Title: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2015
Format: Paperback
Length: 462 pages

Rating:

I absolutely LOVED the Shadow and Bone series, and ever since I devoured that trilogy, I’ve wanted to pick up the Six of Crows duology. I was a little worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations for the Grishaverse, but I needn’t have been concerned, because I might like Six of Crows even more than the original series.

This book was fantastic. I loved the heist premise and all the antics and plotting that came alongside it, and the characters are some of my favourites of all time. The connection to the Grishaverse was also perfectly executed, as it was related understandably, but with a plot that still easily stood on its own. 

There was so much to love about this book, and so many angles to explore through the rotating perspectives that I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved Six of Crows, and I can’t wait to finish off the duology with Crooked Kingdom.

Fair warning: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t read this book.

The Book: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows takes place sometime after the Shadow and Bone trilogy has ended, far away from Ravka in a bandit-ridden city called Ketterdam. In Ketterdam, being a Grisha is dangerous, and a slave trade runs rampant, supplying the city itself and the countries of Shu Han and Fjerda with the magicians of the small science.

We’re quickly introduced to a whole cast of characters, including Kaz Brekker, a notorious gang leader and entrepreneur in one of the shadier areas of Ketterdam. Kaz has been using violence and crime since he was a child to try to build a better life for himself, so when a wealthy merchant offers him the opportunity of a lifetime to lead a heist that will allow both him and his crew to escape the iron grip of poverty in which they find themselves, he can’t resist.

The heist involves stealing a Shu scientist from the clutches of the Fjerdan government. The scientist has invented an extraordinarily dangerous drug called jurda parem that augments the abilities of a Grisha to exceptionally dangerous levels and renders them completely addicted to the drug instantaneously. The merchant council in Ketterdam believes that widespread use of the drug would lead to significant civil unrest and, potentially war, as Grisha are exploited for their abilities and made into slave soldiers. To prevent this, Kaz is tasked with capturing the Shu scientist who invented it and bringing him to Ketterdam before the Fjerdan government can harness the new drug and create their own force of powerful Grishas.

Kaz assembles a crew of thieves and criminals from across Ketterdam and quickly embarks on the quest to save the scientist, but working with criminals means bringing along significant baggage. Each of those on the team has their own baggage and reasons for needing the payout the heist will bring, and breaking into the world’s most notorious prison will push each of them to decide where their loyalties truly lie and what they’re willing to do to cash in on the prize of a lifetime.

The Review

In Six of Crows, Bardugo has extended the Grishaverse in such a natural and interesting way that I was immediately captivated once again. There’s a clear connection with Shadow and Bone and several mentions of core characters from the series, but this book allows us to see more perspective from the countries that surround Ravka, getting to know their motivations and experiences with the Grisha, which are quite different from the original trilogy. I’ve loved everything about the world that Bardugo has built in these series, and Ketterdam was no exception.

The plot in this book was also wonderfully intricate and well-executed. I always love a heist premise, and I felt like this one was particularly well done. I loved that while working towards the ultimate crescendo of the narrative, we got to see the cultural implications of the other countries and the history behind the relations between them. Shadow and Bone was very Ravka-heavy, but in Six of Crows, you get a combination of Fjerdans, the Shu Han, and Ravkans. It well and truly felt like a multicultural world as opposed to one specific setting.

The characters in this book were the highlight of the reading experience for me. Typically rotating through so many perspectives in a first book can daunting, but was perfect here. Kaz is the fantastic depiction of a morally grey main character, and I loved the way that Inez both mirrored and contrasted him in different ways. Matthias and Nina had probably the most heartfelt connection, and Jordie and Jesper brought the humour and comic relief, but it was the combination of all of them that was magic. They were so well-balanced and there was so much to unpack through their unique histories that I genuinely enjoyed each perspective.

There was so much to love about this book, and the quick pace and twist ending left me wanting more. I can’t wait to pick up Crooked Kingdom. These characters are ones that I’m so excited to revisit, and I’m already wishing there were more books in this series.