Six of Crows

It’s not often that I follow along with the hype, let alone enjoy the product.

It did take me a bit to really get into the novel. Personally, I think the beginning is very convoluted and should have been tightened up a little more. Of course, it is always better to show and not to tell, but so many trivial characters were introduced with names and backstories and feelings who then just disappeared. By the time the reader gets to the pivotal group, they’ve already been burnt and put through the ringer. I had to put it down for a few days, forget the first chapter or three, and then come back to it once I was ready to commit to the merry bunch of thieves.

From then on, I loved it.

The characters are really the selling point of the show more story, and the author has done such an amazing job in creating a fresh, multicultural and vibrant cast. Inej was such a breath of fresh air, and the relationship between Jesper and Wylan quickly became a highlight. Kaz is suave beyond his years, and gives me flashes to all the great characters I feel in love with as a kid; The Artful Dodger and Jimmy the Hand. And his relationship with Inej was neither tedious, forced or over the top. I don’t think I’ve rooted so much for a developing couple in… forever.

The writing style was also a pleasant surprise, especially for the genre. It was easy to get swept away in locations, and even easier to tumble down into the minds of the POV character. Bardugo really let you get to know her characters. You see what makes them tick, and what lingers deep below the surface of their thoughts.

My only gripe with the novel was its target audience. There’s a huge trending push for publishers to shape their writers/only accept YA stories at the moment, and as someone past that age group, it’s getting pretty redundant. Yes, historically people matured and aged faster back in the time period this fantasy is based on, but it can still be quite the stretch when some of the characters are said to be 16 and yet have been through so much.

Having said that, I really (really, really, really, REALLY!) appreciated the differences this book brought to the genre. There wasn’t a love triangle in sight! Characters were rich and strong in all their own ways. No damsels in distress, but also no ‘perfect at everything’ typical protagonists either. There was clear balance and give and take between them all. Not every thought a character had revolved around their crush - in fact, that didn't happen often, and it actually left me excited for the moments when people came together and opened up.

I guess I just wish that there were more gripping stories like this (inclusive and quirky) with characters aged more appropriately for their worldly personalities. show less

Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?"

"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.

"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.

"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.

"You're all horrible," said Matthias.

Kaz rolled his eyes. "The easiest way to steal a man's wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch. You take his attention and direct it where you want it to go."

Ketterdam, a city of endless opportunity, where anything can be had for the right price. Kaz Brekker, criminal mastermind, knows this better than anyone. When Kaz is offered the deal of a lifetime - break a scientist out of the most secure prison in the world - he knows he has the right crew for the job. If they can pull off the impossible they'll all be rich show more beyond their wildest dreams. If they can put up with each other long enough.

Six of Crows is the first half of a duology by the same name written by Leigh Bardugo. This is the first book I've read by this author. I understand that there is a Grisha trilogy that is also set in the same world as Six of Crows. This one stands well on its own. There were enough descriptions of the world and how things work that I understood everything well enough. As long as you understand that Grisha = magic user, you're set.

This is, plain and simple, a heist story. It is very much in the same vein as Ocean's 11 and the like. This story has a slow start. It takes Bardugo a while to set up the characters and the world, then put everyone into position before the main action starts. Once it did, the mission impossible music started playing in my head and I couldn't put the book down. That was one wild caper!

I really enjoy the world Bardugo has created. This is the first fantasy novel I've read being Dutch inspired. Ketterdam is based on Amsterdam. While I was reading I knew many of the words had a sound to them I should have recognized but it took me almost the whole book before I placed it. The world is a sort of "advanced medieval" with it's combination of guns and magic. The magic system has some familiarity if you've read the genre enough with it's own little twist to make it interesting.

The characters are nicely fleshed out, all given backgrounds that are revealed throughout the story. It is done is such a way that it doesn't slow down the pacing at all. I think I could easily read a series of short stories based on each of these characters.

On the downside, none of these characters come across as young as we're constantly reminded that they are supposed to be. They're all supposed to be around 17 years old and mostly they act like they're in their 30s. Obviously circumstances will dictate how fast a character "grows up" so you can have very adult seeming teens but it just didn't work for me in this instance. Also, since this is YA, there is romance. Thankfully there are no love triangles, though with 6 characters there are 3 pairings.

And then after the wild ride, it just ends. This is definitely the first half of a larger story. While the main heist is finished several large story threads are left dangling. If cliffhanger-style endings bother you make sure you have book two ready to go so you don't have to wait to finish the story. show less

There's no denying that Kaz Brekker and his crew are some of the most hardened criminals in all of Ketterdam. When Kaz is approached by a wealthy merchant with a daring proposal, it doesn't take much to persuade Kaz – or, to be more precise, there are exactly 30 million reasons why Kaz takes the job. Arrived at their destination and faced with impossible odds to make it out of the Ice Court alive, let alone achieve their objective, Kaz and his crew must rely on everyone's skills and cunning to make it back to collect their reward.

This book appears to have it all: fast-paced action, an intelligent plot and complex and compelling characters. For all those who scoff at YA fiction because there seems to be an almost ubiquitous necessity show more to include a romantic subplot: yes, there is some romance, but it is subtly done and never gets in the way of story-telling; on the contrary, it raises the stakes for the characters involved and thereby makes the reader become more invested in their fates. By the end I felt it was a privilege to have witnessed the personal growth of these vulnerable yet courageous individuals. The sequel, Crooked Kingdom, is already lined up. show less

Third time reading, still love it just as much as the first time.

Ok, first things first, I love everything about this book. It's definitely one of my favourites that I've read this year, and it instantly became an all time favourite as well. I'm looking forward to re reading it at some point in the future.

My favourite thing about this book is the representation. The word representation is thrown around a lot these days, but it really is super important. And I think this is the first time I've read a book which featured a young cane user. I've read a couple with characters in wheelchairs, but this is the first where a young character uses a mobility aid that I actually use too. I know I'm 24, and older than Kaz Brekker, but if it means show more this much to me, imagine what it would mean to a teenager who uses a mobility aid. As I was reading the book, I was thinking how well written it was in this regard, and I skipped to the back to read the authors notes, to discover that the author was writing a character who experiences similar symptoms to her own. This has made me feel more confident about putting my own disabilities into my writing. Because they don't make the character less than. They affect the character, sure. They disable the character in some ways. But you can still have a badass, important, smart and useful character with a disability. I think that's an important message.

But that's not the only reason I loved the book. The plot is great. The whole 'heist' thing? Brilliant. And there were enough twists and turns to keep me hooked all the way through. The characters, also great. I love the whole found family trope, the band of misfits, them against the world. Maybe it's because I'm queer, I think found family is especially important to queer/lgbtq people, but it's one of my favourite things in a book.

My one qualm was that sometimes I felt like the characters seemed older than they were written. Maybe early twenties instead of late teens. But as I said, I'm 24, so it's possible I'm just projecting. Either way, it's a very small issue and certainly didn't spoil my reading. I loved it! show less

I really enjoyed the Grisha trilogy by Bardugo and was very excited to see that she had come out with a new fantasy series set in that same world. This was an amazing book that reminds a bit of Ocean’s Eleven but with really cool magic and a much more interesting world.

Kaz Brekker (aka Dirtyhands) makes a living running scams and performing crimes and he is very very good at it. Then he gets a job offer he can’t resist. A job that will leave him with all the money he needs to get his revenge and then start over somewhere new. It’s an incredibly risky and deadly job and to pull it off he will need five others with very specific skills to help him.

Enter the Six of Crows. You have Kaz, the leader and general logistical genius. Inej show more (aka Wraith) who is Kaz’s ghost and informant; Kaz has a special place in her heart and she owes her life to him so she readily agrees. Then there is Jesper, Kaz’s right-hand man and a sharpshooter who has a gambling problem and needs a way out of it. Next is Nina a Heartrinder who needs a favor from Kaz and is willing to help on this quest in exchange for Kaz’s help. The last willing member is Wylan, the son of a wealthy merchant who is very good with explosives. Wylan is unknowingly part of the crew and a hostage all in one! Lastly there is Matthias, a former resident of the Ice Court who is intimately familiar with the White Island and its prison. Matthias is not happy to help in this heist, but he feels a debt to Kaz and is eager to get the promised pardon should they succeed in their mission.

The story is told from the POV of all of these characters and it works absolutely beautifully for this story. I am usually not a huge fan of multiple POVs (more than two of three), but all of these characters are so amazing that it is just pleasure to read about all of them. Not to mention how wonderfully Bardugo blends all these POVs to make an amazing story.

This is one of those perfectly balanced stories that has something for everyone. There is a lot of action, mystery, excellent world-building, some romance, nifty magic, and political maneuvering. Everything is balanced really well and paced just perfectly. This was an absolutely amazing story.

I loved all of the characters too. Although I will readily admit Kaz and Inej were my favorites; they both have mad skills and their respect and unrequited love for each other was endearing and at times maddening. Nina and Matthias were an equally awesome potential couple; they have that whole star-crossed thing going on and there is sooo much anger and passion between them. Wylan and Jesper were just as complex and interesting as the others too.

The story was amazing and intricate and had lots of awesome twists and turns. It really reminds of an epic fantasy Ocean’s Eleven; it also reminds a bit of Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series (will we ever see the next book in that series?!) It was perfectly paced, absolutely engaging, and actual had me physically aching to read more when I was finished.

Overall this was one of the most amazing books I have read this year (I am at 250+ books so that is saying something). It was a perfectly balanced epic fantasy which lots of action, mystery, romance, world-building, magic, and intrigue. The characters are incredible and the story was completely engaging and impossible to put down. I am hooked and am dying to read the next book in this series. It would help to read the Grisha trilogy before this one to understand the world a bit better, but it’s not absolutely necessary. I actually thought this book was a million times better than the Grisha trilogy and am so so excited to read the next one. show less

This was probably the book that was recommended to me the most by my book loving friends. And thus also became a book that I almost picked up on several occasions but failed due to the anticipation that had me worried that I would be disappointed and won't like it.

I finally managed to pick it up at a very slow pace with a fellow bookish friend, Sakshi @fictionalcravings. We took it slow, reading around 20-30 pages a day and the reading and the discussion that followed was something I looked forward to everyday.

I was not disappointed at all. Infact, it was a very very good book. My inner soul was appealed to and it is very happy about it.

The premise of the book was alluring. The blurb made it so interesting already and I obviously show more figured that we would have 6 important characters. I couldn't wait to find out who the 6 were and how they would get along. The blurb did mention that they might just kill one another.

The book started off with an outsiders view of what would become the central reason for the so called 'impossible heist' that was to be performed. The lead, Kaz Brekker (another one of my book boyfriends) , is a highly feared leader of a gang called 'The Dregs'. He is known as Dirty Hands and he lives up to his nickname.

The other 5 characters are unique and their personalities are very well built and explained. I guess that's the magic of Leigh Bardugo. The best part of the story was how each character had a back story and it was revealed at the right moments and it worked wonders in keeping me hooked.

The location of the plot was well explained. The maps that were a part of the collectors edition were magical and I frequently referred to them each time a place was described. It made the reading a lot more fun.

The narrative was deep, funny and there was a lot of adventure filled in the book. Everything felt impossible and yet somehow plausible.

The book started off as a heavy read but ended up flowing smooth and easy. I didn't want to stop reading but I also didn't want it to be over. I do not often feel so about books. I was so invested in the story that 'the feeling that the end has come' was terrifying me.

We do have an ending. It isn't complete given that it is a duology and a cliff hanger was expected but I award this book with the best cliff-hanger ever written in a series. It made sure that everyone will not only fall in love with this book but also possibly fight the world to read the next installment.

Also, props to the author for how well she managed to highlight Kazs disability to be a strong trait of him and not a hindrance. Often, we see characters with disabilities that they have to overcome to win or find happiness. Leah Bardugo definitely will make them re-think.

I cannot wait to get on to 'The Crooked Kingdom'. The only good thing about reading this book so late is that I don't have to die waiting for the next part.

I would also like to add that the 'GRISHAVERSE' was a new concept to me and I was worried I wouldn't understand since I haven't read the 'Shadow and Bone' series as a lot of people claimed but I had no problem adjusting to it. Infact, can I please be a part of it? I'm tired of this universe now.

I rate the book 4.5/5. show less

4.5 stars, rounded up.
When I started this novel, I was skeptical. The blurb said it was a YA fantasy heist. It kind of sounded like a gimmick.

I shouldn't have worried; I was spellbound. Think of a mash-up of Ocean's Eleven and [b:The Lies of Locke Lamora|127455|The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)|Scott Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386924569s/127455.jpg|2116675], but in a YA context. Then throw in some romance, an intriguing magic system, and some seriously amazing female characters to the mix. Plus, the protagonist is an antihero. The characters were vivid, memorable, and treated with care. I cheered for their relationships and victories.

I haven't been able to sleep for two days because of the racing thoughts show more and palpitations this novel has given me. Which is probably why I'm writing this (probably incoherent) review at 2 in the morning. show less