Six of Crows

A masterpiece of a story. Wow. I haven’t read a book like this in a long time.

Think of Ocean’s 11, but better. Times 10. A grand heist, crazy stakes, and an intricately crafted made-up world that’s somewhat familiar (I've never been to Amsterdam, but apparently that is one of the author's main inspirations for location). Kaz Brekker and his crew need to infiltrate the most high-security prison in the world: The Ice Court. But not only do they have to get in and kidnap a dangerous person, but they also have to escape the prison, alive.

What I loved about this book:

Immersive setting. Bardugo has crafted a very tangible world that is delightfully immersive, even if I did get a touch overwhelmed at the beginning. But it was worth continuing on. It’s a tricky thing as a writer–especially a fantasy writer–not to push your reader over the proverbial cliff with new terminology and names. (I counted like 17 new terms in chapter one alone) If you get overwhelmed, read it slow, and keep going. I promise, it’s worth it. So good!

Unique characters. 

• Kaz Brekker, aka. Dirtyhands, who never takes off his black gloves and walks with a cane. 
• Inej, “the Wraith,” the silent spider who grew up walking the highwire and trapeze. 
• Nina, the Heartrender who works at The White Rose, former soldier. 
• Matthias, the Fjordan druskelle on a zealous manhunt to eradicate Grisha.
• Jesper, a Zemeni sharpshooter hiding an unused gift and wrestling with a gambling addiction.
• Wylan, heir to one of the wealthiest men in Ketterdam, but who hides an embarrassing secret.

Don’t-put-me-down-paced plot. 

I had to put it down because I had to be present with my kids, but when they didn’t need something to eat, someone to play with them, or bottoms wiped, I was reading this book. The story, told from various POVs, keeps you hopping and eager to keep reading to find out what happens next!

What I didn’t care for in this book:

It’s been a few months since I’ve read it, but I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like! I ended up buying the book after borrowing it from the library because I wanted to study how Bardugo crafted certain things in her writing.

Dark, mature content. However, isn’t a book for young teenagers. There is violence, mild innuendo, language, two of the characters have traumatic pasts involving prostitution (it never gets super graphic, that I recall), gambling addiction, lots of revenge in the plotline. I’d definitely say this novel is for mature, older teenagers (17-20 bracket).

I'm going to include three of my favorite excerpts because I can't just read a book like a reader anymore. Writing my own book has changed my brain (is that even possible? lol) so that I think like a writer. Hope you enjoy these!

Characterization One: 

With a great sigh, Jesper removed the gun belts at his hips. She had to admit he looked less himself without them. The Zemeni sharpshooter was long-limbed, brown-skinned, constantly in motion. He pressed his lips to the pearl handles of his prized revolvers, bestowing each with a mournful kiss. 

"Take good care of my babies," Jesper said as he handed them over to Dirix. "If I see a single scratch or knick on those, I'll spell 'forgive me' on your chest in bullet holes."

Characterization Two: 

Nina remembered the first time she'd seen Matthias in a moonlit Kaelish wood. His beauty had seemed unfair to her. In another life, she might have believed he was coming to rescue her, a shining savior with golden hair and eyes the pale blue of northern glaciers. But she'd known the truth of him by the language he spoke, and by the disgust on his face every time his eyes lighted on her. Matthias Helvar was a druskelle, one of the Fjerdan witchhunters tasked with hunting down Grisha to face trial and execution, though to her he'd always resembled a warrior Saint, illuminated in gold.

Now he looked like what he truly was: a killer. His bare torso seemed hewn from steel, and though she knew it wasn't possible, he seemed bigger, as if the very structure of his body had changed. His skin had been gilded honey; now it was fish-belly white beneath the grime. And his hair--he'd had such beautiful hair, thick and golden, worn long in the way of Fjerdan soldiers. Now, like the other prisoners, his head had been shaved, probably to prevent lice. Whichever guard had done it had made a mess of the job. Even from this distance, she could see the cuts and nicks on his scalp, and little stripes of blond stubble in the places the razor had missed. And yet, he was beautiful still.

Setting:

Inej knew the moment Kaz entered the Slat. His presence reverberated through the cramped rooms and crooked hallways as every thug, thief, dealer, con man, and steerer came a little more awake. Per Haskell's favored lieutenant was home.

The Slat wasn't much, just another house in the worst part of the Barrel, three stories stacked tight on top of each other, crowned with an attic and a gabled roof. Most of the buildings in this part of the city had been built without foundations, many on swampy land where the canals were haphazardly dug. They leaned against each other like tipsy friends gathered at a bar, tilting at drowsy angles. Inej had visited plenty of them....and they weren't much better on the inside--cold and damp, plaster sliding from the walls, gaps in the windows wide enough to let in the rain and snow. But Kaz had spent his own money to have the Slat's drafts shorn up and its walls insulated. It was ugly, crooked, and crowded, but the Slat was gloriously dry.

Stars:

I give this book 5 stars for craft/writing. Great plot, three-dimensional, diverse characters, no plot holes, no sagging middle. Beautiful. I was super impressed as an aspiring author.

However, since it does have a lot of mature content (I wouldn’t want my children to read this until they were 17 or 18), I’d give it a 3.75.