Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Given that I have been re-exploring the fantasy genre for the past few years, it is perhaps surprising that I had not yet picked up Six of Crows or any of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels. However, they had simply not made it to the top of my to-read list until a friend who had enjoyed both the Six of Crows duology and the Shadow and Bone trilogy gave me a copy of Six of Crows for Christmas. I was excited to start reading it, as I already had a pretty good idea that I would enjoy it, but I was not expecting to become so invested in the characters so quickly. This was an easy, engaging, fun read, with interesting world building and intriguing characters.
Six of Crows follows six unlikely characters who are brought together by Kaz, the second-in-command of a gang called the Dregs, after he is given a seemingly impossible job: to free a prisoner from an impenetrable prison in a different country and return to the city. In order to undertake this job, he recruits Inej, a former acrobat who Kaz rescued from slavery and became a spy for him; Jepser, a member of the Dregs who is unusually good at shooting; Wylan, a demolitions expert with hidden family connections; Nina, a grisha who specialises in heartrending magic; and Matthias, a witch hunter from Fjerda, the country which they need to infiltrate. Despite their different motivations and worldviews, the six must work together to bring the prisoner back to their city.
One of the aspects of Bardugo’s writing which stood out the most to me as I was reading Six of Crows was the depth of each of the characters. As someone who is more of a character-driven reader, I appreciated the way in which Bardugo introduced each character and their distinctive voices in their perspective chapters. I found myself equally invested in each one of the six main characters, even feeling sympathetic towards Kaz, arguably the protagonist, something which is unusual for me in a ensemble narrative. There were no characters that I found myself skimming the perspective chapters as I enjoyed each of their voices and discovering more about their pasts.
The world which Bardugo has created is also a fascinating one, with very distinctive settings and countries. I was really intrigued by the politics of Ketterdam, the home of the Dregs, which is the first setting the reader is introduced to in the narrative, however each subsequent setting introduced, either in the present or in flashback, was just as interesting and unique. The combination of this and the strength of character writing has made me excited to read more of the Grishaverse, as I would like to explore more of this world that Bardugo has created.
One of my first thoughts when I finished was that this is exactly the type of book that teenage-me would have become obsessed with; as an adult I can tell it is one I will definitely be re-reading and I am looking forward to finishing the duology and reading on in the Grishaverse. I found it to be fun and engaging, with characters I feel invested in, an interesting world, and an absorbing plot. I would recommend this to those who enjoy young adult fantasy, as I think this is a really good example of that genre. However, I would also recommend it as a good entry point for those who are interested in starting to read more fantasy. I have already bought a second-hand copy of Crooked Kingdom and I am excited to pick it up soon.
Books by the Window 