Six of Crows

4/5 STARS

// GOODREADS //

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt
Published: October 2015
Pages: 465 {paperback}

Originally posted on Goodreads

To view a spoiler, click on the provided link and you’ll be redirected to the review on Goodreads where the spoiler is hidden at the same point in the review

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Grisha Heaven

I am a big fan of Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy and I can’t tell you just how excited I was when I found out that she was writing THIS beautiful piece of work. It did not disappoint.

It *is* set in the same world as the Grisha trilogy but for the most part they’re completely unrelated. We switch through multiple character perspectives and the whole journey is quite a lot of fun. The biggest complaint that I’ve seen from others (but certainly not from me) is that it’s very heavy on world building and character development. But I say, pah! If you know me then you know that this is exactly the sort of thing I love, and given that this is the first book in a series I think it’s a perfectly reasonable amount to have. It does take until about half way through the book, however, to get into the thick of the action – but the adventure is so worth it! And once you get to that point then WOOOSH off you go on an awesomely awesome adventure. And a painful cliff-hanger, too, *groans*.

The main plot of this is that Kaz Brekker (a.k.a. ‘Dirtyhands’), one of the protagonists, has to put together a crew to complete a seemingly impossible heist. He and his crew live in Ketterdam, and in the povertised, gang-ridden section (the ‘Dregs’). He’s the leader of a gang who have this awesome little saying that they say (duh) before any dangerous missions:

“No mourners, no funerals.”

Okay, so it’s a little grim but always appropriately used. I would also like to get that one a shirt, it’s going to happen. Just you wait.

So, what’s happened? A drug has been invented that hugely magnifies a Grisha’s power (for those of you who may not know what a ‘Grisha’ is, they’re ordinary people with a particular gift that allows them to manipulate certain elements – that’s an extraordinarily vague description . . . but there’s always Google if you want to know more. The problem with this is that it’s highly addictive and makes the individual somewhat (extremely) unpredictable – they do have an awful lot of power, so it’s easy to see how they get drunk on it. ANYWAY. This heist is to liberate a prisoner to stop the meanies living in the Ice Court (found in the North of this wonderously huge world) from replicating the formula and therefore CATASTROPHICALLY DESTROYING THE WORLD! *much gasping*

I won’t tell you much more because, firstly, this book is definitely a lot more fun going into it when you’re unsure of where the storyline is going. Secondly, it would just take far too long. It’s such an immense story and a great book to take slowly so that you can thoroughly enjoy all the fun that’s to be had within these pages.

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Heisty Feisty Characters

But now! Onto more important matters! The characters! I really loved each and every one of these characters in their own special way. Kaz is obviously just too cool to deal with and I particularly love his back-story. His problem with his hands (which I won’t go in to) is certainly a very unique set-up and challenge that I can’t wait to see him overcome in book 2, *squealing*. Also: {see spoiler on my Goodreads review}. There’s a lot to him and he’s certainly a very clever and sneaky guy. I can’t wait to read more of him – his unpredictable personality sure brought a whole heap of both trouble and excitement to the story. I also love how he’s not this strapping, 25 year old, drool-worthy man; he’s a semi-crippled, 17-year old boy trying to survive a tough life (I guess the ‘drool-worthy’ nature is entirely based on opinion ((I vote drool-worthy)) ).

Inej was probably my favourite character of the whole book. Her back-story wasn’t as exciting as some of the others but her role in the present was fangirl-worthy cool (I may spontaneously break into ninja poses and whisper in people’s ears that the Wraith is coming . . .). Her ‘spider’ reputation was definitely well earned after some of the feats that she pulls off throughout the book. I absolutely loved her exasperated attitude towards Kaz when he just expects her to cover his arse. AND I’M REALLY ANXIOUS ABOUT INEJ’S ROLE IN BOOK 2!!

Wylan was probably my second favourite character. He’s the nerdy son of the guy who challenged Kaz in the first place. He’s a great addition to the team – what he doesn’t bring in brawl he delivers in brains. He was a pretty adorable character to read throughout the story and if he doesn’t feature heavily in book two I will be UTTERLY heart-broken.

CLICK TO SEE SPOILER

Jesper was an extremely energetic and fun character in this team. Somewhat twitchy, he couldn’t be without his guns and always had plentiful hilarious quips at the ready. I don’t have an awful lot to say about his character: he was just a great bit of comedy relief throughout, that you should look forward too.

Nina and Matthias are the last two members of this group (there’s a lot of characters in this book, I KNOW). They have a very wired history that we slowly become privy to along the way. I absolutely adored Nina, she’s impossible not to love and brought so much laugher to the story with her wonderful ridiculousness. Not to mention her level-headedness in using cake as a point of agreement. Matthias is a complete grumparse and I was sure we were going to see more of a character arc than we did. Buuuuut, despite his intentions to remain loyal to the Ice Court, no-one can deny or fail to see that he is totally still in love with Nina.

CLICK TO SEE SPOILER

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Summary

So, if you’re debating over whether to read this book or not, I cannot recommend it enough to you. It’s such a great story and I really think that it’s only going to get better. I’ve given it 4/5 stars because of this – so come on book 2! Blow my mind away! I am ready.

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 Have you read this book? What did you think!

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~~ Kirstie ~~

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