Review of Six of Crows

Blurb: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Review: Ketterdam is a bustling hub of international trade, and where there is money to be had, there are those ready to get it by whatever means necessary. Kaz Brekker is the second in command of one of the most feared gangs in the seediest part of the city. When he's offered a chance to pull off an impossible heist, he can't resist the money. He gathers his crew and sails north to break into a prison of ice. It's a gamble, but Kaz believes he has the right cards for the win. But not everyone plays fair.

This is the first book in the YA dark fantasy series, Six of Crows. I'm not a fan of YA, but as I enjoyed Bardugo's other books, I had to check this one out, and I was not disappointed. The world building is phenomenal. It's an early industrial type of world, gritty and dirty. The immense history, the lore, the people, and the magic system. It's one of the most unique worlds I've read in a long time. I wasn't bogged down by anything, and even though this is the world from another series (Shadow and Bone) I haven't read from Bardugo, I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Yet as blown away as I was by the world building, it is second to the characterization. Incredible cast. We get six points of view for the six outcasts on the heist, and it works so well. Kaz is hard to get to know, but that's the way he likes it. He's been greatly wronged, but he is still very much an anti-hero. Inej is the Wraith, an assassin, and I love her Suli proverbs. Nina is a Heartrender and my favorite character. I love the strong females. All of these outcasts were teenagers, but they didn't read like teens. In a way, it irked me that they behaved more like 30-year-olds than teens. I reasoned in my head that possibly the years in this world are much longer than on Earth, and so saying someone is 17 means like they're 31 in Earth years. With how much each outcast accomplished, it makes sense. Yet I did appreciate they didn't sound like teens and there was no teen drama.

It's dark, suspenseful, and there's lots of scheming. Every plan twists and turns. There's a little romance. Nina and Matthias' enemies to lovers arc is beautiful.

You can find Leigh Bardugo on her site and buy the book here.