Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) in Around the Year in 52 Books

May 27, 2021 Jaime rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy, read-2021

I went into this book somewhat blind, expecting another fantasy-quest type story like we had in Shadow & Bone. So I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself reading a heist novel. Who doesn't love a heist? I do think you should read the Shadow & Bone trilogy before starting this one, to give you a better understanding of the world and the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker is the young leader of the Dregs, one of the more powerful gangs in the Barrel section of Ketterdam. He normally is focused on taking mo ...more

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Sep 25, 2015 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016-reading-challenge, fantasy, young-adult, audio, it-s-not-you-it-s-me

I finally finished reading this book last night. I don't say finally lightly, either. This book took a lot of time, patience, and energy to read. I enjoy Leigh Bardugo's Grisha books, so even though I don't read much YA anymore and even though I'm not a big fan of heist stories, I picked this up. Maybe I'm just not the right audience, because of those reasons. While I loved Inej and was thoroughly in her corner, the others took time to grow on me, if at all. I came to appreciate Jesper and Kaz a I finally finished reading this book last night. I don't say finally lightly, either. This book took a lot of time, patience, and energy to read. I enjoy Leigh Bardugo's Grisha books, so even though I don't read much YA anymore and even though I'm not a big fan of heist stories, I picked this up. Maybe I'm just not the right audience, because of those reasons. While I loved Inej and was thoroughly in her corner, the others took time to grow on me, if at all. I came to appreciate Jesper and Kaz a bit, although everyone had had to be so cold and calculating in order to survive that even after they became more sympathetic, I still didn't really like them. Matthias and Nina were really annoying for much of the book--the main reason that I set the book down for several weeks at about the halfway point was because I couldn't deal with their bickering (which means they love each other) anymore. It turns out that if I had persevered just a few more pages, I would have come to another section of the book and the action would have resumed. So if you feel yourself reaching that point, press on. It settles down eventually.
Also, I do not recommend the audio version of this book. While the book might have benefited from being read by a diverse cast with accents similar to the cultures they represented (basically Scandinavian, Dutch, Russian, and perhaps Romani? I couldn't tell what Jesper's culture paralleled to.), it did not have that. Instead it was read by a bunch of bland American actors who added nothing to the story. I read through much quickly when I picked it back up later, in paper format.
Partly because I could skim. Action scenes, mostly. They didn't hold my interest very well--but that may once again be my problem. I love the rich and culturally diverse world Ms. Bardugo has created, with its lifelike cities (especially Ketterdam) and vibrant cultures. I just wish I'd found the story and characters themselves more engaging.
Will I read the next book? It's hard to say; probably not for quite awhile, if ever. I would like to know what happens to Inej, though--I want to know if she can ever achieve her newfound goals, and if Kaz can ever beat his demons enough to attain his heart's desire. So maybe I will, eventually. Not as an audio book. When I have plenty of time to read it. ...more

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Mar 21, 2020 Lacey Louwagie rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult, fantasy, book-club

This book had a clear sense of place, and the characters were also compelling. The heist story was less interesting to me, but then, I'm not really a fan of heist stories to begin with. My mind sort of glazed over in a lot of the chase and battle and whatnot scenes. But I guess I liked the characters and their backstories enough to give this book four stars way back when I read it. (I had a lot of thoughts about this three months ago, but most of them have been crowded out by other things by now ...more

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Nov 02, 2017 Christine H rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Nothing better conveys my enjoyment of this book than the fury and disappointment I feel right now. You see, I read the Kindle version, and was humming along around 77% through the book, seeing some new threads develop, the building blocks of a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the hero, some kickass action, and delicious plotting.

And then THE END.

So yeah, the Kindle version has tons of sample material, acknowledgements, and so on at the end of this FIRST HALF of the story. So be warned. If you're ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Jana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: x2018-reading-challenge

Why do I like these dystopian young adult novels so much? Read for week 25. A book with an antagonist/villain point of view. In this case, maybe not a villain's point of view, but definitely a group of thieves ...more

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Feb 21, 2017 Celeste rated it really liked it

Shelves: around-the-year-challenge-2017, audio-book

This book had a slow start but I can't wait to read the next book. I loved the characters and the story.
(Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge: Book Set in a Fictional Location) ...more

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