Book Review | Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo

I received this book for free from BookExpo in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on September 29, 2015
Genres: Fantasy YA, Thieves, Young Adult
Pages: 465
Format: ARC
Also by this author: Shadow and Bone
Source: BookExpo
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five-stars

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

I’m going to let you all in on a tidbit of information about SIX OF CROWS: I finished reading it in October (of LAST YEAR). I know. I’ve been feeling a little unmotivated to review lately. Well, not to review but to WRITE reviews. I guess that’s kind of the same thing, but anyway. I have a list of books that I am really encouraging myself to review first thing in 2016, and SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo is one. Because true story? I love it more than the Grisha Trilogy. I do. Just sitting down to write this review is making me want to read it again. Like, REALLY BADLY.

In SIX OF CROWS we get to experience a completely different part of the world of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy. We heard mention of the city of Ketterdam in those books, but SIX OF CROWS is where we really get all up in it, and it’s nothing like the Ravka we know. (Makes sense, since it’s a different place.) Ketterdam is a bustling port city built on canals, and the criminal underworld is composed of a bunch of gangs. One of them–arguably the best one–the Dregs, is led by the enigmatic, magnetic Kaz Brekker. When Kaz is approached by a wealthy influential member of the Ketterdam elite to steal something that’s basically two steps down from priceless, he puts together a team to get it. There’s danger, lies, death, feelings, and action all over the place.

There are few things I enjoy more than a solid heist story, and Leigh Bardugo really knocks it out of the park with SIX OF CROWS. All of the members of Kaz’s team have their own talents that add value to their efforts, some of them are magical-ish, some of them are not. But this crew of young people–Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan–are so varied, skilled, and complex that they create this unputdownable book. Seeing them “work” together, sometimes unsuccessfully, to reach their goal just gives me thrills. And if I haven’t mentioned it before, let me mention it now: I LOVE reading or watching plotting scenes. LOVE THEM. Like, after each of the members of the crew has gone out and done some reconnaissance and everyone meets back to up to share and plan…I can’t even. When things come together? I have no words. And because some of these crew members have pasts together or maybe futures, their interactions are full of sparks and attitude. SIGH.

Of course, there would be no SIX OF CROWS, no Dregs, no anything without Kaz Brekker. He’s not the easiest guy to like, but UGH I LOVE HIM. He’s so intriguing and mysterious, and he has this shell that’s so hard to penetrate. He’s clever and confident and driven. But he’s also haunted by his own past and it’s shaped him so irrevocably and I just want to give him hugs, except he’s not into that warm fuzzy stuff, I think. He has a WONDERFUL relationship with Inej–INEJ! She’s amazing–that’s hard to describe but maybe not figure out. Does that even make sense. Not sure, but I loved them, independently and together.

I also loved Nina and Matthias. GOD THESE TWO. So much hate and so much anger and despair and love and EVERYTHING. The sparks that these two set off are outstanding.

One of the other great things about SIX OF CROWS is that it brings us to all these new places in the world Leigh Bardugo has created. Ketterdam, obviously, but also Djerholm, the capital of Fjerda, the frozen north. I love getting to explore the whole world and see the different cultures, a prime example of which is Fjerda. They have some really interesting rituals for their soldiers that, if I’m remembering correctly (October), are a little faith-based, but nothing like the faith we knew in Ravka.

(Speaking of Ravka, I’m pretty sure Alina is mentioned, but I’m wasn’t sure while reading and can’t remember now when SIX OF CROWS takes place in relation to the Grisha Trilogy. I’m assuming also that this is not secret information and I’ve just missed it somewhere.)

As often goes with heists, there are wrenches in the works, things don’t necessarily turn out how they are planned, and there are unexpected twists. SIX OF CROWS is fast-paced, character-driven, vibrant, and suspenseful. The way things are left make it so that I can barely wait another second for CROOKED KINGDOM. I miss these characters and these places so much.