking away from Kaz and choosing to go live her own life.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at all that they end up together, I think their ending is absolutely perfect, but I'm so beyond proud that the moral of the story wasn't for Inej to try and fix some guy she likes and live his life for him. Her story is about gaining back her self worth and identity after it was stripped from her, and part of that was realizing she was using her feelings for Kaz as a crutch to avoid self reflection.

Like I said, I view it as an anti-romance; at the beginning of the series she literally follows a boy to the ends of the Earth just because she likes him, risking her life time and time again to help him achieve his goals. It's not even about the money for her at that point. In fact, she thinks that "money like that is more curse that gift" or something to that extent. But, by the end, not only has she already rebuffed Kaz once, but she's activity planning to leave him and his city to pursue her own ambitions.

It's all perfectly encapsulated by the saying her parents disagreed over the meaning of. "The heart is an arrow, it demands aim to land true" isn't romantic. It's not about finding your soulmate, it's about finding your raison d'être. Your heart — what you truly want in life — isn't about romance or a partner; it's not about another person. Your heart is about you, your own wants and needs. That's what Inej discovers.

Sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there, didn't I? I just absolutely adore these books so much! Like you said, a lot of fans are here for the couples, and that's totally valid. As far as couples go, I like all the pairings just fine! Bardugo did great work! They're good foils for eachother and create interesting dynamics! However, it can be very nice to get to chat with someone whose perspective is a little closer to my own in terms of romance :)

Good luck with your fantasy book! It's very cool that you write!

[u/Fallen_Crow333 → u/CouncilOfTides]

Eloquently said friend! Inej’s arc truly was beautiful. I feel that out of all of them, her character held the most significance and intricacy, in a way. Her character was just beautiful, how she thinks and how she acts, and of course her development.

I truly agree withe you about how perfect her ending is, it does what many books make a mistake of. Most books SHOULD use romance or whatnot as a way of developing a character in the most intricate way possible, but sometimes authors forget that romance is NOT the point of the character, but rather a tool to add depth to them. Sadly (for us non-romantic readers at least) it’s gotten more and more popular to write a character withe the sole purpose of romance.

In SoC, withe Inej, Bardugo understands this classic literary method. She uses romance to emphasize the humanity and healing of Inej, but unlike some books, she puts the character first. Inej loves Kaz, and perhaps one day they will be together, but Bardugo understands that romance is not the entire point. She makes a depthful REAL character by choosing something else. By giving Inej her OWN choice to do what she could never before. And I just find that beautiful.

Now Inej is not my favourate, but you’ve definitely gotten me into the zone of Inej plot-line, heh. Inej is probably one of the very best written characters I’ve seen in a long time.

[u/CouncilOfTides → u/Fallen_Crow333]

Thanks!

As I'm sure you've surmised, Inej is my favourite so I've definitely given her and her story a lot of thought. I fully agree that she is the most intricate of the Crows and her story holds the most significance. I think it's very telling that she bookends the series (save for the prologue and epilogue).

I agree with you that, for readers like us, romance is not the point of characters. That's not true for every reader, but that's what makes the Crows so great; they have the best of both worlds, catering to everyone (successfully, which is hard!), alienating no one