Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: YA Fantasy
Blurb (on back of book):
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.
MY OPINION: ****
This book took me forever to finish for some reason. I started it a few months ago, forgot all about it, and just recently finished it this month. I think if I had read it all in one or two sittings, it would have been more engaging, but since I started again in the middle, it just wasn't as amazing as I think it could have been.
The book is very hyped up. I've heard SO many things about it and it's been on my to-read for a long time. There were a lot of things that I did love about it, but overall, I'm not sure if it lived up to my expectations. It might just not be my style of books I usually read, but I personally did not join the Six-of-Crows hype train.
The characters were beautifully written. This is a fact that cannot be disputed. All of them were unique and had such individual characteristics and personalities that made them likable (or unlikable) and real. I loved how I could easily see the differences between all of them, instead of them all fitting the same basic young-adult mold that many other fantasy series are guilty of.
Kaz Brekker is the epitome of the intriguing brunette-dark-mysterious-handsome-daddy-issues boy that comes with so many of these YA novels these days. I loved seeing the fierce, brave, closed-off side of Kaz as well as the soft, almost-loving version of him when he was with Inej. He's the leader of the motley crew and has one of the best backstories in my opinion. It hurt to see how he struggled with his past and his inner trauma and how he masked his pain with determination and a sort of isolated strength. I loved reading from his perspective and felt for him as he dealt with his anxiety and other mental-health issues by himself as he pretended to be stronger than he actually was. I hope that in the next book, the rest of his friends start to see the real him and realize that he's not the cold, calculated, Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker that he pretends to be.
Inej was one of my favorite characters. I loved her overall strength and bravery in the face of danger. Her backstory with Tante Heleen and her own trauma was very well-illustrated and I liked how the writer showed how it still impacted her in the present. "The Wraith" was almost just like Kaz, because she also hides her pain and trauma behind strength and an overall calmness. I ship her with Kaz because they're both so similar and can really learn a lot and help each other.
Matthias was my definitely one of my least favorite characters out of the crew. Something about his character was just not my favorite and I hated how he treated Nina. I do believe that he likes/loves her but at the same time, he treated her like trash half the time and his whole character and their relationship came off as a bit toxic to me. He's very ignorant and naive and is living under a brainwashed sense of life, as he has believed from a young age that all Grisha are bad. I hated how he didn't seem to be able to see past that stereotype and actually look at what was in front of him because it was really quite stupid and annoying.
I loved Nina and her character because she is both fierce and compassionate. I also loved her sarcasm, wit, and overall personality. I don't think Matthias deserves her and it would be nicer if she was either an independent woman or raised her standards and got over Matthias. I think I'm just biased against Matthias, though, because I know many people ship them. Nina represents the hardships of being a part of a "minority" group, as many people discriminate against her and judge her kind before getting to know her. I loved how she was still able to be strong in the face of prejudice because it was an admirable trait to have.
Wylan was so cute and I loved everything about him. He was so innocent and naive to the world that you can't help but automatically love him. I ship him so hard with Jesper and I can't wait to see how this relationship is explored and developed in the next book. I loved how Wylan was given a backstory with his father, even though it was heartbreaking to learn about how he was thought of and treated because he is illiterate.
Jesper was a polar opposite of Wylan. He is cocky, sarcastic, and an awful professional gambler. I loved how his character fit in with the group because he was more of a buffer than anything and always managed to keep the peace and raise the humor levels within the group. I hope to see more development of his character in the next book because I think there's a lot of potential.
The overall plot of this book was interesting enough. It reminded me of the Spanish show Money Heist, because this group of people set out to perform a so-called impossible task. Kaz is a powerful component of the gang known as the Dregs and is hired to perform a dangerous and impossible task with a hefty reward. I liked this idea because it was unique from most other YA novels and was more of an adventure story than a drama romance like I'm used to.
The world-building is immaculate and Bardugo is a beautiful writer. All of her descriptions seem to come to life and I loved the way that she managed to incorporate so much imagery into her novel without making it overly drawn-out and unrealistic.
I would recommend this book to readers looking for a beautifully-written, unique, adventure-esque YA fantasy novel.
Main Character: Kaz
Sidekick(s): Inej, Nina, Matthias, Wylan, Jesper, etc
Villain(s): Enemy gangs, jurda parem, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book was based on imaginary characters, worlds, and plot.
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