Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

5/5 Stars

Before reading this book I was literally just thinking about YA dystopian novels and how I haven’t read a good one in a while that made me get excited. THIS WAS THAT BOOK. CAME IN AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

This book truly blows every single dystopian novel I’ve ever read completely out of the water. I read this on my iPad days and days in a row until my entire iPad battery was dead. This book is fantastic. It is literally everything the genre should be and more. Twists and turns with this original plot (I kind of like to describe it as a mix between Oceans 11 and Game of Thrones) and COMPLEX CHARACTERS EACH WITH THEIR OWN AMAZING CHARACTER ARCH. It’s creative and unique; I quite literally have never read anything like it

First things first: the characters. There are six of them (hence six of crows) and they’re all FANTASTIC. There is no other way to put it. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Wylan, and Jesper.

Kaz is the dangerous, dark, bad boy gang leader of the Dregs. He grew up in the cut throat streets of the Barrel and has a tragic past. I swear if the casting for this man isn’t one of the sexiest men I swear to god. He’s kind of mean to the girls he likes and usually I hate that but he portrays this trope beautifully.

Inej is the sneaky spy of the Dregs. She worked in a brothel before Kaz found her and paid for her escape out of there. She is strong and everything a female protagonist should be. She’s just the epitome of cool.

The other characters are also cool (EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS JUST COOL AND FUN AND AMAZING) but Kaz and Inej are BY FAR my favorites. Is it possible and rational to want to lay your life on the line for fictional characters?

The plot is literally nonstop exciting. NONSTOP. Just when I think the dust has settled, IT HASN'T AND THERES A TWIST THAT I WASNT EXPECTING. I kid you not, I read most of this book sitting on the beach with my mom and there were at least 10 times where my mouth hung open in shock or I gasped really dramatically. It just has everything for anyone. Adventure, heartbreak, romance, sacrifice. JUST LITERALLY ANYTHING. I’m fully convinced that if you read this book, like actually read this book and say you don’t like it. There is literally just something wrong with you or you just have horrible taste and probably enjoy reading things that are lethally boring.

THE WRITING IN THIS BOOK. OH MY GOD. I’m now fully convinced that Leigh Bardugo is the reigning queen of YA distopian-fantasy-whatever-genre-this-book-is-a-part-of. This book is told in third person but each chapter is centered around another character and although it is told in third person, we can know exactly what is going on in the minds of whichever character that chapter is focusing on. The formatting is amazing and Leigh Bardugo knew exactly what she was doing and what readers want. When I would finish a chapter, I’d be like “oh my god I need to read what Kaz is thinking next”. I’d turn the page and it was say KAZ in that big twisty font she uses at the beginning of new chapters.

This book was quite literally the serotonin boost I needed after finishing my finals and my first year of college. If you ever are questioning why you read books and why it’s fun, READ SIX OF CROWS AND YOU'LL REMEMBER WHY.

Haha I love to read. Anywho yeah uh this has been my long but appropriate review of possibly (not possibly, certainly) the best book I’ve ever read. Ever.

READ SIX OF CROWS.

Count of my review for Crooked Kingdom.