From the Bookshelf of SpecFic Buddy Reads…

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

Leigh Bardugo

Start date: February 1, 2016

Finish date: February 29, 2016

Discussion: Short Fiction Reads Archive

Why we're reading this: Featured Buddy Read, February 22 - 29, 2016
[close] Featured Buddy Read, February 22 - 29, 2016

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What Members Thought

Feb 21, 2016 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016

Very enjoyable heist novel. I can't wait for the second and to find out the fates of our beloved characters! ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Jun 25, 2020 Di Maitland rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, thief, young-adult, fantasy, grey-characters, in-library, action-girl, steam-punk, con-artist, audiobook

NO MOURNERS. NO FUNERALS.

I LOVED this book. You've got action, you've got magic, you've got romance, and you've got some badass characters you can't help but love. There's a tv series coming out soon(ish), too!

Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker is the brains behind the street gang, the Dregs. When a wealthy merchant offers him £30 million to break a Shu scientist out of the Ice Court in Fjerda, he takes it. Never mind that the Ice Court is impenetrable and the scientist has the power to do untold dama ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

May 31, 2020 Alexis rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-urban

Read if you like: Semi-historical feeling, ensemble cast fantasy. Heist stories. Groups of misfits. Flashbacks. Character development. Multiple POVs.

Late to the party once again, but better late than never, right? For those wondering if you have to read the original Grisha trilogy before picking this up. You do not, as long as you can read between the lines.

In summary, hard-bitten members of a street gang are recruited to break into one of the most secure fortresses in the world, the headquarter Read if you like: Semi-historical feeling, ensemble cast fantasy. Heist stories. Groups of misfits. Flashbacks. Character development. Multiple POVs.

Late to the party once again, but better late than never, right? For those wondering if you have to read the original Grisha trilogy before picking this up. You do not, as long as you can read between the lines.

In summary, hard-bitten members of a street gang are recruited to break into one of the most secure fortresses in the world, the headquarters of the holy order bent on destroying Grisha, the magic users of this world. Bardugo doesn't go into detail on where Grisha powers come from (Maybe this is explained in the original trilogy?), but the powers range from being able to call wind, to manipulating matter on an molecular level, to messing with the body functions of anyone in close range. Also, having those powers anywhere outside of a particular country seems to be either a death sentence or mean a future of constantly being on the lookout for slavers.

Why do our...I hesitate to use the word heroes, protagonists maybe???....have to break into said fortress? Because there is a scientist inside who has invented a drug that jacks up Grisha powers to 11, at the cost of those Grisha becoming hopelessly addicted to it.

Despite sharing a world with Bardugo's earlier works, I didn't feel lost or that I jumped into the middle of a story. It probably helped that the author chose to move from her original setting, the nation of Ravka, to the more mercantile, Gentleman Bastards-feeling island nation of Kerch. Because of that change, Bardugo still had to do a fair amount of world building, even for people familiar with her world.

One of the things that really stuck out to me? You didn't really have a main character. Each of the crew picked out for the heist have a rich backstory that is revealed over time (hence the flashbacks). Each get POV chapters. Each have their own interests that might sway the plot one way or the other.

Some of the twists I saw coming. Some hit me out of nowhere. I also didn't hate the romances in this, because it actually played into the progression of the plot and/or character development.

Did I like everything about this book? No, for all that I liked that the characters had rich back stories, some of the flashbacks seemed a little clunky and expositional, and the ending felt a little abrupt. But will I be reaching for the next book?

Yes, definitely, and probably going back to catch up on everything that led up to this point as well. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2019 Missy rated it it was amazing

Kelly, why didn’t you tell me about this book?

Sorry I didn’t listen to it sooner!

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2021 Soph rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

4.5 stars

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2017 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: protag-of-color, great-ladies, sff, queer-protag, ya

I've bumped my rating down to 4.25 stars. I can't really explain how I settled on that number. I loved this duology, and it's definitely some of the best YA I've read. However, I did feel this first book was slow to start. I also spent a good part of this book liking some of the characters much more than others. I at least appreciated those I didn't like by the end though. ...more

Like · see review