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Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

Leigh Bardugo

Start date: January 1, 2016

Finish date: January 31, 2016

Discussion: Read

Why we're reading this: It won the BOTM Poll.
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What Members Thought

Aug 15, 2017 Suzzie rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. The set of characters was written with so much depth and intrigue. There was adventure, humor, and emotion in the reading of this book. I love Leigh Bardugo's writing so much. I was very hooked when reading the Grisha books so I had no doubt I would love this series. Now I am ready to read the sequel, Crooked Kingdom! ...more

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Apr 05, 2020 Thida rated it liked it

Shelves: owned, fantasy, ya

I have a love-hate relationship with Six of Crows. Sometimes the plot is thrilling and I can't put it down, but it's just plain boring. I thought my lack of concentration was the problem, but I finished Shadow of Bones quite quickly so it may be due to the plot's pacing. Truthfully, I couldn't become attached to the characters except Inej. I didn't care about their background stories (and the flashbacks are quite annoying) and it seemed absurd that a man like Pekka Rollins personally came with h ...more

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Apr 23, 2021 E.S. rated it it was amazing

An impossible heist. A team of six misfits.

And a reward that could make all their dreams come true.

Presented with an opportunity of a lifetime, Kaz Brekker, one of the leaders of the Dregs, forms a team to complete a job: find a scientist responsible for creating Juda Parem, and bring him back to Ketterdam. With Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan, he forms an unlikely team, each bringing their own talents and knowledge to the heist. But can they survive breaking into the Ice Court…with the An impossible heist. A team of six misfits.

And a reward that could make all their dreams come true.

Presented with an opportunity of a lifetime, Kaz Brekker, one of the leaders of the Dregs, forms a team to complete a job: find a scientist responsible for creating Juda Parem, and bring him back to Ketterdam. With Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan, he forms an unlikely team, each bringing their own talents and knowledge to the heist. But can they survive breaking into the Ice Court…with their prize in hand?

What can I say about Six of Crows that hasn’t already been said? Truthfully, I rarely pick up these “hyped” books, because either they’re not for me, or I’m disappointed. I made the exception for Six of Crows. The plotline and world interested me (plus, I saw it as a potential comparable book to my own writing, but I won’t talk about that here), so I figured I’d take the plunge. Plus, with the new Shadow & Bone TV, I can’t say my interest wasn’t piqued.

I was worried since I hadn’t read Shadow & Bone first. While some people might need that for context, the worldbuilding in Six of Crows is sound. I wasn’t confused by anything taking place, and I desperately wanted to keep reading.

While the heist story, overall, is relatively predictable (as has been parodied in multiple TV shows and books), this novel really isn’t about a heist. It’s about the characters, about how they have come together, and about how their stories and the world influenced their decisions. Who is Kaz Brekker? Why was Inej at the Menagerie? What history do Nina and Matthias have? Why is Wylan hiding from his father? And how did Jesper get in so much debt? These answers come to the forefront throughout the story, as they navigate the Ice Court, putting Kaz’s plans into action.

I do wonder if I would have loved the book as much if I read it with no context: if I didn’t see all the memes on the internet, if I didn’t see the snippets from the upcoming TV show, etc. Might I have been more confused? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. What I know now is that it is one of the best books I read this year, and I am anxiously awaiting my copy of Crooked Kingdom, as well as my copy of Shadow & Bone.

The only problem I had with the story, to be honest, was their ages. The characters read as older than 16-17, especially with everything they’ve been through and with their position within the Dregs. This comes down to an issue with older YA books as a whole; often times, these books might be better placed with a New Adult audience, possibly with characters in their early 20s instead.

Yet, this is also why the book appealed to me. YA as a genre often results in me having mixed feelings on the book. The characters are whiny or immature, as teenagers are, and sometimes the tropes that follow suit (love triangles, enemies to lovers, etc.) get on my nerves. While there is a place for all of these stories, and not all of them are bad, they just aren’t usually for me. This is why I am unsure how I will feel about Shadow and Bone…but time will tell once I pick it up.

But, with Six of Crows, it’s different…especially since this falls under a much more “Older YA/NA” age group. The characters are somewhat more mature. There are darker subjects overall. But instead of being in their 20s, they’re 16 or 17…and I somewhat struggled to suspend disbelief on that. It was easier for me, in my head, to imagine these characters as 20-somethings. So that is what I did.

Overall though, the book is phenomenal. I have been pacing around my house all day wishing I had Crooked Kingdom in my hands RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow, I keep reminding myself, tomorrow it will come. But for now, I just have to anxiously await what might happen: will Inej (my favorite) be okay? Will Nina and Matthias’s romance flourish? What is Kaz scheming? Will they forgive Jesper? And what about Wylan and Kuwei? Are they going to survive this all?

I’ve seen some spoilers already on the abyss of social media, but that only makes me want to read it more.

So, if you like a good heist story in a fantasy world, with a focus on characters and worldbuilding, pick up Six of Crows. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. ...more

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Apr 30, 2018 Tanya (Novel Paperbacks) rated it it was amazing

This book is everything! I’m not one who likes heist stories and thief and assassin characters flood the fantasy story market and so seem rather dull now. But, to my surprise and delight, this story was not dull in the slightest. The characters are the best part. When some authors write characters they have flaws but the flaws never really affect them or feel as real as the ones these characters have. I loved all of them and their stories. The plot was interesting and the writing and pace made i ...more

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May 14, 2017 Zara Arshad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, got-sucked-into-their-world, i-ll-always-remember-it, kick-ass-girl, bad-ass-guy, fantasy, assasins

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

...more

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Feb 28, 2017 Madge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-fantasy, all-time-favorites, fantasy, young-adult, favorite-authors

*inhuman screeching*

I have no clue if I'll actually write anything else about this, but I think that sums up my current feelings. ...more

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Apr 19, 2021 Amy Sutton rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club-reading, library, cover-love, 2021

Enjoyable, fast-paced heist (impressive for 450+ pages) that still had me guessing and uncovering plot elements up until the end. Definitely enjoyable!

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