‘Six of Crows’ Book Review
By: Melissa-Jane Nguyen
Tags: Fiction, Book Review, Fantasy, Reading, Books

‘Six of Crows’ Book Review

A story about a band of loveable crims and a heist that’ll go down in history

Photo by Tyler Quiring on Unsplash

It took me an age to get into Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — my own fault, really, for having a baby whose needs come before the devouring of a good book (babies are selfish like that). Plus, I tried reading it straight after finishing ‘The Shadow and Bone Trilogy’, which is not recommended because although set within the Grishaverse (the same fantasy world), the stories are worlds apart.

Shadow and Bone is pretty typical (albeit quite good) YA Fantasy that follows the path of a Chosen One trope with romantic elements thrown in.

Six of Crows is a crafty, complex YA Fantasy that has a plot more akin to Oceans Eleven (I’m going with the 2001 version here since I haven’t seen the original — I know, I know, shame on me). And yes, it does include a side of some well-written romance, but that’s not the main drawcard.

A team of characters work towards a plan to pull off the biggest heist in history to receive a massive reward that will pay off all their debts and still leave them among the wealthiest in Ketterdam.

The clever mastermind of it all, Kaz Brekker, reminds me of a cheeky Robin Hood, or a loveable rogue like Han Solo— hell, I’ve even had Ned Kelly come to mind.

What’s so great about this husky-voiced, brusque, secretive, brutal character who’s also known as Dirtyhands? He’s not only quick-witted and always two steps ahead of everyone, he’s also got plenty of flaws, and he makes mistakes — what’s that? He’s human! Kaz suffers from PTSD and as a result wears gloves because he has a phobia of touching or being touched (haphephobia). And he’s a baddie essentially fighting against bigger baddies. What’s not to love?

The story is told from five main POVs and all characters have complexities and goals, and they all show growth as the story progresses. That’s no mean feat, so props to Bardugo for bringing it all together so well.

So, who are the members of Kaz’s crew?

Inej, ‘The Wraith’ who was basically a Cirque du Soleil performer turned collector of secrets for Kaz (plus she’s pretty badass with all her knife-wielding); Jesper, gun-obsessed sharpshooter who never misses a shot (he also brings the funnies); Nina, a powerful Grisha Heartrender who’s strong, loud, confident, and unashamedly female (not to be forgotten: her skills in flirting her way out of anything); Matthias, a Fjerdan soldier who hunts Grisha and wants no part in the whole thing, but gets wrapped up in it anyway (his conflicted feelings for Nina add some great love/hate tension); and Wylan, the shy son of a rich mercher who’s got some secrets of his own (no POVs for Wylan in Six of Crows, but he’s a main character, nonetheless).

Let me just say, the banter is spot on. It’s funny without being constant and over-the-top. Made all the better when stoic, reluctant (or perhaps I should say, forced) team member Matthias joins in and manages to be hilarious without swaying from his personality.

All the elements work together perfectly to create a high-action, entertaining read that’s full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I ended up enjoying it so much, I’d label it one of my favourite reads of recent years.

On that note, just take a risk and read the damn book: