‘Six Of Crows’ (8 out of 10) by Leigh Bardugo. Henry Holt and Company. Available 9/29/15
Now, this is the kind of fantasy that I love. ‘Six of Crows’ is the new novel in a series by Leigh Bardugo and is set in the Grisha-verse a couple of decades later. Instead of Ravka, a country heavily inspired by Russian aesthetics, we’re transported to Dutch-inspired Ketterdamn in Kerch where Kaz Brekker, criminal extraordinaire, recruits criminals and misfits alike to join him on the biggest heist of their life. ‘Six Of Crows’ begins a bit slowly because there is a lot of necessary introductory information, especially if you have not read any of the Grisha trilogy. The good news? You do not have to read the other series to enjoy this one. Within the first few pages, you are thrown into a whirlwind of thievery and deception, a trend that does not end until the book is over (and even after?.)
I think the thing that I liked the most about ‘Crows’ is that the tone of the book isn’t gloom and doom, save the world, martyr or die trying kind of tone, like in ‘Shadow and Bone/Siege and Storm/Ruin and Rising.’ It’s not Alina fighting within herself on whether or not she should obtain all the amplifiers to defeat the Darkling. It’s not all about destroying something. No, the tone of this book was so much more… adventurous than Bardugo’s previous trilogy. I wouldn’t necessarily say more “fun”, because there is no way I’d describe this book as fun like it’s some lighthearted adventure novel, but it is certainly more reader-friendly, with less heartache, and more laugh-out-loud, head-spinning action.
There is no fantasy writer that I’m reading right now whose complex, fascinating worlds are so effortlessly drawn. Everything flows in a Leigh Bardugo book. There’s no info dumping, boring set-ups, or under-characterization. To her credit, the heist plot-line lends a neat, simple plot driver to the whole thing and allows each character’s nuances and agendas to reveal themselves naturally over time. Nothing feels out of place and nothing feels forced. In addition to being a good story, this book is told in a way that presents the points of view of all six main characters. This aspect is especially enjoyable when you experience one character in a particular situation and then are presented with another character’s experience, which picks up in the middle of that previous situation. This writing style helps readers better understand each character and how they handle and survive various events. Again, characters driven by motivations that make sense and don’t feel fake.
I felt like I was the seventh crow in this journey and I was absorbing everything that the book could offer. I was attached to the characters in a way that I don’t think I probably ever felt while reading ‘Shadow and Bone’ and that proved to be exciting. ‘Six of Crows’ has everything going for it and contains a little bit of everything for a wide variety of readers. To be honest, so far, it has shocked me the most out of all the books I have read this year. I love to be pleasantly surprised. I recommend this book to Bardugo fans, fantasy readers, action-lovers, and anyone looking for something unique.
-Dagobot
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