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Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

Leigh Bardugo

Start date: October 1, 2025

Finish date: October 31, 2025

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for the October re-read book
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Series

* New Series- One Dark Window
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last updated Oct 28, 2025 05:06AM

* Continuing Series- Fearful by Lauren Roberts
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What Members Thought

Jul 21, 2017 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-2017, ya, favorites, fantasy

No Mourners, No funerals.

In a publishing world of endless plot reiterations, occasionally there’s a book that comes along so completely different from anything currently being produced--a book that doesn’t bow to trend--I call this book a UNICORN scroll. And that’s exactly how I’d define Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

There aren’t the stars available or words sufficient to capture this work’s MAGIC. At first glance it seems a basic premise: notorious underworld leader & expert swindler, Kaz No Mourners, No funerals.

In a publishing world of endless plot reiterations, occasionally there’s a book that comes along so completely different from anything currently being produced--a book that doesn’t bow to trend--I call this book a UNICORN scroll. And that’s exactly how I’d define Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

There aren’t the stars available or words sufficient to capture this work’s MAGIC. At first glance it seems a basic premise: notorious underworld leader & expert swindler, Kaz Brekker is presented with a once-in-a-lifetime mission. Kidnap the source of a new, highly-addictive drug that amplifies the innate powers of a Grisha (individuals with natural magical ability). The reward? $30. MILLION. KRUGE. The catch? The job requires breaking into the world’s most secure prison. A jail that’s never been breached. “The most well-protected safe in the world.” Recognizing that he faces impossible odds, Kaz assembles a crew. He handpicks five individuals, each with a very specific skillset, to pull off history’s most elaborate heist. It’s a risky execution with a near certain chance of failure--some would say, a suicide mission--but if there exists anyone daring (or crazy) enough to attempt it AND succeed, it’s KAZ. MOTHERFUCKING. BREKKER.

"What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?
Knife to the throat? asked Inej.
Gun to the back? Said Jesper.
Poison in his cup? Suggested Nina.
You’re all horrible,” said Matthias.

As I said above, ostensibly it’s a simple plot. Your general heist tale. Ocean’s 11 in a fantasy setting, more or less. But Leigh Bardugo’s mastery of the written word, talent for melding fantasy with suspense, and flair for seamlessly switching between humorous quips and sexually-charged, tension-filled exchanges, elevates it to masterpiece level.

“Usually people don’t start hating each other until a week into the job, but you two have a head start.”

But what I loved most about Six of Crows--what will stay with me--are the characters. A lesser author would have filled a heist plot with generic, stock roles. Not Leigh Bardugo. The cast is diverse and richly developed. Chapters alternate between Kaz and his crew, each with their own riveting backstory. Complicated histories between crew members and individual tales are slowly unfurled. What distinguishes Six of Crows is that it takes a very plot-based concept--a heist--and transforms it into a character-driven tale. And oh, how magnificently it succeeds.

“Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason. Those were the words whispered on the streets of Ketterdam, in the taverns and coffeehouses, in the dark and bleeding alleys of the pleasure district known as the Barrel. The boy they called Dirtyhands didn’t need any reason any more than he needed permission--to break a leg, sever an alliance, or change a man’s fortunes with the turn of a card.”

The character I fell in immediate adoration of, beyond all reason or comprehension, is our ruthlessly shrewd ringleader, KAZ BREKKER. Be forewarned: I’m complete & utter Kaz Brekker trash. Can’t stop. Won’t stop. One chapter with him and he leapt to my exclusive Pantheon of All-time Favorite Literary Characters. The man is my crack. I have little interest in insipid vanilla roles. I prefer my characters to exist in shades of gray. To be multifaceted, complex, and yes--even a little problematic. Put simply, I like the Bad Boys. And Kaz Brekker hits all the above criteria and then some. Couple a tragic backstory and thirst for vengeance with intelligence, hidden depths & a smidge of vulnerability and you’ve got Kaz in a nutshell.

“For every trick you’ve seen, I know a thousand more. You think a year in Hellgate hardened you up? Taught you to fight? Hellgate would have been paradise to me as a child.”

Is Kaz sometimes brutal and cold, frequently ruthless? YES. That's inarguable. He’s also a SURVIVOR. Suffered worse than any character, yet managed to claw his way out of the dark only to become a legend. A myth he carefully cultivates.

“Why do you wear the gloves, Mister Brekker?”.....Kaz raised a brow.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories.”
Brekker’s hands were stained with blood. Brekker’s hands were covered in scars. Brekker had claws and not fingers because he was part demon. Brekker’s touch burned like brimstone--a single brush of his bare skin caused your flesh to wither and die…..
“Pick one,” Kaz said….They’re all true enough.”

For all the surrounding lore makes it that much easier to intimidate others. To control. After all, “when everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”

“Nina thought of the look on his face when he’d set Inej down on the table. He was the same Kaz--cold, rude, impossible--but beneath all the anger, she thought she’d seen something else too.”

Yes even Kaz has a weak spot--an Achilles' heel--and that comes in the form of fellow gang member, famed spy, and former acrobat, Inej. It’s important to note that while I’m a hardcore Kaz x Inez fan, if you’re a shipper Six of Crows offers a variety of options. All well-developed and nothing that distracts from the story. This ain’t Twilight, folks. Kaz and Inej earned my OTP status by bringing out the best in each other. Inej is the only person to see past Kaz’s self-created mythology and mile-high walls to the man underneath. It’s no coincidence that Inej is the only one Kaz reveals his past secrets to--she allows him to be vulnerable because he innately trusts her. Inej continues to see the Kaz that existed before Pekka Rollins--before the monster--when he was just a sensitive, hopeful boy. And even when Kaz is at his worst, Inej never betrays or abandons him. She reminds him that he CAN be better. He CAN do better. He IS better.

“I can hear the change in Kaz’s breathing when he looks at you.”

And their scenes? OH, THEIR SCENES. They crackle with tension. After reading a Kaz x Inej passage, you suddenly realize you’ve been holding your breath. The entire time. That’s the intensity of their interactions. All that unspoken longing. So much left unsaid. Their chemistry is electric, leaping off the page, and leaving you always wanting more.

“The wraith is a sixteen-year-old girl currently lying unconscious on a table. She may not even survive the night.”
“She will,” said Kaz, and something savage flashed in his eyes.
Matthias suspected that Brekker would drag the girl back from hell himself if he had to.”

This book. THIS. BOOK. It deserves all the stars. All the awards. EVERYTHING. I don’t know why I didn’t read it sooner. It contains everything a true masterpiece should: romance, action, humor, intensity, unforgettable characters, vivid world-building, crackling dialogue, hauntingly re-readable passages. And like all great books, relevance to the real-world: “We are all someone’s monster, Nina.”

Thank you, Leigh Bardugo. Just….thank you. ...more

111 likes · Like · see review

Oct 06, 2016 Desa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, sci-fi-fantasy, series, english, re-read, eoi, read-in-2016

This reread has been as glorious as the first time, maybe even more because I've read it with Jess and we've shared ALL THE FEELINGS, my precious babies <3333333

First read in January 2016. Original review:

A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.

Six of Crows was everything I didn’t know I wanted from this book. The plot sucked me in (an impossible?heist)but the characters…OH.MY.GOD.THE.CHARACHTER ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 07, 2017 Rachel rated it really liked it

I think by this point it's fairly obvious that Leigh Bardugo is the queen of world-building and quippy conversation. I loved the premise of this. Another story set in the fantastic Grisha world, reaching into the darker places we hadn't seen before about a group of thieves set on riches and revenge.

This was a little bit Ocean's 11, a dash of the Count of Monte Cristo, and something else entirely new, and while I loved that she took the time to create so many fascinating characters, for me, it wa ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2017 Lauren⁷ 💜 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-has-a-copy, favorites, young-adult-teen-new-adult, fantasy-science-fiction, best-books-read-in-2017

One might think that after the rather withering review I gave to Ruin and Rising that I would be done with Leigh Bardugo's writing altogether. My problem with that book mostly lay in the anti climatic ending. It did not lay in any way with Leigh's worldbuilding, which I hailed as being one of her strengths in a previous review. I absolutely adored the extremely unique world she created and it was one of my very favorite things about the Grisha trilogy. So, with that in mind, I was kind of excite One might think that after the rather withering review I gave to Ruin and Rising that I would be done with Leigh Bardugo's writing altogether. My problem with that book mostly lay in the anti climatic ending. It did not lay in any way with Leigh's worldbuilding, which I hailed as being one of her strengths in a previous review. I absolutely adored the extremely unique world she created and it was one of my very favorite things about the Grisha trilogy. So, with that in mind, I was kind of excited to read this. And I ended up being absolutely blown away! I think we're all familiar with the saying, "it's just crazy enough to work." Well, that's a perfect summation of Kaz's plan to break into the Ice Court. Leigh only gives us a rough outline of the plan and slowly unspools it as the book goes along with many twists and turns and just when you think it's about to go belly up, nope, it's part of Kaz's utterly outrageous and audacious plan. I found his plan to be insane and I couldn't believe it ended up working as well as it did. I really, really liked the characters. I think Kaz was my favorite. He had a very Slytherin air to him and darned if that kind of characterization doesn't really get to me. He was intriguing and so multilayered. Inej, Matthias, Jesper, Wylan and Nina were all equally as awesome. And each had a very distinct voice. I love me some well done anti heroes and that was these characters in droves. There's no question that Kaz is something of a crime kingpin and that Inej is his spymaster and Jesper is the wisecracking sharpshooter and Nina is a deadly Grisha Heartrender. Wylan is the mostly innocent one and Matthias is the good guy who gets roped along for the ride. And they end up being a fantastic bunch who I just loved. And the worldbuilding? Oh, mama, the worldbuilding. It is, in a word, spectacular. This time around, we're in the city of Ketterdam. Which reminded me of a mix of Venice and the Netherlands and the Free Cities from Game Of Thrones fame (Leigh is a GoT fan) set sometime in the later part of the 19th century. And then, we're off to Fjerda which reminded me of a mix of Iceland and Norway. Both were amazing and very fully realized! I just loved them! Leigh absolutely made them come alive to the point where you almost felt like you could step out of the real world and right into the bustling metropolis that is Ketterdam or the aptly named Ice Court. I have to hand it to Leigh, writing a heist novel this intricately plotted and writing six characters with very distinctive voices could not have been easy and she pulled it off with utter aplomb. If you were like me and weren't wowed by the Grisha trilogy, give this a shot. It's almost nothing like the Grisha trilogy and is so much better. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2017 AshleyA (MamaNeedsBooks) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-reads-series, favorites

*Jaw drop*

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 29, 2016 Desa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, sci-fi-fantasy, series, english, epic, read-in-2016, fav-series

A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.

Six of Crows was everything I didn’t know I wanted from this book. The plot sucked me in (an impossible?heist)but the characters…OH.MY.GOD.THE.CHARACHTERS. So much love for these outlaws, these misfits who are thieves, criminals, liars, killers…so many shades of grey that make you love them even more, because they are not just one thing or what they seem a ...more

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Sep 15, 2019 joi. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, lgbtq

Hello everyone, and thank you for coming to my review of How to Be Gay and Do Crimes in Pretend Magic Victorian Amsterdam, starring my 6 morally gray genius children: Batman, Catwoman, Robin, Other Smaller Robin, Mr. Freeze, and Nina Zenik.

In this book, a criminal mastermind is hired by a regular criminal to steal a drug dealer from Frozen Alcatraz. He gathers together his 4 best friends and Mathias Helvar, and they set out on the single most romantic first date anyone could ever hope for. It i Hello everyone, and thank you for coming to my review of How to Be Gay and Do Crimes in Pretend Magic Victorian Amsterdam, starring my 6 morally gray genius children: Batman, Catwoman, Robin, Other Smaller Robin, Mr. Freeze, and Nina Zenik.

In this book, a criminal mastermind is hired by a regular criminal to steal a drug dealer from Frozen Alcatraz. He gathers together his 4 best friends and Mathias Helvar, and they set out on the single most romantic first date anyone could ever hope for. It includes: tanks, guns, ships, comeuppance, singing, wigs, murder, homicide, flutes, killing, birds, trees, people standing silently next to each other and being like "wtf bro???", fashion, mockery, investments, and repeated graphic descriptions of waffles. There is also a heist, but that is less important.

The writing in this book is so incredibly lush and evocative, you will get lost in the language! This book reads more like poetry than fiction, with such beautiful sentences as: "Maybe I liked your stupid face", "Nina?", "Where's my hat?", "You just have really ugly feet", and the oft-quoted classic "It's some kind of series of cables and bells".

Please know that if you read this book, there is one character you will ABSOLUTELY fall in love with and will never be able to forget. Dirix is swoon-worthy and he will instantly make you wish every person you meet could be like him, but DO NOT OBSESS OVER HIM. He ends up barely being in the book, even though he is clearly the Book Boyfriend we are all waiting for.

All in all, this is singularly the greatest work in all of American literature. It will leave you screaming obscenities at any copies of The Great Gatsby or The Whole30 Cookbook you own because they will never live up to the legacy of this book. My recommendation is to limit yourself to 30 minutes of screaming at your other books per day, otherwise your neighbors will begin to complain, and yes Janet, this part is about you STOP PUTTING YOUR GREEN WASTE IN MY BIN!

5 STARS - DID READ AGAIN immediately after I finished the duology for the first time. Will read again right now since I got the books out so I could reread those 5 incredible sentences about Dirix and dream of us raising a few nondescript kids together.

Thanks again for checking out this review. If it was helpful to you, please send a SASE to Jan van Eck with a note that just says 'WE HAVE YOUR DE KAPPEL', stabbed several times and with, like, a little devil face on it. He will LOVE that. ...more

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