If you’re looking for a story of angsty teens with the world’s biggest chips on their shoulders, look no further, because this is exactly what you’ve been looking for. I personally enjoyed the dark, gritty, and bleak aspect of this book...but maybe that’s just my fall reading tastes. It’s a gangster heist story dealing with a lot of heavy themes, but I think everyone will find something to love in this story. The plot advances well, and the characters are really well explored, so I’m excited to see what happens in the next book...because that ending is pretty devastating. While the story is unequivocally a fantasy novel, I do want to say that if you’re triggered by violent/abusive situations, you might tread with caution.
Our story begins on the streets of Creije with Tavia, a young woman who peddles dark magic wares, with a dream of escaping and leaving that life behind. There’s also Wesley, who dreams of bringing the kingdom to its knees, leaving behind the young boy who grew up hungry and alone on the streets of Creije. Karam is a warrior who serves as a bodyguard during the day, and by night she spends her time in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself. Finally, there’s Saxony, a resistance fighter who’s hiding from those who ruined her family, and will do everything she can to get revenge. When Tavia mistakenly gives a vial of dark magic to a loved one, she sparks a conflict larger than our four players. Now they must work together, but with enemies at all sides, they can’t trust anyone, least of all, each other.
Make no mistake friends, this isn’t a happy story. At first I was frustrated, because I often read stories of characters who slowly lose their innocence, which gives characters an added depth, makes them more relatable. Not having that really rubbed me raw, making me feel as bleak as they were...as desperate for relief. I won’t lie, I almost put it down because I felt like we were getting nowhere fast, and then. Suddenly, these characters begin to show you snippets of themselves, before horrors came, before those terrible nightmares made them into jaded individuals. Some of the characters show those aspects faster, but the ones that make you wait are worth it. I’ve never had a book sink it’s claws into me this way before.
The plot grows quickly and with four perspectives, it can get tangled quickly, but Ms.Christo keeps these voices separate and easy to follow. It moves along at a fairly moderate pace, not so fast that you’re struggling to keep up, but not so slow that you’re wanting to put it down. Moreover, I was fascinated by the magic system. It’s a commodity that’s being bartered around, and more importantly, there’s an addictive quality to it. A lot of stories look at magic behind these rosy glasses that seem like it’s the end all be all. Not here. Magic is dangerous, too much is addictive, and the dangers are very real. I wanted to keep exploring more of the magic. I definitely want to see more in the next book.
Character-wise, Tavia was/is my favorite. The self-awareness about her is incredible, something that seemed to have been achieved thanks to her circumstances. Her stubborn and reckless behavior is fun to read, and nail-bitingly thrilling. Her friendship with Saxony is wonderful, while also showing the frayed relationships between her Wesley and Karam. Honestly, the tension that fills each and every character’s relationships are so great. There’s also something else I can’t talk about because of spoilers, but man, am I excited to see that voice again in the next book.
There is definitely romance in this book, the slow kind that makes you want to push them together and yell “KISS ALREADY”. We’ve also got rekindled romance, the kind that’s full of love-lorn glances and pushing each other’s boundaries to see who’ll fall in first. I enjoyed reading both romances, but the family relationships are truly where it’s at! Those dynamics are truly heart-breaking, and just adds another level to the angst that these characters experience. I don’t feel that there’s one story that’s the most heartbreaking, but there is definitely one that we don’t get to explore in this book that I’m dying to find out about.
I think the only issue that I had with this book is that it felt really off in the beginning, but that’s a personal opinion. However, that did affect the pacing for me for about a third of the book, and then picked up into the moderate pace that I really enjoyed. I do wish that there had been a little more descriptive imagery, because the story is stunning, and I wanted a clearer picture of what was happening. It’s still a wonderful read, and I’m excited to have it on my shelf next to my copy of ‘To Kill A Kingdom’, also by Alexandra Christo, if you were wondering.

I feel completely horrible about this and I don't even know what happened. When I first started reading this book, I thought this was going to be amazing. Like the star of it was just so good. I loved the world, the characters, and the writing was good too. Then I got around 35% in and something just didn't click anymore. Like for me it just fell apart and I couldn't keep reading it anymore. I really have no clue what happened.

I couldn’t get into this book as much as I wanted to. I loved the author’s last book and was hoping to love this one just as much. However, the world was unique and the writing beautiful. I just wish I could have loved the characters more.

Absolutely found this a brilliant rendition of the ensemble crime story! I was nervous at first that it would be too similar to Six of Crows, but boy was I wrong. I loved every second of it. I wish the pacing was a little faster, but I enjoyed it very much!

I really enjoyed Christo's To Kill A Kingdom, although I did have some issues with it, but that was a debut novel and overall it was fairly good. This, not so much. I know many people have described it as "along the lines" of Six of Crows, which made me think this book would be fantastic, when instead it feels like a weaker SoC with overall a lot more boredom and disappointment. I struggled to finish, I was frequently bored and annoyed with the slow pacing, and I don't feel that the ending delivered enough impact to save the rest of the story. This was a lot more lackluster than her previous book.

I am still just not in a fantasy type mood otherwise I would have enjoyed this book a lot more than I did.

This is my first time reading Alexandra Christo and Wow, Into The Crooked Places is an amazing immersing fantasy. Definitely for fans of Six of Crows. Wow!

#IntotheCrookedPlace is the first book in a new series. I loved To Kill A Kingdom. I found it to be a fresh and interesting take on criminals in the fantasy genre. I liked this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy. Alexandra Christo has a unique and well written story of 4 very different individuals living a place where every decision counts toward their living another day. The book has a very solid plot and continues into the series. I read another reviewer calling this a "gangster fantasy" so I am borrowing this great label. If your teens like a more dark edgy fantasy this might be for them. I liked the criminal aspect of it, but not everyone will. It definitely makes it a stand out in young adult fiction with the gangster fantasy label.
Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the E-arc copy of this novel. I appreciate the opportunity for being able to read and review #IntotheCrookedPlace.

Struggled with this one. I love the premise, love the setting, magic and gangsters are a fantastic combo....but there was a huge part missing for me. I could not get attached to the characters. I wanted too. They have great story lines, but the spark was lacking for me.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I wasn't sure if i was going to like it but it was amazing! I could not stop reading it and flew through it in 2 days. I will be telling everyone i know to read this!!

Did not finish at 26%. Characters are bland, plot line is uninteresting, world building is not there. Missing all the magic and excitement that Christo’s first book had.

DNF around 21%. This book could have been written by a completely different author. It’s lacking the spark of her last book, To Kill a Kingdom, and the story/characters feel done to death at this point. The writing style was boring. I wasn’t invested in anyone. Not what I was hoping for after this author’s gorgeous debut :(

AMAZING!!! Oh my God, I'll read everything Alexandra Christo writes! I thought her book "To Kill A Kingdom" was her best work, but "Into the Crooked Place" proves that she can definitely outdo herself!

The plot was very exciting and well-written, the characters were powerful yet flawed enough to be relatable, and the romance was swoon-worthy! I love Tavia, Wesley, Karam, and Saxony, I'd love to be in their squad!

Best gangster fantasy book I've ever read and I already can't wait for the installment!