"'When everyone knows you're a monster, you needn't waste time doing every monstrous thing.'"
My Rating: ★★★★★
Genre(s): Young Adult Fantasy
Publication: September 29, 2015 (Square Fish)
Synopsis:
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.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo returns to the breathtaking world of the Grishaverse in this unforgettable tale about the opportunity--and the adventure--of a lifetime.
Review:
After doing a reread of the Shadow and Bone trilogy earlier this year in anticipation of the Netflix show (books = not great; show = amazing), I started Six of Crows for the first time, since the show blends the events of Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. I'd remembered the original trilogy fondly, but upon rereading it . . . I was very disappointed. It's just not great. It's not horrible, either, but it was definitely not as good as I'd remembered it being. So, when I moved on to Six of Crows, I was a bit nervous that I was wasting my time and that I wouldn't like it any better than the original trilogy.
NOPE.
News flash: Six of Crows is incredible, and it is lightyears better than the original Grishaverse trilogy. The six main characters--the Crows-- are so distinct, complex, flawed, and loveable. They are some of the most well-developed characters I've read about, and they don't easily blend in with the other common character archetypes in the YA genre. They are so well-crafted that they are easily recognizable outside of the context of the story. For example--have you ever scrolled through Instagram and found character art that you thought was from one book, but it was actually from another book entirely? This doesn't happen with the Crows, as they are so real that most artists are able to capture them in ways that make them distinguishable from the rest. Does that make sense, or am I just rambling here?
"No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck.'"
The story is told from the perspectives of each of the Crows, and as the plot progresses, the reader learns more and more about each Crow through flashbacks. The way that these flashbacks relate to what is happening in the present is nothing short of masterfully done, and I think this plays heavily into the strong character development. These flashbacks also help the reader to slowly become better acquainted with each character, and they are helpful in understanding why each character makes the decisions that they do. To tell this story without the flashbacks would significantly worsen the quality of the story and the characters.
"'I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.'"
While I love all of the Crows, Kaz and Inej are by far the most interesting. Their relationship is complicated, and while they are not romantically involved, each is the other's favorite person. Kaz and Inej are each other's mirrors in the sense that they show each other what they could be, for better or for worse. Both are violent, ruthless, and cunning criminals who have been irrevocably and horribly wronged, but while Kaz has allowed this to make him monstrous, Inej remains hopeful despite her circumstances. Kaz shows Inej the monster she could be, while Inej shows Kaz that kindness can prevail in the wake of tragedy. This dynamic makes their interactions on the page both intense and enjoyable, as the reader is left constantly hoping that the two will meet in the middle--the makings of a pair of kind monsters.
“'Greed is your god, Kaz.'
He almost laughed at that. 'No, Inej. Greed bows to me. It is my servant and my lever.'"
Anywho, though the characters easily make this book what it is, the plot is interesting, too. It's a heist to end all heists--infamous street urchin and crime lord Kaz Brekker, with the help of a misfit crew of five other teens (who, for the most part, he barely knows), must break into one of the most secure prisons in the world to retrieve a prisoner with a secret that, in the wrong hands, could destroy the world. It's very much a page-turner, as even with Kaz's best laid plans, you can be sure that everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. There are so many twists and turns, and it's super satisfying to see how the Crows' ingenuity gets them out of tough situations.
“'The easiest way to steal a man’s wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch. You take his attention and direct it where you want it to go.'”
Six of Crows is about a group of underdogs overcoming impossible odds. It's about thwarting bigotry, defying expectations, and reclaiming identity. Though it's the first book in a spin-off series, it is leagues ahead of the original Grishaverse books. If you didn't like the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I strongly encourage you to give this book a chance. Ketterdam is a completely different world from Ravka, and its street urchins are much more compelling than the noblest of Ravka's Grisha.
Content Warnings: death, violence, addiction, sexual assault, murder