Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows, #1
published on September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
young adult | fantasy | romance

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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.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction–if they don’t kill each other first.

[PLOT] typical | not quite there yet | cute | unique | kicks serious ass | what’s going on?!
[PACING] snail’s pace | slow | just right | fast | holy crap just stop
[DIVERSITY] none :sadface: | some (minor characters) | LGBTQ | mental health | racial | religion
[ROMANCE] insta-love | realistically paced | slow-burn | love triangle | love square | I am confused | none | it’s complicated
[FEELS] swoons | tears | laughs | cries of frustration | eye rolls | pukes | snores | screams of horror | holy shits
[WRITING] flowery prose | conversational | choppy or cluttered | telling, no showing | info dump-y | simple
[ENDING] cliffhanger | open ending | satisfactory | was that an ending? | want moarrr
[RECOMMENDED?] heck no | to select people | mostly | YAS

***I borrowed an advance reader’s copy from the lovely Shannelle @ The Art of Escapism.

 

Readers, I would like you to say hello to the next big thing in the world of YA high fantasy—Six of Crows! This fantabulous book is filled with butt-kicking action, just-kiss-already romances and characters–basically everything you’re looking for in a book, no?

But I think, personally, that the best thing about Six of Crows is the amazing world filled with magic and hidden darkness. It was absolutely mesmerizing to be back in the whimsical Grishaverse. Despite being just a sort of companion series, Leigh Bardugo manages to create vivid imagery and give us thorough world-building.

The characters were pretty amazeballs as well. I mean, we have SIX points of view, and let me tell you–each one is as engrossing as the others. I was never bored, or more excited to read from a specific person’s POV, because they were all equally gifted with strong personalities. But a few were hard to get into at first. Let’s talk about each of them a bit:

1. Kaz – Maybe I orginally pictured Kaz as a stiff old man who bats his walking stick as little kids, but as we grew to know him better, I fell in love with his determination and extreme need.

2. Inej – Oh, do I adore Inej! This woman was so cunning and totally fierce. She (like the other characters) had such an intriguing, tough past.

3. Nina – I love how Nina is both hard and soft at the same time–she can be a kickass soldier, but also a loving friend. She’s hilarious, too.

4. Matthias – For some strange reason, I associate Matthias with an angry teddy bear. Odd, but it sort of makes sense with his soft/hard attitude, similar to Nina’s.

5. Jesper – Jesper’s the “joker” of the group, who I came to love even by the first chapter. He was incredibly funny, but also knew when to shut up and be serious.

6. Wylan – He’s the kind of guy everyone will hate at first because honestly, you’re probably going to picture a whiny wimp, but once you get to see his intelligent and adorably awkward personality, you’ll grow to love him.

I’m not sure if talking about the romances would be spoiler-y, but let’s just say that we have THREE main relationships in the book. I adored two and shipped them like crazy, but I’m still a bit iffy about the third since it’s still a bit shaky for me.

Then we have the butt-kicking action, which is pretty much already a given based on the synopsis. But I’m still happy to report that these scenes had me widening my eyes and flipping pages like there was no tomorrow! Because, you know. Battle scenes with magic and six badass heroes and heroines–hell yeah.

The pacing and writing made this book even more exceptional as well. Six of Crows was fast-paced but still pretty easy to follow. Add in Leigh Bardugo’s trademark magical writing and you have an addictive read!

Basically, y’all should get this book to experience its magic. ASAP. You know you want to.

About Aimee

Aimee loves being a little bookworm (okay–she doesn’t like being little). She also loves chocolates and sweets but is freaked out by the thought of possibly getting diabetes.

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