Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

By Kate     21st August 2023

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Published: Orion Children’s Books 2 June 2016

ISBN number: 978-1780622286

Rating: ★★★★★

Genres:  Young adult fiction, Fantasy

Age Rating: 14+

About the Book

Criminal prodigy, Kaz Brekker has been offered a chance at a deadly heist: break into the Ice Court – a military stronghold that has never been breached – and retrieve a hostage whose knowledge could change Grisha magic forever. To succeed would mean riches beyond Kaz’s 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. Together they might just be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first. 

My Review

Six of Crows is the first book in a duology written by Leigh Bardugo, who also wrote the Shadow and Bone series (review coming soon!) and part of the GrishaVerse. The book details the adventures of six dangerous outcasts, working together, as they go on a heist thought impossible. Matthias, the convict. Jesper, the sharpshooter. Wylan, the runaway. Inej, the spy. Nina, the Heartrender. Kaz, the thief. The crew have to face many struggles, and each member has their own mental and physical challenges to arrive at the Ice Court while trying not to kill each other. While they aren’t happy about working together at first, they learn to do so. As they encounter danger and get into fights, they soon find out they need to stick together. There is even a possible romance between two of the characters! 

This is another popular book online, so again I had high expectations. The expectations were met. I quickly fell in love with this book and wanted all the best for the characters. I must admit that at first, I was sceptical of a few characters, in particular, Kaz, Jesper and Matthias, but as the story went on, those thoughts were largely banished. I particularly liked the characters of Nina and Inej, as they were more level-headed than the boys, and brought a sense of rationale to the group. I enjoyed learning about Wylan’s character and everyone’s background, but especially his. I think the only character I didn’t like was Van Eck. He was the one who proposed the heist in the first place and struck a deal with Kaz. Suspicion surrounded him in my mind from the beginning, and let’s just say, he’s not a very nice person. 

There is an insane plot twist at the end of the book, one I would never have expected, one that still leaves me thinking about it to this day. 

Overall, the book is different from many other books I read, but I loved it and cannot wait to read the sequel. The book is well written and I don’t find it slow or that the adventure grinds to a halt at any time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it belongs on the shelf for books I love and would definitely reread 5 stars.

Have you read Six of Crows?

If not, don’t forget to add it to your TBR list!

Happy reading!

Kate x