The Six of Crows Duology (The Six of Crows, #1-2)

by Leigh Bardugo

A few drinks in and a few hands up and the sharpshooter’s good nature would return. He held a grudge about as well as he held his liquor, and he had a gift for making Kaz’s victories sound like they belonged to everyone.

That's Jesper.

But when she wanted to, Inej had a way of making you feel her silence. It tugged at your edges.

Inej was always trying to wring little bits of decency from him.

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

Kaz's piece of wisdom

He’d heard other members of the gang say she moved like a cat, but he suspected cats would sit attentively at her feet to learn her methods.

“Greed is your god, Kaz.” He almost laughed at that. “No, Inej. Greed bows to me. It is my servant and my lever.”

“That cane is quite a piece of hardware, Mister Brekker. Is it Fabrikator made?” It was, in fact, the work of a Grisha Fabrikator, lead-lined and perfectly weighted for breaking bones.

“Grisha manipulate matter at its most fundamental levels. They call it the Small Science.

“My little Suli idealist. All you need is a full belly and an open road?” he said, the mockery clear in his voice. “And an easy heart, Kaz.” That was the difficult part.

One minute he made her blush and the next he made her want to commit murder.

I get you, Inej!!!!

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honour of acquiring me a new hat?”

I'm loving Kaz already

“You may still die in the Dregs.” Inej’s dark eyes had glinted. “I may. But I’ll die on my feet with a knife in my hand.”

Kaz leaned back. “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.

These are my crows ❤️

Many boys will bring you flowers. But some day you’ll meet a boy who will learn your favourite flower, your favourite song, your favourite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won’t matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.

Sankt Petyr, renowned for his bravery, on the right; the slender, bone-handled blade she’d named for Sankta Alina on the left.

“Talk to me, Wraith.” “You came back for me.” “I protect my investments.”

Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. “Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I’m going to get Wylan’s ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost.” Brekker’s lips quirked. “I’ll just hire Matthias’ ghost to kick your ghost’s ass.” “My ghost won’t associate with your ghost,” Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.

Jesper is the sunshine of my life ☀️

“I’m a very valuable investment.” Nina’s jaw dropped. “Tell me he didn’t say that.” “Of course he did. Well, not the valuable part.” “Idiot.”

Yes, Kaz. You idiot 😩

“Nina is everything you say. It’s too much.” “Mmm,” Inej murmured, taking a sip from her mug. “Maybe you’re just not enough.”

She was not a lynx or a spider or even the Wraith. She was Inej Ghafa, and her future was waiting above.

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.

“He doesn’t approve of anything about you. But when you laugh, he perks up like a tulip in fresh water.” Nina snorted. “Matthias the tulip.” “The big, brooding, yellow tulip.”

How did you survive the Barrel? When they took everything from you, you found a way to make something from nothing.

“Not fond of animals?” Kaz asked. “I like dogs,” Wylan said. “Just not when they’re the size of bears.”

Me too. Only from afar

He knew what it was to be out of your depth, and he sometimes suspected they could forgo all of Kaz’s planning and simply let Jesper and Nina flirt the entirety of Ketterdam into submission.

Jesper and Nina, the incorrigible flirts.

“Zoya used to say that fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.”

“You’re stupid about a lot of things, Wylan, but you are not stupid. And if I ever hear you call yourself a moron again, I’m going to tell Matthias you tried to kiss Nina. With tongue.”

Two of the deadliest people the Barrel had to offer and they could barely touch each other without both of them keeling over.

We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.