Review: Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo

This Review contains spoilers.

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”

Series: Six of Crows Duology
Published: 2015, by Indigo.
Pages: 491
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction
Contains: Strong Language, Violence, Anger, Death, Blood/Gore

‘Six of Crows’ tells the story of the Dregs, a criminal gang in Ketterdam, who are sent on a mission to retrieve a hostage from the Ice Court, a top prison facility known for having never been breached. Leader of the Dregs, Kaz Brekker, is blinded by the idea of fortune to send his crew on this suicide mission, however, he soon begins to realise the family he has around him.

Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive to start this duology, having only read the first installment of the Grishaverse. However, I found this spin-off far more enjoyable than Shadow and Bone.

Throughout the entire book, the interactions between the characters made the story for me. I adored all the characters, and the strong dialogue made the read extremely easy and enjoyable. Kaz and Inej’s encounters were humorous and adorable at various stages in the story, up until the ending where he asked her to stay. My breathe caught in my throat at Inej’s response, wanting him without his ‘armor’ or not at all. It was so beautifully worded!
Kaz’s character has vastly become one of my favourite protagonists since beginning this book, adoring his violence from the first page. As I’m a sucker for the edgy-bad-boy trope, it was difficult to not hang onto every line. Yet, one of my favourite elements of his characterisation was his limp; finally, a self-assured, fantasy hero with a disability! It was incredible to read about his capability regardless of his limp, and the fact he uses his cane as a weapon only made me love him more. Kaz takes his weakness and uses it to his advantage, which is an incredible message for YA readers. Also, the character development at the end of chapter forty-five was beautiful to read, openly referring to Inej as ‘his girl’ rather than simply a pawn in his games.
Wylan and Jesper’s forming relationship was another addition to my love for this book, finding myself caught in their interactions the more the story progressed, and the fear Jesper experienced when believing Wylan was on board the ship at the end was beautiful. I’m desperately hoping for more of them in the second installment, as their characters flow amazingly together.

However, one of the only faults I had with the book was the weak world-building throughout the story. Although, this may be a personal error considering I’m yet to complete the previous trilogy, there could have been more explanation of the world itself and its terminology. I experienced similar confusion when reading Shadow and Bone, so it may also be the author’s writing style. Also, the narrative swaps in each chapter were frustrating at times, especially considering there’s over forty as a whole and they’re very short. Yet thankfully, the characters were lovable enough to not care too much.

Overall, I loved this book. The plot kept my attention throughout and the characters have since become some of my all time favourites. I can’t wait to continue this story and watch them develop further.