Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this story!
A fast-paced, heart-wrenching heist story with a smattering of magic for flavor. There's nothing I love more than a complex plot that comes together seamlessly, except when that plot is brought to life by characters who could walk off the page. Six of Crows delivered both.

Six of Crows takes place in the Grishaverse after the events of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. While reading the original series would provide some general background to the world, I don't think you'd be lost if you just picked up Six of Crows. Everything you really need to know is laid out in this book. I thinks that's partly because the Grisha magic is used mostly as a backdrop rather than a focal point, despite being the catalyst for the story, and partly because the story takes place in Ketterdam, which is barely touched on in the trilogy and therefore brought fully to life in these pages.

There are six main characters who make up the team who participates in this seemingly impossible heist. Each is unique, vibrant, and driven by different motivations. Kaz is clever, calculating, and ruthless. He's the brains of the operation. Inej is nimble, spiritual, and loyal. She's Kaz's right hand, and the one person he might actually trust. Jesper is a sharpshooter with a secret, and a gambler in all aspects of his life. Nina has a loud personality, full of confidence and conviction. Mattias is a soldier who's life and beliefs have been turned upside down. And Wylan is a lost boy looking for somewhere to belong. Together these misfits just might be able to do the impossible, but success will cost them dearly.

This is definitely a YA book (the characters are all teenagers), but I appreciate that it lacks the over-the-top angst so often equated with that genre. There are plenty of emotions present in this book, but they feel grounded and believable. I think anyone who enjoys a well-written fantasy with an Ocean's Eleven type plot will enjoy this book.

View all my reviews