Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review 

Title : Six of Crows

Author : Leigh Bardugo

Genre : YA, Fantasy

Rating : 4 stars

This will be a spoiler free review. I will discuss characters and writing style or technique but will not delve into the plot.

I loved Leigh Bardugo in her first series but my gosh has she improved in this series! I was so grateful to see Bardugo progress in her plot lines and execution within this novel. I felt like this storyline was a more risky and inventive idea and was conveyed with a more experienced hand but it was also intriguing to see her utilize the world she created in her first series within this book. I mean why throw away such an amazing world when you can just write about other people within it?! I wish more authors did this.

So more on my rating. Why did this book get a 4 and not a 5? 

Well to be honest, there is no real reason why this book didn’t get a 5. I have decided that my ratings for amazing books will always be 4’s, any 5’s I hand out will be for my absolute favorite books of all time. One’s that I just can’t live without. 3’s will be for books that prove to be good reads and 2 for books that are alright but lacking something. 1’s will be for books that I don’t very much like – I’ve never marked a book a 1 before and I sure hope that doesn’t happen any time soon!

What I found most interesting about this book is that all the characters are thrown together by chance.

Normally in novels we find that the main character is thrown into this unique situation but the rest are there for a reason, brother, friend hero whatever but they have not landed where they are by chance. In Six of Crows ALL the characters are where they are by situation and circumstance. Purely coincidental. I love that! Seriously, I found it so intriguing as I flicked through the pages to have pieces of the puzzle slot together. Each character had such a thorough backstory and strong personality but somehow each remained unique.

I loved that each of the main characters were bad in some way. Criminal, Liar, Killer, Gambler. I’ve read plenty of books where the main character is an outlaw and makes some questionable decisions but never have I read a book where absolutely every character is a bandit. AND IT WAS SO REFRESHING! I hadn’t realized how many of the books I’ve been reading are Fae or royal characters.

There were plenty of catchphrase’s throughout this book that were repeated and I felt like that added to the book. I liked that the crew had their own motto.

The relationships between these characters were so interesting, so much happened and so little at the same time. I don’t even know how that’s possible. But it is. Each of the characters was also damaged in some way, their sorry pasts landing them in their current situation and driving their actions.

At the beginning of the book Kaz is portrayed as this mastermind criminal that no one can beat. No one knows where he comes from and they fear him but as we progress through the novel parts of Kaz are divulged and he went from being this mysterious crim to a normal adult, almost childlike with his fears and vulnerability. But this change was balanced, he still remained the same character but just more relatable. 

After reading this book I’m not so sure I’d rate Bardugo’s first series so highly. Only because she so greatly improved in her background and characters as well as story that I was left going wow, I didn’t realize the depth in characters or plot as much in the Grisha Trilogy as I am now in Six of Crows.

I feel like I’m missing so much. Perhaps because this is a spoiler free review and I’m not listing my favorite parts! There truley so so many!!

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Thank you for reading!

Till next time,

xoxo Book Dragon Ash