Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I received this book for free from Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

WHOA. WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!

I rarely flail with much vigor and enthusiasm, but oh my lanta, this book was made of amaze-balls and epic-sauce. I am just blown away by how much I enjoyed this and how much I was on my toes the entire time. From start to finish, I was engrossed 101%. This was sublime storytelling, characterization, and action, everyone. Top-notch. Boom, pow, period.

For days I have been struggling to read. I’d open a book and then get bored in the first 10 pages. I’ve started and ended at least 5 books without even getting past 10% because they just weren’t grabbing my attention. It seriously made me so sad that I wasn’t able to finish a book at a steady pace… before finishing Six of Crows, my Goodreads challenge was pathetically six books behind schedule. SIX BOOKS! How could I possibly call myself a legit book blogger when I allowed myself to be behind 1 book behind schedule?!

So color me happy when I finally opened my copy of Leigh Bardugo’s newest work, courtesy of Shannelle @ Art of Escapism who lent it to me (thanks, doll! I owe you one!). Truthfully, considering my rather bad streak the week before, I feared that this one would be just like the others – uninspiring and lackluster. However, my fears were absolutely unfounded as from the very first page, this book held me and never let me go. It felt so, so good to finally have a book I could easily immerse myself in. The six characters were amazing and well-developed, the plot was intriguing, intense, and well thought-out, and the stakes were so, so high that I dared not blink lest I miss a scene. Do you know how rare it is to find all these three in a book nowadays?! DO YOU?!

First of all, the six characters – Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan. I’ve read multiple-pov books before and truth be told, 7 times out of 10, they are not written well, becausewith so many characters and backstories and development to feature, they end up being muddled and being only skin deep. They, most likely than not, end up being so over the place that they end up underwhelming. That’s why I am so gleeful that Bardugo wrote them extremely well here – there were six and yet their different personalities and motives were effectively portrayed, their backstories given equal spotlight, their character developements steadily and amazingly done. Like goodness, how can an author do that while also taking into account their goal: to infiltrate a seemingly impenetrable prison fortress and smuggle a highly valuable man whose work may launch the work into absolute chaos.

Yeah, think about that.

Leigh Bardugo, you are a beast, I tell you.

And seriously, dude, if you think this book is about six godly characters who never encounters a single problem, think again. One of the main reasons why this book really enthralled me was because even though these people were good at what they do, they were never immune to hardships. There were definitely near death instances; they made hard decisions with grave consequences; they made lapses in judgement. Things were never handed to them in silver platter, so it was so exciting to follow their adventure and see how they’ll overcome it, working their asses off in order for the plan to follow through. And the best part? The romances (yes, ROMANCES. There are three ships here y’all!) never took center stage. They were in the background most of the time, and oftestimes were touched every time the book talks about the character’s observation about their surroundings and situation. And they always, always, ALWAYS moved with the plot.

And can I just say I ADORE the characters? I ADORE THEM. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. I NEED TOY FIGURES OF THEM. MACMILLAN, MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

Seriously, pre-order this book, guys. I have no fucking doubt you’ll adore it to kingdom come. Beautifull-written, action-packed, with memorable and rootable characters whose kickass-ness will make you squeal with glee. Woot, woot!

4.5 Hot Espressos

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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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