Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Overview:

Kaz, leader of a gang and someone with an uncanny ability to get out of tight situations, receives an offer for a chance to become rich in exchange for breaking out a man with valuable and dangerous knowledge from the government of another territory, one that has never been breached. Kaz brings together a group of people he will need to pull off this mission but who also happen to be criminals. They journey to accomplish something that may not even be possible, that they will most likely get killed doing, and that they will have to trust each other to do.

My Thoughts:

So I’m going to start by saying that I was a little reluctant to read this book because 1) I knew a lot of people were raving about it and I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to all the buzz and 2) because according to the summary on the inside of the book, the story centers around a group of criminals attempting to pull of a heist which is different from the YA novels I usually go for that center around magic.

Six of Crows is an amazing and exciting read. I think it definitely deserves the hype it has gotten and that Leigh Bardugo has created an amazing world with some very interesting characters. Secondly, this book has more magic involved than I originally thought. The inside of the book does mention one of the characters uses magic to survive but it didn’t make it seem as though that played a big role in the book. Maybe I just didn’t read enough into it but I was pleasantly surprised on the magic front. The man Kaz and his group are after has a formula that can enhance the abilities of Grisha (people that can manipulate different elements such as water, wind, and fire and can heal or kill by controlling the body).

I appreciated the way the author wrote the characters into the story. At first, you are left wondering about each characters’ past and how they all ended up where they are. As you read, you find out more about each character and how it affects them working together. By the end of the book, I feel satisfied with what was revealed about each character; I’m not left with a gnawing feeling of having unanswered questions. I feel like she did a great job of establishing each character individually with the same amount of attention to detail going into each one.

The only major issue I had with this book is that Kaz and his team all set off on this task on the assumption that they will get paid and that the people paying them won’t use this guy and his formula for their own agenda. They’ve assured Kaz that they only wish to keep this guy and his knowledge a secret. Thinking as a criminal, I would be more than a little suspicious of that. I’m not saying my suspicions are founded, I’m just saying I would have been making my own plans. But knowing Kaz and his group, they will likely have their own plans.

This is my first Leigh Bardugo novel so I’m not super familiar with Grisha and the Grishaverse but this book makes me want to know more about the world she has created and makes me want to read her Grishsa Trilogy but I think I’ll start with the second book to Six of Crows.

Drop everything but this book and tell me what you think! If you like suspense and danger, then I think you will really enjoy this book!