Title: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Release Date: September 29th, 2015
Standalone/Series: First book in the Six of Crows duology
Genre: Fantasy – Young Adult
Goodreads link
My rating in stars: 5 stars
My rating in words: New all-time favourite!
What it’s about:
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 are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
My thoughts:
“Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist.”
Leigh Bardugo did it again. I absolutely loved the Grisha trilogy and I adored this one just as much!
The world of the Grisha is just so beautiful and well written and I didn’t know how much I had missed it until I started reading this and was sucked right back in. This time we’re not in Russia-inspired Ravka anymore, but the world is expanding even more than before. We get to learn about Kerch and it’s Amsterdam-inspired Ketterdam. And not just that, but we also learn more about the other nationalities, like the Fjerdans and the Shu-Hans and it is glorious.
The plot is awesome in all it’s Ocean’s 11 like epicness. I read the last half in one sitting because I just COULD NOT STOP READING. It felt like I was right there with the crew pulling of the heist and it was one crazy, adrenaline-filled ride until the ending.
But what really surprised me were the characters. There are six characters and the book is told from different point of views. I’m a fan of multiple POV’s in a book, but usually there is always one or two I prefer over the others. And while reading the book I tend to get annoyed when I have to leave my favourite POV for a less exciting one. But that was so not the case in this book! Each character was equally well fleshed out, equally sympathetic and equally fun to read from their POV.
I loved them all. I loved Kaz with his criminal mastermind and his demons. I loved Inej and her never-ending strength and faith. I loved Nina and her devotion to do the right thing for her friends and her love for food. I loved Matthias and his struggle with his faith and his feelings. I loved Jesper and his witty comebacks. I loved Wylan and his intelligence and his cute bantering.
The development of the relationships between the characters was just perfect! Leigh Bardugo really knows how to write an ecclectic group of characters and make them all seem so real. As a reader you really believe and feel it when this group of outcasts goes from being a crew to being a family. And while the romance is more on the background, it is there and it is perfect. I think this book alone just gave me 3 new OTP’s.
I honestly can’t find a single flaw in this book. It is definitely a new addition to my all-time favourites and I can’t wait to start Crooked Kingdom!
Favorite quotes:
“Kaz leaned back. “What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?”
“Knife to the throat?” asked Inej.
“Gun to the back?” said Jesper.
“Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina.
“You’re all horrible,” said Matthias.”
“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
“Jesper knocking his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. “Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I’m going to get Wylan’s ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost.”
Brekker’s lips quirked. “I’ll just hire Matthias’ ghost to kick your ghost’s ass.”
“My ghost won’t associate with your ghost,” Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.”
“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you’ll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won’t matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.”
“I will have you without your armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”
“It’s not natural for women to fight.”
“It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”
“They fear you as I once feared you,” he said. “As you once feared me. We are all someone’s monster, Nina.”