Author: Leah Bardugo
Published: September 29, 2015
Pages: 465
Source: Library eBook
Goodreads
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.
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
Alright I had a day or two to think about this and finally I'm able to put my thoughts down coherently. Six of Crows was no doubt probably the most fun I've had in a book for a little while. I found myself pretty much jumping in my chair reading it sometimes. Everything I love about a book is here. Action, romance, thievery, badass teens, badass women, and impossible odds. I loved it. I remember talking to my boyfriend at Chili's the night after I finished it and I compared Kaz to Artemis Fowl (and then the two of us proceeded to nerd out over Artemis Fowl). This was definitely one of those high octane type of reads. I felt like I was in the middle of the action and the banter was just a really great addition to the novel. And there's no insta-love or shoe horned love triangle. All of the ships I want to go sailing off to the great seas of love and happiness came to me organically and I felt like they were all justified.
The Characters
Kaz: Like I said, I compared Kaz to Artemis Fowl. He was very much the young criminal mastermind type that I'm completely weak to (for real, I'll probably read any book that has this character trope). He has this dry sense of humor that I loved so much while also being incredibly calculating. If I was in the Dregs I'd probably be really bothered by all the times he would keep huge snippets of his plan out for the sake of safety. I understand the precaution, but ugh I hate not knowing the full plan. Also, disability! Characters with disabilities that aren't hindered by them! Also, he's totally rejecting his feelings for Inej, but come on man. It's Inej.
Inej: The Wraith. I just -sigh- I just really love everything about Inej. She's very stoic in that, "I'm the quiet assassin and kind of like the king pin's body guard" way, but she's also like a fifteen year old girl. She also has this kind of dry, straight forward humor but she's not afraid to stand up for herself. She tells Kaz that she's religious and she doesn't take any of his jabs at her beliefs to heart. She knows what she believes in and she respects Kaz for what he doesn't believe in. I also enjoyed how Inej and Kaz had this kind of silent friendship going. While she's probably forever in his debt, they have this unspoken bond for each other (that Kaz doesn't want to address mmm). Inej is also just inherently badass. I enjoyed her chapters the most. She was always really straight forward, but I like the little glimpses of the past that we got to see in the novel.
Wylan and Jesper: Sorry, I just have to write about them together because... um they need to be together. Like now. They have such a cute relationship that builds throughout the novel and they totally bond over really tense situations. As much as I love Kaz and Inej, I just need Wylan and Jesper to be happy together, really. Jesper has this way of making joking jabs at everyone and Wyland is very much the rookie who needs to pay his dues, but he's incredibly useful. It gets them out of a pinch or two (or twelve).
Nina and Matthias: Another pair I have to speak about together. They're past is so incredible and it's really interesting to see how Matthias changes throughout the novel. He probably has the biggest character arc in this novel, to be honest. He goes from being an extremely bigoted ex-soldier to being a traitor to his country for the girl he loves. Which, I know, sounds crazy--but when an entire country is slaughtering the people like your girlfriend because they're scared and don't understand their abilities, that's not that crazy. Nina is...lovely. I love Nina. Nina is like an older sister I want to have. She's incredibly caring and she protects the people she cares about like a mama lion. Her relationship with Inej is adorable, but also very motherly. Nina's the mama hen.
The Overall
So overall? I think this novel was a hell of a time. I wanted to keep reading and I was really upset when it ended with that movie type cliffhanger. You know what I mean, the ending where it just opens for a sequel but it's definitely THE ENDING for that specific installment. URRG.
This book had great writing, dynamic characters, diverse characters that weren't stereotypes or just sidekicks, amazing world building (helped from the Grisha novels I'm sure, but still), was incredibly addicting, and was a fast paced action I was hoping for it to be. Even though the novel switched between a number of character's point of view, everything is written in third person so you never lose track of who's mind you're in. It's more like looking at different angles than being in six different heads. Sometimes I felt that the plot was a bit predictable, but I was so engrossed in the novel that I didn't even care.
If you're into things like Artemis Fowl or Heist Society, I think you'll really enjoy this novel. This definitely wants me to start on the Grisha novels, though I have to find my copy of Shadow and Bone first.
Rating:
