Recent Reads: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Series: Six of Crows #1
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date:  

 

Format: Paperback (and Audible audiobook)
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:

Goodreads 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

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

Review: 

This book has been on my TBR for far too long. I wanted to get into the Grishaverse without committing to a full trilogy so the Crows duology seemed like a good place to begin.  

This was such a fun read, a dark and immersive fantasy with a world that is strange but familiar. It is told from multiple point of view and each character is stubborn, determined, and has their own demons to deal with. The plot follows a team of misfit, criminals who were paid to go retrieve a person from a fortress city and return him in order to keep the secrets of a drug that makes the Grisha all-powerful all the more secret. They have to buy, steal, and cheat their way through and it is an epic adventure.

Each character is fun to read, there was not POV that I wanted to skip through. It seems like they are all in their teens but they read as much older and either way is fine. The world that they live in makes them grow up and mature quickly, it is nor a soft world.  Although they are all alike in many ways, each was also very different in their reasons for wanting to escape their home city and get the payout. The banter between them all was so funny and had me hooked from the first few lines.

Some things of note, this book is not for the faint of heart, there were a few very graphic and gory moments...they are criminals after all. There are themes of slavery and brothels, so while some see this as a YA book, I put it more in the New Adult/Adult category for more mature themes and violence. 

If you like a book with twists, adventure, multiple POV, fantasy, magic, and LOADS of characters to follow, this is a great book. Overall, I loved this book and already have recommended it...and bought the next one to keep reading.