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 … 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.
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I just finished rereading this and it’s just as great at the first time I read it! Leigh Bardugo never fails with her top notch world-building and the pacing of her stories. You can’t help but get sucked into this vivid world that she’s built. She’s created a cast of misfit characters that you can’t help but cheer for. I cannot wait to get started on the second book of the duology, Crooked Kingdom!
This book is pure perfection to me. The story is amazing and the pacing is good, keeps you guessing. The characters grow on you and you slowly start loving them all, even if they are criminals and not the nicest people all the time. It’s everything I could ever ask in a novel, other then I want more books but it is only a duology for now.
Finally a book that lives up to its hype! This is my first Leigh Bardugo read, but I can’t wait to devour book two of this duology and then go back and read the trilogy set in the same world. A dark fantasy with vivid world-building, unreliable and morally ambiguous yet immensely likable characters, and searing action… this book was deeply satisfying.
A couple favorite quotes:
“Trickery is not my native tongue, but I may learn to speak it yet.”
“She’d laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.”
“‘It’s not natural for women to fight.’
‘It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.'”
Just got back from vacay where I meant to read a lot of books but instead kept falling asleep at the beach. (Waves so soothing). I did read a handful, including Six of Crows.
This book was REALLY hyped so I’d been avoiding it, bc I generally hate hyped books. But I liked it! It’s marketed as YA fantasy though it reads more like adult fantasy (multiple POVs, higher stakes, morally ambiguous protags). I think it’s probably more mind-blowing if you don’t normally read adult fantasy. I thought it was technically better than the author’s previous trilogy, though her other books gave me a lot more FEELS.
In any case, very fast-paced, characters were sympathetic. Settings were GREAT. Takes place in an Amsterdam inspired city then moves to frozen northern wastes (kind of put me in mind of Avatar). Will def be reading next in series!
An excellent Young Adult fantasy book with magic and pain and angst and, oh my goodness, that cliff hanger ending! The second book is out, though, so you can read it right away if you’d like. I still think about these books and these characters several years later. One of my all-time favorite reads. Highly recommended. Also, for what it’s worth, this book helped inspire my book Alpha Heat, though I doubt anyone would see how but me.
I loved this book!! It was character driven, well written, and amazing! It’s multiple POV and each character had depth and layers that were waiting to be pulled down and revealed. Seriously deserves all the stars in the universe. Kaz had to be my favorite character! Who was yours?
I started reading Six of Crows and I fell completely in love with it. Bardugo is an excellent storyteller with a gift for characterization and detail that is every writers dream. The storyline for Six of Crows is complex and intriguing and requires narrative expertise to follow the complicated relationship between SIX different POVs in a ragtag group of criminals that don’t even always trust each other.
Bardugo accomplishes this task and exceeds expectations. The story is so well written I often found myself forgetting I was reading and instead became completely immersed in the world she built. I found myself rooting for and siding with the characters (my favorite being Inej) as they worked together to beat seemingly insurmountable odds. Six of Crows is well written and enchanting and I can’t wait to read more of Bardugo’s work.
From start to finish, this book had me enthralled, awed, and totally engaged. The world-building (I’m a total sucker for kickass work-building), the characters, the heist—all of it was just perfect. I will say it took me a couple chapters to get the lay of the land (I had to reread/listen to the first two chapters 3 times before I felt like I kind of understood what was going on), but once I felt comfortable, it was smooth sailing.
The author’s turns of phrase were stunning. I was insanely jealous of her talent as I read. One might go so far as to call her a Fabrikator of words. The richness of backstory took a lot of thought and heavy plotting. It was beautiful to watch the characters’ stories unfold alongside the twisty plot that kept me guessing.
I listened to a lot of the book on Audible, but I had issues with Kaz’s narrator. He really rubbed me the wrong way, like he was going for a way over-the-top Jack Nicholson vibe. To me, it didn’t fit Kaz’s character at all, so I stopped listening and read the last 25-30% on my Kindle. Much better. I really enjoyed the other narrators and liked that they were different for each character.
Kaz and Inej were my absolute favorite characters. The tension between them is off the charts. Just PERFECT! The other characters had fascinating back stories too, but I enjoyed watching Kaz and Inej’s character growth the most.
There are a million other things I could say about the book, but my mind is whirling. I need to read the next one in this series soon. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Oh, and I didn’t mind the cliffhanger at all. I thought it was a great lead-in to the next book.
I recommend SIX OF CROWS to readers looking for a mashup of Oceans Eleven and Firefly set in an alternative Dutch-like fantasy setting. Those details aside, ANYONE would enjoy this book. It’s masterfully crafted and executed. Definitely give it a shot!
This was a delightful heist fantasy. Six of Crows is clever, surprising, and just plain fun, with a wonderful cast of tortured teen characters who are each fighting their own demons as they work together to pull off an “impossible” job. In many ways, this read like an adult fantasy, not YA—I could have easily believed that the characters were in their mid-twenties. I think that speaks to Leigh Bardugo’s ability to craft diverse characters with a lot of depth, but as someone who reads both adult and YA fantasies, it warped my expectations a bit—the plot and story do follow more traditional YA standards, and I would have loved to see what Leigh could have done if this were an adult fantasy instead. But overall, I really enjoyed reading this and can’t want to dive into book 2!
I’ve read this book several times and the characters (esp Kaz) have taken up residence in my head. Delightful world building and unique setting!
Before you even start reading you see the beautiful design – inside and out. The map is lovely, and every chapter comes with a pretty design, too. I love it for all that alone!
There are six main characters in this, and most of them were introduced in one chapter which felt a little overwhelming. For a little while I wasn’t sure who was who, but as the book progresses it gets easier and it didn’t take too long before I could sort the names to a specific character. Even if I couldn’t pronounce half the names 😛
I was told that I’d love Kaz, and I do! I love a good anti-hero, and this book has six of them. What more do you need? <3 Inej was my favourite, but it's not easy to chose from so much awesomeness.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong. There is so much going on behind the scenes and in the characters' minds that I have no idea how Bardugo managed to keep it all straight, but I salute her for it.
While there are no romantic relationships in this novel there is lots of potential for future love relationships. I kept wanting to push all the potential couples together and make them kiss since they wouldn't do it on their own! Their stubbornness was driving me mad! 😛
Six of Crows is full of realistic, well thought-out characters who never swerve from their personalities and who don't disappoint. The world itself is believable and amazing, too, and it's easy to see how much work has gone into creating it.
Six of Crows is the first in the duology that concluded with Crooked Kingdom, which I have already recommended. I have read and enjoyed Leigh’s other grisha books very much, but felt these two were even better. The “world building”, as they say, was excellent. I love how she nods to real places (I keep imagining Amsterdam) and yet twists them into new places. This story is about a group of six people, from various backgrounds, who come together on a heist. The story is in each of their “voices” in various chapters which I also think is a clever way to get their different perspectives. The action ebbs and flows at a nice rate. Love this one.
I love a good heist story, and this one has thieving and sneaking in spades. The worldbuilding made the biggest impression on me, however. Bardugo’s skill with setting is unrivaled, and her characters feel so real–products of their own twisted backstories and the magical world Bardugo has created. I highly recommend this one to all lovers of fantasy.
YA Fantasy Meets Mission Impossible!
Do you love books with well-woven plots? With armloads of meandering strings that twist and turn and suddenly all come together into one brilliant heist? Then you’ll love this one!
For me, the best books always start with great characters, and Six of Crows features some of my favorites. Their back stories are spaced out, presented only when we need them, never breaking the action but lending the entire read an extra layer of depth. (I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks, but these were done so seamlessly that I actually started to like them!)
As magnetic as the characters are, the universe is just as enticing. Magic and pistols together? Count me in. Plus, the magic users aren’t all-powerful. The limitations make the magic seem all the more realistic, which makes the plot edge-of-your-seat exciting.
Not to mention those twists and turns. I’m usually good at seeing what’s coming, but Leigh Bardugo is a master of setting up the reader’s expectations and then breaking them, always in a believable way, so we’re never quite sure what’s going to happen.
This ragtag team of “heroes” with major trust issues, who care about each other without admitting it even to themselves, is one I’ll be following to the end.
I really liked the characters the Leigh created in this story. I was drawn in and couldn’t wait to see how they got out of their impossible situation.
Lo and behold, for it hath come to pass yet again: I’ve solidly put my foot in my mouth. Leigh Bardugo is not only a great author, but she’s already an accomplished one – here I was thinking Six of Crows was her debut!
For a YA fantasy novel, it is well written, with clear character plot lines and nuanced development. Bardugo crafts a unique and interesting world and despite this, the microcosm of Kaz and company is surprisingly intimate. You learn a lot about these characters, such that I’d say a good third of book is comprised of flashbacks providing context. It makes you become invested in them, wanting more. Which leads me to my one objection: this book could have been more. Not better – it’s already good – but more.
For YA, it’s great. That’s my caveat. It’s more than great. The writing is leagues better than anything you’d see in Maze Runner or even Hunger Games. Against its peers, this books stands out with a pile of charismatic characters, a fast-paced plot and wonderful, gritty blood-magic ideas. However, it falls short in comparison to real fantasy novels. She could have gone so much deeper with this book. I’ll not complain about a good book, I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was a marketing decision; target your niche.
But if you’re looking for some clarification on what I mean, look up Brandon Sanderson’s The Reckoners Series . You’ll see what happens when world-class authors write for YA readers.
Probably my favorite installment in the Grisha universe yet (barring only The Language of Thorns – this rag-tag band of thieves pulling off an impossible heist is just so much fun, and the cast of characters is so endearing and richly crafted.
Having read the Grisha books and enjoying them, I was excited to read the Six of Crows duology. Both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdoms blew me away. Incredible stories of fantasy and adventure with excellent writing and characters who have stayed with me. I’m a romance writer, and I read a lot of romance books, and I think it’s worth mentioning that Bardugo creates such angst and tension with her characters, it’s heartbreaking.
So, it’s not often that I feel this way when I read a book that has multiple POVs, but I loved every single POV character in Six of Crows. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan are all interesting, fleshed out characters with tragic back stories that push them forward. They have strengths, weakness, dreams, and quirks.
Plus, the story itself is full of surprises. After I finished this book, I ran to the library to get Crooked Kingdom. I enjoyed these more than the first Grisha book, too!
Leigh Bardugo’s writing is sublime. The characters might just be the best I’ve ever read. A ragtag group of broken underdogs facing off against an entire world that looks down on them. Watching them outsmart, outgun, and outdo their “betters” is immensely satisfying. This is a cast I would be glad to read about over and over again. I don’t think I could ever get tired of Kaz’s schemes, Inej’s daring stunts, Jesper’s wit, Nina and Mathias’s banter, etc. etc. Not ever.