tweetybugshouse
Written on Dec 10, 2015
See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with the Netflix series, Shadow and Bone - Season 2 streaming now!
A glorious Collector's Edition of New York Times bestselling, epic fantasy novel, SIX OF CROWS. Beautifully designed, with an exclusive letter from the author and six stunning full-colour character portraits. This covetable hardback with red sprayed edges is a perfect gift for fans, and a perfect way to discover the unforgettable writing of Leigh Bardugo.
Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is 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 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. Together they might just be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.
'Fast, thrilling heist fantasy, boasting a brilliant new cast of characters.' METRO
'A full-throttle adventure . . . crackling dialogue and sumptuous description. Bardugo dives deep into this world.' - NEW YORK TIMES
- ISBN10 1510106286
- ISBN13 9781510106284
- Publish Date 11 October 2018 (first published 29 September 2015)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Hachette Children's Group
- Imprint Orion Children's Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 512
- Language English
- Special Exclusive Design Sprayed Edges Collector's Edition
Reviews
e_rodz_leb
Written on Nov 17, 2015
Six of Crows is a book so complex that I will not attempt to describe in detail the plot. You can find plenty of reviews that sing all the glory and can do it better justice that I can do it. Rather, I will concentrate in the main characters and let you put the puzzle together. Six characters, told from all of their points of view in the third person. I promise that it’s not confusing at all!
“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck.”
A convict with a thirst for revenge. Matthias is belongs to a “cult’ that hunts the Grisha and he wants revenge on Nina for putting him in jail. He’s strong, tough, somewhat narrow minded, tender, and loving too.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. Jasper is a student turned gambler and gangster. He’s in Kaz’s inner circle, a sharpshooter with blind faith in his friends.
A runaway with a privileged past. Wyland is the son of an important merchant. He’s had a privileged upbringing, but he ran away from home. He seems weak at the beginning, but proves his worth when it mattered.
A spy known as the Wraith. Inej is a fascinating character. She was kidnapped when very young and “saved” by Kaz. She’s a spy and friend of heights and she’s always loyal to Kaz. Always.
“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns you heart.”
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. Nina is a Grisha that has been waiting in a strange land for the chance to save Matthias from prison. She’s realistic, straightforward, loyal and appreciate friends.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Kaz is my favorite character because he’s so complex. Make no mistake, he has no redemption. He’s… well, bad. Cunning, smart, without morals, ethics or empathy.
“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
The setting of Six of Crows is shared with that of the Grisha series. Some of the same countries belong to this world, but more that seem inspired by Holland (Ketterdam) and its many canals and by Russia and its ice glory (Ice Court). It’s all described in detail and it paints an accurate picture in the reader’s mind. Exquisite. The writing is sweeping , breathtaking and raw.
“Stay,” she panted. Tears leaked from her eyes. “Stay till the end.”
“And after,” he said. “And always.”
“I want to feel safe again. I want to go home to Ravka.”
“Then I’ll take you there. We’ll set fire to raisins or whatever you heathens do for fun.”
“Zealot,” she said weakly.
“Witch.”
“Barbarian.”
“Nina,” he whispered, “little red bird. Don’t go.”
Just like Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, I felt like Six of Crows should have been labeled New Adult. It’s definitely more appropriate for older readers because there is plenty of violence as well as some of the cruel realities of life. Let me also warn you that the story is slow to get into, please stick with it because it’s certainly worth it.
Overall, Six of Crows is a book with outstanding characters, detailed world building, an intricate and enthralling plot. A story of survival, love, revenge, politics, prejudice, friendship and betrayal. I cannot wait for the next book!This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC
lizarodz
Written on Nov 17, 2015
Six of Crows is a book so complex that I will not attempt to describe in detail the plot. You can find plenty of reviews that sing all the glory and can do it better justice that I can do it. Rather, I will concentrate in the main characters and let you put the puzzle together. Six characters, told from all of their points of view in the third person. I promise that it’s not confusing at all!
“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck.”
A convict with a thirst for revenge. Matthias is belongs to a “cult’ that hunts the Grisha and he wants revenge on Nina for putting him in jail. He’s strong, tough, somewhat narrow minded, tender, and loving too.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. Jasper is a student turned gambler and gangster. He’s in Kaz’s inner circle, a sharpshooter with blind faith in his friends.
A runaway with a privileged past. Wyland is the son of an important merchant. He’s had a privileged upbringing, but he ran away from home. He seems weak at the beginning, but proves his worth when it mattered.
A spy known as the Wraith. Inej is a fascinating character. She was kidnapped when very young and “saved” by Kaz. She’s a spy and friend of heights and she’s always loyal to Kaz. Always.
“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns you heart.”
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. Nina is a Grisha that has been waiting in a strange land for the chance to save Matthias from prison. She’s realistic, straightforward, loyal and appreciate friends.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Kaz is my favorite character because he’s so complex. Make no mistake, he has no redemption. He’s… well, bad. Cunning, smart, without morals, ethics or empathy.
“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
The setting of Six of Crows is shared with that of the Grisha series. Some of the same countries belong to this world, but more that seem inspired by Holland (Ketterdam) and its many canals and by Russia and its ice glory (Ice Court). It’s all described in detail and it paints an accurate picture in the reader’s mind. Exquisite. The writing is sweeping , breathtaking and raw.
“Stay,” she panted. Tears leaked from her eyes. “Stay till the end.”
“And after,” he said. “And always.”
“I want to feel safe again. I want to go home to Ravka.”
“Then I’ll take you there. We’ll set fire to raisins or whatever you heathens do for fun.”
“Zealot,” she said weakly.
“Witch.”
“Barbarian.”
“Nina,” he whispered, “little red bird. Don’t go.”
Just like Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, I felt like Six of Crows should have been labeled New Adult. It’s definitely more appropriate for older readers because there is plenty of violence as well as some of the cruel realities of life. Let me also warn you that the story is slow to get into, please stick with it because it’s certainly worth it.
Overall, Six of Crows is a book with outstanding characters, detailed world building, an intricate and enthralling plot. A story of survival, love, revenge, politics, prejudice, friendship and betrayal. I cannot wait for the next book!This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC
littleread1
Written on Nov 1, 2015
girlinthepages
Written on Aug 23, 2015
Six of Crows turned out to be a slow-burn for me, and while it started very slow, it built my curiosity and investment with each successive chapter. The book is told through a multiple-POV structure through the "six" heist members it derives its title from, and while I enjoyed certain characters' narratives more than others, I thought Bardugo did an excellent job making the distinct voices come across cohesively, and layering plot elements within each different narrated chapter. While the book was slow to start and captivate my interest, the element that undeniably kept me reading was Kaz. I was instantly smitten by him, but not in a fangirl way. Rather, I developed a deep appreciation for his moral ambiguity and his complex anxieties and nuances. Kaz lies much more firmly on the side of villain than hero, he served as a pillar that kept me invested in the story even when I had to suffer through characters whom I didn't care for narrating.
My other character obsession in this novel was the character who most tied Bardugo's Grisha-verse into the Six of Crows realm: Nina. A Heartrender displaced far from home, she's the perfect balance of sassy and vulnerable, and she brings insight into how things are in Ravka since the end of Ruin and Rising. In my post about Spin Offs, I discussed how I'm a huge fan of them and often find that the author tends to produce better writing in a spin off, as they're familiar with the universe but can develop new elements around the peripheral strength of their previous storytelling. Six of Crows followed my spin off rule, and managed to delve deeper into secondary elements mentioned in the Grisha trilogy and build an even stronger story around it. Specifically focused on are the Fjerdans, their culture and their complex relationship to Grisha.
What really set this book apart for me and warranted its five star rating is that it isn't intimidated by being labeled a Young Adult book. It didn't sugarcoat the happenings or try to make the gang have a Robin Hood complex. Most of the characters are not good people, and when they do show altruism it's almost always with an ulterior motive. The characters are from The Barrel, a rough, unforgiving place to live and work and the realities of such an existence are not denied (Theft. Murder. Trafficking. Poverty. Disease. Violence.) There's a despair and grit that layers each character's narrative and readers don't get the sense that such an intense stain due to life circumstances could ever be removed even with millions in currency from a successful heist.
The romance aspect, while definitely not at the center of the book, left me very divided. There was one couple I found myself really rooting for, yet another major couple that was hinted at throughout the course of the book felt really forced and cliché to me. Unfortunately for me, that second romance seems as though it's going to play a crucial role in the sequel.
Plot-wise, the novel proved successful in that it has the appropriate nuances and red-herrings that any good fantasy book lays out across its pages in order to keep readers turning pages. Kaz truly is almost always ten steps ahead of any competition they may be dealing with, and his contingency plans have contingency plans. However, I found myself to be a little disappointed by how heavily the ending plot twist (which ironically was probably the least shocking to me) relies on a sequel to support it. After investing so much time into a novel so thick with pages and details, it's frustrating to know that by the time a sequel is produced I'll probably have forgotten key details, and to be honest I really wasn't expecting a cliffhanger ending after such an extensively plotted heist.
Overall: While Leigh Bardugo's previous writings can be deemed "fantasy-lite," Six of Crows firmly lands in the realm of higher fantasy, unabashedly brash and unapologetic in its narrative of a rag-tag troop of misfits doing anything, anything, to get by. While it's slow to start, it's layered and intriguing and complex in its execution, and it had made me appreciate Bardugo as an author who stands out in YA literature. Kax Brekker has definitely made my list of top ten favorite protagonists. If you're willing to be patient with Six of Crows, you're in for a treat!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
nightingalereads
Written on Aug 20, 2015
jnikkir
Written on Jul 25, 2015
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I had a little bit of an odd experience reading Six of Crows. I read the first half in a couple of sittings, but then had to put it aside for a while to focus on some other things. And honestly, at the point when I set it aside, it wasn't hard to do so. I was enjoying the book, but I wasn't glued to the story yet. When I finally came back to it a few days later, it was like a switch had been flipped -- some plot things started picking up IMMEDIATELY, and some character stuff started to be revealed, and I was finally -- fully -- on board.
One thing I did like immediately, though, was the setting. Once again, Leigh Bardugo slays when it comes to creating a sense of place. She's crafted a setting for this duology which -- while being new -- fits perfectly into the Grisha world. It's quite different from Ravka -- Ketterdam isn't based on Russia, for starters, and it's not a very friendly city, at least in the areas where our characters frequent -- but it's built up effortlessly, and I had no problem jumping into this new setting.
But what about characters and plot? Well, before I jump into those topics, I feel like I need a bit of a disclaimer -- especially regarding the characters.
If you know me at all, you know that when you tell me a book's main characters are thieves and it's essentially heist fantasy, I am 100% ready to root for the "bad guys." Thieves are my weakness. Locke Lamora, the Mistborn crew, Scarlet and Rob -- you say "thieves," I say "GIVE THEM TO ME NOW."
That said, I think I was slightly blindsided by the fact that this book is quite serious. I was expecting more of a fun (well, maybe not 'fun', but a tad lighter, at least) heist adventure, and what I got was a much darker book. And that's not a problem, in and of itself, but for some reason, on top of that, I found that I had a hard time connecting emotionally with any of the characters until well into the story. There were moments every now and then (usually when bits of their history were revealed) when I'd go "YES! Finally! I can feel myself growing attached!" But it took me a while to feel that. Every character has some serious emotional armor -- they don't open up to the other members of their own crew, let alone to the reader. I adored the moments when they did open up, but then they closed down again -- and I felt shuttered out, again.
For example, Kaz -- one of the main characters in Six of Crows, a thief and the leader of our gang -- is Very Much Not A Good Guy. I mean, he's not an irredeemably terrible person, but man, there is a level of darkness to him and an amount of violence in him that I was not expecting. It's not that I didn't like that, or that I didn't find him an interesting character... it's just that it took me a VERY long time to warm up to him, when what I really wanted to be doing was loving him instantly. For the first half of the book, until I learned more about his past, I was just scratching my head at why people (who had read this book before I did) were sooooo very in love with this character. Once we finally learn more about him... okay, yes, I finally got it. His backstory is pretty intense, and now I understand it, and I did feel myself growing attached by the end of the book. But I'd be lying if I said that my expectations of immediately loving this character didn't color my view of the first half of this book.
And that's okay. A lot of people are going to love this book right off the bat, because of its unconventional darkness. I sort of do, too. I really appreciate that it isn't your normal "our thieves really have hearts of gold" story that is so prevalent (but which I love, all the same). People are going to love Kaz, because he is relentless and driven and not afraid to get his hands dirty -- he "gets the rough work done", as they say.
And in regards to the other characters, I went through more or less the same emotional journey with them, though it didn't take me as long to warm up to them. Inej and Nina were the first characters I grew to like. Inej is the Dregs' "spider" -- their spy/stealth master -- and deadly with her concealed knives. Nina is a Grisha Heartrender. There's also Wylan, an adorable genius. And sharpshooter Jesper, who ended up being my favorite character overall -- I really liked his daredevil mentality and his weakness for gambling (and his very bad luck).
So, yes, I did end up liking the characters. It just took a while for them to grow on me.
As for the plot, it was quite good! Once it really got going, about halfway into the book, it moved at a pretty fast pace. There were some nice twists and turns, and the stakes and tension were constantly high. There were a couple moments that I wish had impacted me harder -- reveals that I wanted to go "OMG, MIND BLOWN" but which somehow fell a little bit flat, I think because they mostly relied on characters being kept in the dark for very little reason. There was also something that happened at the very end that I found a bit problematic... But overall, the plot was very good and I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel.
In conclusion...
Gah! I wish it didn't sound like my thoughts are so negative -- they're not! I did rate this book 4 stars for a reason: By the end of the book, I was truly hooked. But overall, I think my feelings boil down to an issue of "potential." There was so much potential for attachment and shipping (the ships! so much potential there) and feelings, but Six of Crows never crossed that line from "potential" into actual, full-blown attachment, for me. It was almost there, on a couple of occasions, but then the characters closed off again.
I do think it'll be easier to achieve more of a sustained emotional connection in the second (and last!) book, since we know a bit more about everyone's backstories now. My subtle growth of attachment in this book, and all the potential I'm seeing, makes me very curious to see how the sequel plays out. If things go the way I think they will, I may revise my thoughts on the characters and my current feelings towards them in this book -- hindsight is, as they say, 20/20. For now, though, I'm left wanting more... and maybe that's the point? Bring on book two!
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There were books involved...
KitsuneBae
Written on Jan 1, 2015