This book was a fun high fantasy read involving a heist. The world building took me a little time to absorb but as it progressed I was very engaged with the story. With multiple POV books I find myself favoring one character or a few but with this book I was interested in them all. I found the ending not very rewarding. It was more convoluted as if the author was forcibly trying to set up for a sequel but I still think it was worth a read. I found the characters a little too clever but I allowed some suspension of disbelief for entertainment purposes. The few romance moments are also awkwardly placed. ( )

from Laura:

Meet my new favorite YA series: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, taking place in the same world as her Grisha trilogy. I love heist stories, and this one has got it all: a richly imagined fictional world, a gang of well-drawn underdogs, and snappy dialog that kept me laughing throughout the book. Though I guessed one of the big plot twists, the story stayed exciting and unpredictable, with the actual heist taking up a good half of the book. I can't wait for the sequel.

I was delighted to find a couple of detailed maps by Keith Thompson (who illustrated Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series, which I always recommend to anyone who will listen). I wish there had been more illustrations.

Favorite quotes:

"Greed is your god, Kaz."
He almost laughed at that. "No, Inej. Greed bows to me. It is my servant and my lever."
"And what god do you serve, then?"
"Whichever will grant me good fortune."
"I don't think gods work that way."
"I don't think I care."

"How do you get your information, Mister Brekker?"
"You might say I'm a lockpick."
"You must be a very gifted one."
"I am indeed." Kaz leaned back slightly. "You see, every man is a safe, a vault of secrets and longings. Now, there are those who take the brute's way, but I prefer a gentler approach -- the right pressure applied at the right moment, in the right place. It's a delicate thing."
"Do you always speak in metaphors, Mister Brekker?"
Kaz smiled. "It's not a metaphor."

"This isn't...it isn't a trick, is it?" Her voice was smaller than she wanted it to be.
The shadow of something dark moved across Kaz's face. "If it were a trick, I'd promise you safety. I'd offer you happiness. I don't know if that exists in the Barrel, but you'll find none of it with me."
For some reason, those words had comforted her. Better terrible truths than kind lies.

Pekka Rollins couldn't count the threats he'd heard, the men he'd killed, or the men he'd seen die, but the look in Brekker's eye still sent a chill slithering up his spine. Some wrathful thing in this boy was begging to get loose, and Rollins didn't want to be around when it slipped its leash. ( )

The first 50 pages or so were difficult to get into - lots of new vocabulary, high-stakes scenes with little context, etc;. But past that first chunk, it became really compelling. The author did a great job of finding a different perspective for each character. The magical world was grim and violent. I was actually convinced, by the backstory of these teenagers, that they might be able to pull off such a complex adventure. ( )

Hier hat mich tatsächlich die in meinen Augen recht gut gelungene Serie neugierig gemacht. Ursprünglich wollte ich zuerst die Bücher um Alina und Mal zuende lesen - sie liegen auch auf meinem SUB. Aber irgendwie musste ich mehr über die Krähen erfahren.

Ich mag Fantasy, die in einem etwas ungewöhnlichen Setting spielt - und das ist mit dem Grishaverse definitiv gegeben. Die Reihe um die Krähen scheint mir reifer zu sein als Shadow and Bone, die Charaktere sind ausgefeilter und deutlich weniger eindeutig in Kategorien wie gut oder böse einzuordnen. Gelungen fand ich den hohen Anteil, den die Vorgeschichte der Charaktere in dem Buch einnimmt, und den regelmäßigen Perspektivwechsel. Alle Charaktere (und ihre nicht ganz unkomplizierten Beziehungen zueinander) waren so in sich logisch und stimmig.

Ich freue mich nun auch auf Band 2 der Krähen (neben den übrigen Bänden über Alina und Mal) - und natürlich auf die Fortsetzung der Serie. ( )

You can also check the review here Hi books! It's me JethPlain

I love it!

For me the plot was well written. Every twist and turn of the story was thought about.
The chapters are by the characters point of view, though there were times that I'd forget whose point of view I was reading. Also I like how the dealt with the stigma and stereotype of being different (Grisha) .

Characters
As the summary says:

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

By the end of the book the characters have grown to some extent. They've become, even if just for a tiny bit, a better version of themselves. I just wish there was a point of view for Wylan (Maybe in the next book?)

If you want adventure, almost impossible missions,friendship and a love story that's not sappy and all over your face then you should read this!


Pic from ©marty-mc.tumblr.com ( )

"We are all someone's monster."

This is a great story with a complex world but worth the confusion I felt. I like that none of the characters are "the good guy" and yet they all have redeeming qualities - if they are willing to dust them off and use them. ( )

Cover

You can always count on a gorgeous cover from Leigh Bardugo it seems. It didn’t disappoint.

Initial Thoughts

I was really nervous starting this book. I tend to not like over-hyped books so I had my fingers crossed the whole time.

My New BFF

I think a lot of people will agree with me in saying that Inej is probably the best character in this book. I don’t know if it’s how bad ass she is or her sad back story but she will grab your heart and rip it out of your chest. Emotionally and physically. She’s also extremely loyal to Kaz which was nice because you couldn’t say the same thing about all of the crew.

My Crush

So far I’m liking Kaz the most of all the male characters. I just found him easier to connect with. I did like the others but Kaz has a little mystery to him and I think that makes him more interesting. I was impressed with his back story and how he seems to have risen above it and become a decent man. I say decent because he still is a thief but he could have gone in so many other directions.

Writing Style

I found the beginning of this book very slow. It ended up taking me much too long to read this book because it wasn’t one of those books where you absolutely couldn’t put it down. I had no problem putting it on pause for a while. It was still a great book though! Just not quite 5 star worthy. I feel like I’m biased to talk about world building because I have read her other books so I already knew the world fairly well. It was nice seeing a different part of it though.

Closing Thoughts

I’d say this book is worth the read! It’s exciting and who doesn’t like a good heist book. I also ended up liking the different points of view in this book too. I liked some more than others but it was nice seeing each part of the heist as it was going on. I’m looking forward to reading the next book so we can learn more about these characters. ( )

It took me a while longer to get into this read than I had expected. I'd heard a lot of good things about the book and was looking forward to it. I found that for some reason the characters took a while to grab me. But towards the end, I was very happy to see where the book was going. I had planned on putting off the sequel for a while until I could give it another chance, but after finishing on the cliff hanger, I now want to know what happens next. ( )

8.5/10
An improvement over the Shadow & Bone trilogy. The author changes POV with each chapter, rotating among 5 of the 6 main characters, which adds depth and perspective to the narrative. Although they are still mostly teens, they are hardened gang-members with difficult backstories and a wide variety of well-honed talents. There are hints of romance (but only hints, thank goodness—no adolescent love triangles) amidst the planning and execution of the heist, including setbacks and plans B, C, D, etc. The plot moves right along and the flashbacks to fill in the histories of each character are handled well and fit seamlessly into the story. The “magic” of the Grishas is not explored in much depth; I guess the author assumes readers have already read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, so newcomers to the Grishaverse might be a bit at sea.
Looking forward to book 2 in this duology. ( )

Muy entretenido y bien escrito. Aunque hay relleno, este está muy pulido y en ningún momento se siente como simple relleno para hacer el libro más largo.

Buenos personajes, especialmente Kaz que me parece muy bien logrado. Aunque me ha chirriado un poco su supuesta edad, ya que no me parece coherente con su experiencia y madurez.

Como mucha ficción, cae por momentos en errores típicos del genero, como poner a un personaje en una situación de peligro extremo y al final salvarse por los pelos.

No está nada mal si lo que se busca es entretenimiento de calidad. ( )

i wished i had loved this more like everyone else. i think i just don’t get the hype? idk ( )

Well, I definitely didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped, but it wasn't bad.

It's kind of hard for me to give a solid rating because my enjoyment varied so much. I was very tempted to put this down in the first half. It felt kind of boring, I would rate it 2 stars. The second half though? Actually had me pretty gripped. 4 or 5 stars would be more accurate.

So I'll go somewhere in the middle with 3 stars.

There were two things that mainly knocked off my enjoyment points. First of all, I didn't like the pacing. The story jumped right into the heist and stayed there the whole time. Maybe some people like this as it adds a constant tension, but in my opinion, it made everything move very slow. There was hardly any planning and the characters barely made any mistakes (at least nothing that couldn't be instantly fixed). There were times in the book that I forgot this heist is supposed to be incredibly risky and dangerous. I was never scared for the characters.

And that leads my second issue. I didn't care about the characters. Everyone was kind of boring. And also teenagers. Why were they literally children? It just made them too unrealistic for me to enjoy.

I do have an exception here for Nina though. I really liked her a lot. I felt like she was the easiest to connect to and genuinely enjoyable to read. Her POVs were my favourite.

The one thing I can't fault Six of Crows on is the setting. The world is wonderful and you cN tell it was well thought out. I am not great at visualising settings in books, but even I had a clear picture in my head while I was reading.

I can definitely see while people love this book. I think I would have loved it too if the pacing was different, but that's just my opinion. I'll probably get around to Crooked Kingdom at some point. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed Six of Crows. The prose is good and the story itself is engrossing, not wild-eyed up all night engrossing just interesting. The book's greatest facet, however, is its characters. They are widely varied, fully developed with a host of flaws, histories, and strengths that make them extremely compelling to read.
The story was refreshing, as it did not pertain to the usual fantasy elements of war, dark lords, and the end of the world. The Six of Crows is about a heist, and it accomplishes this story effectively.
As for flaws, they are minor things. I found the world given life to in Six of Crows to be somewhat uninspiring, somewhat flat, but that might be because I haven't read the original trilogy. Secondly, the story is somewhat predictable in that nothing goes right, but again stories need travail in order to be exciting.
Apart from these minor flaws, and a couple other minuscule ones i might be forgetting, I utterly enjoyed Six of Crows. ( )

Kaz, leader of the Dregs gang is approached by Van Eck, city councilman, to retrieve Bo Yul-Bayur, a drug creator from the Ice Court for an outlandish amount of money, enough to give each of the members of his team a chance at their heart's desire. Each has an agenda and secrets. No one completely trusts the others. The adventure is hazardous and thrilling. The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger. It was an OK story but I really didn't like most of the characters over all, though there were saving graces for some at times. Don't think I care enough to look for the following volume. ( )

I decided to read ‘Six of Crows’ because it looked like fun escapism and I loved these portraits of the characters. It was well-plotted and excitingly fast paced, but really made me feel old. The titular gang of six are all half my age and I wanted to tell them, “You are traumatised children! Someone should be looking after you and teaching you not to constantly murder people. Murder is bad, kids.” Possibly when you’re over thirty the idea of any teenager being an expert at multiple life skills (even if they’re illegal) seems harder to believe. All of the main characters could easily have been ten years older with no changes at all to the narrative or their characterisation. They were hardened in a way that made me sad for their stolen childhoods, rather than admiring of their daring. The trauma in their backstories was horrific stuff. That aside, the heist plot was really nicely done with plenty of exciting twists. Given what happens to my favourite character at the end, I will probably read the next in the series. ( )

before reading this book, everyone told me i was going to love it, so the expectations were high, and i actually did really like it. given that i'm still relatively new to fantasy, i found it easy to follow (mostly thanks to reading the s&b triology prior), the whole heist element was so thrilling, and became so connected to the characters!! when you realise all the stops that kaz pulls out to get away with what he does, it feels like a 'mind blown moment!!' also loved that the whole reason there is no chapter from wylan is revealed at the end!! ( )

It’s not often that I follow along with the hype, let alone enjoy the product.

It did take me a bit to really get into the novel. Personally, I think the beginning is very convoluted and should have been tightened up a little more. Of course, it is always better to show and not to tell, but so many trivial characters were introduced with names and backstories and feelings who then just disappeared. By the time the reader gets to the pivotal group, they’ve already been burnt and put through the ringer. I had to put it down for a few days, forget the first chapter or three, and then come back to it once I was ready to commit to the merry bunch of thieves.

From then on, I loved it.

The characters are really the selling point of the story, and the author has done such an amazing job in creating a fresh, multicultural and vibrant cast. Inej was such a breath of fresh air, and the relationship between Jesper and Wylan quickly became a highlight. Kaz is suave beyond his years, and gives me flashes to all the great characters I feel in love with as a kid; The Artful Dodger and Jimmy the Hand. And his relationship with Inej was neither tedious, forced or over the top. I don’t think I’ve rooted so much for a developing couple in… forever.

The writing style was also a pleasant surprise, especially for the genre. It was easy to get swept away in locations, and even easier to tumble down into the minds of the POV character. Bardugo really let you get to know her characters. You see what makes them tick, and what lingers deep below the surface of their thoughts.

My only gripe with the novel was its _target audience. There’s a huge trending push for publishers to shape their writers/only accept YA stories at the moment, and as someone past that age group, it’s getting pretty redundant. Yes, historically people matured and aged faster back in the time period this fantasy is based on, but it can still be quite the stretch when some of the characters are said to be 16 and yet have been through so much.

Having said that, I really (really, really, really, REALLY!) appreciated the differences this book brought to the genre. There wasn’t a love triangle in sight! Characters were rich and strong in all their own ways. No damsels in distress, but also no ‘perfect at everything’ typical protagonists either. There was clear balance and give and take between them all. Not every thought a character had revolved around their crush - in fact, that didn't happen often, and it actually left me excited for the moments when people came together and opened up.

I guess I just wish that there were more gripping stories like this (inclusive and quirky) with characters aged more appropriately for their worldly personalities.
( )

4.5 ( )

so um wow??? honestly the writing was so good. interesting and compelling characters, excellent world building, and a plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. i can't wait to read the sequel! ( )

I've run through this six times since I got it. That's about all I have to say about how much I love my Crows. :) Bless the friend who recommended it to me. I'm pretty sure I'm only still breathing because of this book and it's sequel. ( )

"A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who has become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse."

This book is the first of an adventure packed fantasy duology by Israeli American author Leigh Bardugo, but is the fourth book set in the Grishaverse. This time the setting resembles an alternate Netherlands instead of Russia, with the book beginning in the port city of Ketterdam in Kerch. I had not read the prior trilogy which may have given more background on the different lands and magic, but it was also fine without.

Kaz Brekker is the merchant gang leader of the Dregs, somewhat of an antihero, feared by all despite a walking stick and a limp, due to his ruthlessness, courage and cunning. A meeting with one of the powerful merchants on the council sees him tasked with a near impossible quest. Kaz is to venture to the impregnable Ice Court in the country of Fjerda and rescue an imprisoned scientist Bo Yul-Bayur, who has created the deadly drug Jurda Parem. This drug has the power to turn the Grisha, who possess some of their own magic, into fearsome battle weapons, ultimately destroying them in the process.

Kaz chooses his band of six for an Ocean’s 11 type heist and sets sail for Fjerda. His team includes Inej a dark-skinned and sure-footed Suli wraith, the light-hearted weapons expert and gambler Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck the dyslexic son of a merchant and Nina Zenik a curvy redheaded Grisha from Ravka with the powers of a Heartrender. Nina’s abilities means she can slow someone’s pulse to either relax or incapacitate them. Lastly they stop to release Matthias Helvar, a Fjerdan witch killer or Drüskelle from a gladiator style imprisonment. He reluctantly joins the band, having been brought up to hate and kill Grisha, not to fight for their safety. Despite his upbringing and prejudice he finds himself unwillingly drawn to the beautiful and fierce Nina.

This is a rollicking adventure with characters you find yourself rooting for. Allegedly they are teens but feel much older. All of them have a back story and some of their prior tragedies come out in flashbacks throughout. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. There are also touches of romance throughout, but not enough to distract from the story. I liked Inej’s blueprint for romance:

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.”

Overall a great read, which leaves you on somewhat of a cliff edge hunting for the next installment. 4.5 stars for me. ( )

Heist gone wrong cliff hanger. ( )

This review is for the complete Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows; Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo:

This is a heist story, with one young and rising criminal mastermind from the Ketterdam underworld being offered an incredible sum of money in order to accomplish an impossible rescue, almost a suicide mission. A team is assembled and they go for it, getting involved in a complex plot involving magic and international politics.

I liked the story, the worldbuilding and the characters. It's YA, for those who care about labels, but it's quite well-written. I enjoyed that we got to know the back stories (sob stories) of all members of the team, and that they all were interesting, and I liked the dynamics of the team. The romantic elements were integral to the story and did not feel like an unwelcome distraction. The story is rather character-focused. The city of Ketterdam is inspired by Amsterdam, but it did remind me of Venice, and there were other foreign powers inspired by imperial Russia and others. And the story was good: even if I'm not a big fan of heist stories, this book had enough epic to have me entertained, with a plot involving the discovery of a drug that greatly potentiates Grishas' abilities (Grishas are people with certain magical abilities, who are often exploited and/or persecuted) at the cost of quickly destroying their minds, and that many countries are trying to control.

One thing that bothered me is that we are continually being told how evil and ruthless Kaz is, but we only see him act in an honorable manner. Well, with a roguish code of honor, but a code of honor nevertheless. For me that was the main YA tick. And there's no grimdark here: the heroes, albeit criminals, are good guys.

All in all, an enjoyable and easy read. ( )

This book ends on a cliff hanger, so I'm glad that I have the next book ready.

It took me a bit to get into the story (maybe about 10%), but then I really liked it. The characters are likable, and we get to see things from almost everyone's perspective, which really helps me connect with the characters. The heist is really interesting, as well as the characters relationships. I'm excited to read more in Crooked Kingdom. ( )

As a leader of the Dregs, Kaz has contacts, associates, and even a handful of what he might (if pressed) call friends across all the lowest places in the city of Ketterdam. Of late, there have been rumors of a new form of jurda parem, a mind-altering substance, which has been endowing magic-users with previously unimagined power and whose presence threatens to alter the economy in potentially disastrous ways. Accepting a task to lead an ill-advised rescue into the unforgiving neighboring land of Fjerda in exchange for a reward too tantalizing to pass up, Kaz begins to assemble a small team of misfits to take on this impossible mission.

This is a book I wanted to savor and was disappointed when it ended — on a cliffhanger, no less. I had heard such good things about it and was anticipating an immersive experience, so I saved it for while I was vacationing. I was immediately captivated and had difficulty putting it down after just the first few chapters. I loved that the world-building kept me guessing, with some aspects familiar and recognizable and others stretching my brain in a way that was welcome. Eagerly anticipating the next in the series. ( )