Six of Crows is the first half of an awesome duology (two book ‘series’) written by Leigh Bardugo. The first book was published in 2015, and it’s gained quite the following in the years since. Six of Crows is a fantasy epic set in a secondary world largely based on our own, with nationalities fashioned off of Russia, Scandinavia, Ireland, East Asia, and Africa, among others, with an interesting magic system and believable politics.
This story is a heist, focusing on six vastly different and not altogether willing young adults joined under the leadership of a brilliant young thief and criminal leader – Kaz. If you’re looking for a serious page-turner and quick read that puts a spin on the typical fantasy plot, look no further!
The premise of Six of Crows is fascinating and high-stakes. Some humans in this world, collectively known as Grisha, posses magical abilities that are valued and sought-after by some cultures, and feared and snuffed out by others. At the outset of the story, one man has developed a drug that vastly enhances the abilities of Grisha for as long as it is in their system, making them virtually unstoppable forces. The catch – the drug is incredibly addictive, and if governments got their hands on it, they could use its power and its addictiveness to coerce and control Grisha, effectively forming armies of enslaved human weapons.
Under the promise of high payment from a rich employer, Kaz and his crew must break into a northern fortress, where the inventor of this drug is imprisoned, before his technology falls into the wrong hands.
The magic of this book is unique, the cultures are familiar yet foreign, the societal corruption is terrible and real, and the story is engaging (and stressful). The best part of this book, however, is the characters. Bardugo writes Six of Crows from the alternating six perspectives of the heist team, slowly revealing the backstory of each in turn as the story progresses, and building relationships in complex and meaningful ways.
Apart from Kaz, the team consists of: Inej, a Romani-inspired girl who uses her past as a tightrope performer to make her a silent and deadly thief, Nina, a Grisha who uses her powers to make a life for herself in the slums, Jesper, a skilled sharpshooter and prodigious gambler, Matthias, a convict and Grisha-hunter who knows the northern fortress of their pursuit better than any, and Wylan, the rich runaway son of Kaz’s employer who is skilled with bombs.
The success or failure of these six individuals could save or condemn the world, yet each of them must battle their own internal demons along the way, sometimes fighting not to kill each other rather than their collective enemy.
Recommendation
Six of Crows is an engrossing read, with so many twists, you never know what to believe or who to trust. It is technically considered a young adult book, through the characters could be switched out for 30-year-olds with no real change to the story. It is complex and mature in nature, with well-developed characters and captivating cultures and magic. I would recommend this book to young adults and adults alike. I had little experience with heist novels prior to this book, and instantly became a fan. If you like a good fantasy world, high-stakes prison breaks, or just good characters, I recommend this book.
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