I love my Kobo ereader and have been using their store for years. It’s totally a viable alternative. I also use Overdrive so I can borrow and read library ebooks on my ereader as well. I can also read things (even the borrowed books) through any browser or the Kobo app if I want.
I’m not sure about crackability of Kobo’s books but I’d imagine it’s much easier than Amazon. As you already discovered, Amazon updated their encryption recently so any new books can’t be cracked.