Six of Crows | Book Review #15

Six of Crows is a gripping story of 6 misfits with one reckless plan setting out on a dangerous journey.

About the Book

Title: Six of Crows | By: Leigh Bardugo

Published: Henry Holt & Company | On: September 29th 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy | Series: Six of Crows #1 | Pages: 465

Format: Kindle ed. | Pace: Medium | Age: 12+

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 is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first

Goodreads

triggers: Slavery, Drugs, Drugging, Prison Camp, Haphephobia (Fear of Touch), Teen Prostitution

After reading Shadow and Bone trilogy I was doubting whether to read the next book of Grishverse. I really didn’t like the grisha trilogy. I liked the premise but the stories fell flat to me. There were so many raving about this book so I thought what was the fuss all about.

The writing in this book was stronger compared to the Grisha Trilogy. I ‘ll be comparing this book to that series so bear with me. The characters felt a bit stronger and had their own story to offer to me. Though it there are Six main charcters, I feel bad that Wylan didn’t get a chapter of his own. It feels unfair that he didn’t get his own chapter when two other charcters who were not that important got to tell their story.

This story is developed on whatever I read in the trilogy so it was easy for me to keep a track of things. There was hardly anything new that was introduced in this book except Jurda Parem and what it can do to Grisha. If you’re starting to read this series from this book and not have questions about the civil wars and the tension between Grisha and Fjerdans then I’d advise you to read Shadow and Bone and then start this one. You wont be missing out on much but if you’re a purist then that’s place you should start with.

The heist was the alluring part of this book. I was wondering how these 17 year-old characters were going to execute it and come back alive. I had my doubts and risking six lives for the sake of one man and 30 million kruge just felt reckless. But I liked how it was executed in the book. I must say I was impressed.

Okay now the characters. One thing I admire about LB books is that she knows how to leave an impression on me. I loved Inej and Nina. They were badass females who had to go through so many trials in life. Their past had made them strong and self-reliant. I’d have been happy to read the whole book from Inej’s POV.

Matthias was the outsider who became a crow later. I appreciate his innocence and his views but that guys was on the wrong side of the fence. It was good to see him finally realizng what the Fjerdans were actaully doding with the Grishas.

Though there are many chapters of this guy it felt mostly repetitive. Only in the end I understood why Kaz had to keep everything a secret from this guy, until then I was a bit irritated that he was left out in most of the plans of the heist or otherwise.

Now, Kaz Brekker was the most intriguing guy of this lot. He is an antihero. He was invincible and too sure of his plans and himself. Sometimes, I wanted to hit him but otherwise I was so drawn to see how his mind worked. I could never figure out his angle and kept me guessing what would he do now till the end. He was ten steps ahead of everyone mostly. He was a true trickster and the illusionist. I thought he was incapable of remorse but was proved wrong in some places.

The story was actually simple. It focused on one problem and was developed around it. This book was set in Ketterdam and Fjerda. It was a nice change from Ravka.

Overall, I loved this book. Some characters were well developed and this was better than the trilogy. I like the background stories which we got in glimpses that added weight to the characters.If you like heist stories then this the right book. I can guess what the next book might be on but that will have to wait for now.

No mourners, No Funerals.

Rating: 4

I was supposed to review These Violent Delights today, but I didn’t want to do it, instead decided to post this review. Let me know your thoughts on the book.