Spice guide
How Spicy Is Crooked Kingdom?
Short answer: Crooked Kingdom is 1/5 — Sweet — on the milder side.
Kissing and tension; any sex fades to black.
In Crooked Kingdom: Almost entirely closed-door; romance progresses through emotional breakthroughs and near-touches rather than physical intimacy. Kaz and Inej share their most significant moment yet — a deliberate, consent-driven scene — but it remains tender rather than steamy.
What readers think
Readers broadly regard Crooked Kingdom as a worthy — and for many, superior — conclusion to the duology, praising the escalating complexity of the cons, deeper character backstories (especially Wylan's first POV), and the emotionally resonant found-family payoffs. The Kaz/Inej relationship arc is frequently cited as one of the most satisfying slow-burns in YA fantasy, culminating in a scene that hits precisely because it is so restrained. The death of Matthias is consistently described as gutting and divisive — some feel it earns its emotional weight, others wished for a different ending. The main structural criticism is that the first half paces slower than Six of Crows as the crew regroups, though most readers agree the back half more than compensates. A minority of critics (such as Kara.Reviews at 3 stars) felt the Kaz/Inej tension was ultimately left unresolved in a frustrating rather than satisfying way.
How it compares
- Crooked Kingdom is milder than Fourth Wing3/5
- Crooked Kingdom is milder than A Court of Thorns and Roses2/5
- Crooked Kingdom is about as spicy as Twilight1/5
What you’re getting
- Spice
- 1/5
- POV
- multi
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
- Score
- 86.9
Content warnings: Violence, Death, Grief & loss, Graphic violence, Torture, Blood, Gore, Major character death, Kidnapping, Slavery, Human trafficking, Child abuse, Addiction / substance abuse, PTSD.
Is Crooked Kingdom spicy? Your questions
Is Crooked Kingdom spicy?
Crooked Kingdom is spice level 1 out of 5 — Sweet. Kissing and tension; any sex fades to black.
How explicit do the spicy scenes in Crooked Kingdom get?
Almost entirely closed-door; romance progresses through emotional breakthroughs and near-touches rather than physical intimacy. Kaz and Inej share their most significant moment yet — a deliberate, consent-driven scene — but it remains tender rather than steamy.
Is Crooked Kingdom spicier than Fourth Wing?
Crooked Kingdom (spice 1/5) is milder than Fourth Wing (spice 3/5).
Does Crooked Kingdom have a happy ending?
Yes — Crooked Kingdom delivers an HEA or HFN (happily ever after / happy for now), as romantasy readers expect.
How we rate spice
Every romantasy on The Otherworld is rated 0–5 on one consistent scale: 0 closed door, 1 sweet, 2 mild, 3 steamy, 4 spicy, 5 scorching. Crooked Kingdom sits at 1.