Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: Six of Crows #1

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Publication Date: September 29, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Length: 465 pages

Source: Borrowed

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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.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this! It reminded me a bit of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' but it's been years since I read that book so that may not be the best comparison. I liked learning about this new fantasy realm known as 'The Grishaverse'. I'm even more curious about the Grisha now and am wondering if I should read 'Shadow and Bone' next instead of just waiting for 'Crooked Kingdom'.

I loved the characters! All of the back story for the characters did seem to slow down the first half of the book but now I feel really attached to at least 4 out of the six main characters and can't wait to read the next book. If I had to pick a favorite it would either be Kaz with all his flaws or Inej with all her prowess. 

I think one of the only things that bothered me about this book was not learning more about the Grisha. We get Nina's backstory but I felt like there was something about the Grisha that wasn't being explained well enough in this book but might have been covered in The Grisha Trilogy. I don't know. I guess I just expected to learn more about them since the whole world seems to be based around these magical people.

Also, the guns and tanks threw me. I'm an old fashioned fantasy type of girl. Swords, staffs, bows and arrows, and every type of magic imaginable. Finding modern man-made items in a fantasy world just seemed really off and unexplained. Maybe it would have made more sense to me if it was a parallel universe to our own Earth or something. But I guess the heist wouldn't have planned out well without them so I'll give in.

Overall I really enjoyed Six of Crows but I'm beating myself up mentally over starting yet another series that is going to take years to finish.