Book Review: Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: September 29th 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Age Group: Young Adult

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.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

First, let me just say this: Six of Crows is even better than the Grisha trilogy. This baby didn't just blow those books out of the water, it stringed them up, took a bite out of each of them, and shot them in the chest before hacking them into pieces. Yeah, this baby's somewhat violent. Apologies.

Set in the same world as the original trilogy, the similarities between this book and the first three really does quite end there. Six of Crows is more mature in tone and, despite the multiple perspectives, it actually tugged more of my heartstrings than the original trilogy. And I personally find it more fun to read about juvenile bastards than heroes, so just read this book and judge it yourself.

A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.

We see underdogs in almost every single story we follow, be it in books or movies, but these particular six are just so damn special and unforgettable. They each have their vulnerabilities and weaknesses, each with their own demon chasing after them, but when used against them, it cripples them only for a second before empowering them to make the hard choices, and it is in these moments that they shine brightest. But perhaps what I enjoyed more was seeing them work and putting their talents together, because that is when we see that they truly will give their enemies a run for their money.

"Sure of yourself, aren't you, Brekker?"

"Myself and nothing else."

But I think most would agree with me when I say that Kaz Brekker is the star of the show. Not even fifty pages in and already we are sampled the delight that his character is. Merciless, greedy, and unforgiving, he's the one most enshadowed in mystery, and for the most part we are kept guessing at just what motivates this monster of a boy, what skeletons he has in his closet, why he does what he does and why he is what he is. This role is usually reserved for the villain, but Leigh Bardugo has tastefully given that treatment to this main character, and I just enjoyed every single moment that we see deeper into him.

They say nothing is perfect, but Six of Crows comes pretty damn close to it. Complete with boys who like boys and girls who like to kick ass, it had me hooked from start to finish, no matter if I was reading it in the middle of a busy hallway or in bed after almost twenty-four hours without sleep. Now that I think about it, I have absolutely nothing to complain about with regard to this book - oh, maybe except that ending, because it has me craving for the sequel like a Grisha on parem, ergo Leigh Bardugo is cruel.

MY FAVORITE PART was 

"I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all."

#FEELS #DEAD

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