Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows (Six of Crows Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Blurb:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

My Review:

Welcome to the Barrel, the slums of Ketterdam. A place ruled by gangs and filled with gambling dens and pleasure houses. And at the center of the Barrel is possibly the most powerful gang of all - the Dregs led by criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is infamous in the Barrel, there's not a job he won't take and he has an uncanny ability to unearth dirt on anyone to use as leverage. 

When Kaz is presented with an impossible mission, breaking into the impenetrable Ice Court of Fjerda to retrieve a Shu scientist capable of creating jurda parem - an addictive drug that heightens Grisha abilities and turns them into weapons - Kaz sees a huge pay day, 30 million kruge. 

All he needs is to assemble a crew... 

Inej, a Suli girl known for her ability to fade into the shadows and gather information. Jesper, a sharpshooter deeply in debt and needing a big payout. Wylan, the son of a merchant who knows his way around explosives. Nina, a Grisha trying to make amends to a man she's done wrong. And Matthias, a convict out for revenge. 

But can they achieve the impossible, break the scientist out of the Ice Court and come out alive on the other side? Or will their best laid plans blow up in their faces. This quest is more dangerous than anything they've faced before, but what is life without a little danger?

I'm actually surprised by how much I loved this book. I waited a long time before deciding to read this book and it was only after reading and loving the Grisha Trilogy that I decided to give it a chance. Before I might have said I liked that series better but I love them both equally. I love the worldbuilding and character development in this book, each character shines in their own way, although I would have liked to have seen sections in Wylan's perspective. Maybe in the next book?

I both liked and disliked the passages that delved into the character's pasts and how they ended up with the Dregs. They showed the origins and paths the characters took that led them to who they would become but at times I found them a little boring. The storyline moved steadily for the most part but I felt like it took me a long time to actually get through this book. 

Overall, this book surprised me. It kept me hooked and invested in whether the crew could pull off the heist or get caught in the process and the ending has me eager to get the next book and see how it ends. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4.5 of 5 Stars!