Title: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Media: Hardcover

Pages: 465

Overall Rating:      5 flames 

Synopsis:

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.

 

This book came highly recommended to me by my best friend, Nicole, in the form of “READ THIS NOW” (aren’t those the best types of recommendations?).  But when she told me there was a trilogy set in the same world that was written first, I decided to make her wait to discuss Six of Crows with me until I had read the entire Grisha Trilogy first.

While this book can be read and completely understood without reading the Grisha Trilogy, I was very pleased that I decided to read it first. It added an extra depth of knowledge of the universe that I don’t think I would’ve gotten from reading Six of Crows alone. If you’re considering reading Six of Crows but haven’t read the Grisha Trilogy, I would highly recommend you do so first. Trust me.

Also, for anyone who read my review of Ruin and Rising (the last book in the Grisha Trilogy) you’ll know that I was highly let down by that conclusion.

Oh, Leigh Bardugo, you have definitely restored my faith in you with this book. While I loved every moment of Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows has found itself nestled right next to it in my opinion. This book was a hefty 465 pages, but it never felt dull or like it was dragging. With longer books, I tend to start thinking things like “hmm this part could have been cut” or “did the author really need to keep this in?”, but with this book I never had those moments.

I think one of the most refreshing things about this novel is that while there are elements of love stories throughout, they don’t seem to take center stage. This book is packed with action and character development and plenty of fight scenes to pack a punch. The angst-level is very low with this story and I am so, so happy about that. I think this is a young adult book that even guys can get on board with.

If I had one criticism of this book, it’s that I had a hard time picturing these characters as teenagers. Though Bardugo did remind the reader a few times with comments such as “they were just teenagers”, it just didn’t seem that realistic and if she hadn’t told everyone’s ages, I would’ve assumed these were adults in their 30’s.

This book is the first in a duology and the second, Crooked Kingdom, is scheduled to come out in September of 2016. As with most books in a series, this one ends on a cliffhanger that left me desperate for the sequel.

Leigh Bardugo has become a must-read author for me and I am so glad that I have powered through her novels in the past month or so. I can’t wait to see her at BookCon Chicago in May!