“ A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.”
Leigh Bardugo first published her trilogy series Shadow & Bone in 2012, and it was later adapted into the popular Netflix series. Even though the show was a hit from the start, the book trilogy took some time to gain popularity. However, her second series, Six of Crows, gained massive popularity instantly.
The story follows six thieves who were hired to break a mysterious someone out of an impenetrable fortress, and takes place in the fantasy city Ketterdam.
To be honest, I started Six of Crows with little expectations. But from the first couple of pages, I found myself engrossed in the story. Before I knew it, I finished the book and was eager to read what was next.
Now hear me out; I didn’t expect much from Six of Crows because I liked Shadow & Bone but didn’t love it. This book, along with others such as A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, has been widely raved about. In every video I saw talking about the book, all I heard were things like, “an incredible masterpiece” and, “it’s so good that I have re-read it so many times.” This was one of those books, like It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, where I had friends who aren’t readers tell me that they were surprised by how good the book was. So I figured that it would be the same for Six of Crows. Another “good but not the best” type of book.
I was wrong.
Bardugo truly does an amazing job of creating characters that grow as the story goes on. The way Inej was portrayed with her internal dilemma of doing the right thing despite being a murderer was phenomenal.
Nina viewing things in a positive light despite the terrible things that she went through was one of the things that made her such a great character. Jesper’s witty comments really added lightheartedness to a serious mood.
I especially loved how Kaz, being the manipulative and terrible protagonist he is, manages to be a complex, dimensional character who develops into someone who cares for his friends (he would never admit it out loud though).
The other characters ,Wylan and Matthias, were amazing as well, but because they aren’t “main characters” in this book, we as readers don’t get to see much development of them at all, making it hard to comment on their appeal.
Bardugo throws the reader into the main plot from the first words of the first page and manages to keep you engaged throughout the book. The book has multiple point-of-views, allowing readers to see each character’s story, showing us who they are, and allowing us to see development. I loved being able to see how they all viewed the same situation in such different ways. Usually, I’m not a fan of multiple points of view books because it’s almost never done right and ends up making storylines confusing. However, I thought that it was done really well in Six of Crows. The different points of view really opened up my eyes to see the full story and the world that Bardugo is trying to illustrate.
The book also has what I consider the perfect mix of romance and action, which I personally loved between Inej and Kaz. They have so many small moments and the build-up to their relationship is insane. I also found myself rooting for other main characters like Nina and Matthias, who unexpectedly became some of my favorite characters. If you aren’t someone who particularly loves romance, don’t worry; this book’s main theme isn’t romance. The majority of the story is action-packed along with some mystery.
Because the romance doesn’t overshadow the main plot of the story, the plotline is truly able to develop into the captivating story it is. The story’s perfect balance of suspense, action, and romance kept me from getting bored with the book, and it appeals to not only romance lovers but fantasy lovers too. The story allowed me, and others, to read multiple genres I love in one sitting.
There wasn’t a moment in the book where I wasn’t on the edge of my seat experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. On one page I felt joy and on the next, heartbreak. By the end of the book I had cried, laughed, and fallen in love with both the characters and the story itself. Many times I swore I knew what was coming, and then I would flip the page, and BOOM! plot twist. This book was everything that everyone said it was, and truly deserves all the hype that it gets. I can definitely say that I not only like Six of Crows, but also love it.
If you haven’t read it, or it’s been on your “to-be-read list,” what are you waiting for? I can guarantee you that you will want more after reading this. And thankfully this book is the first in a trilogy! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
