Review: Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Six of Crows spent a very long time on my to-read list, being a book I desperately wanted to read but held off on due to fear of the hype. In the end, I convinced myself to read the Grisha trilogy, as I knew after doing so I would be desperate to dive into Six of Crows. As expected, after reading and enjoying Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, I was more than happy to dive straight into the Six of Crows duology.

I’ll be completely honest and say the main reason this one grabbed my attention is due to all the Gentleman Bastard vibes I experienced when hearing about this one. Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora introduced me to a wonderful world of audacious criminals and tricky misfits. There is no doubt The Gentleman Bastard series is one of my all-time favourite fantasy series, and with the wait between books I was more than happy to dive into anything that offered up the same kind of vibes. Hence, Six of Crows – the promise of anti-heroes living in the underbelly of a fantasy world sounded right up my street.

Another moment of honesty – I think the parallels I started to draw in my mind made it difficult for me to be sucked into this one at first. The Lies of Locke Larmora is an adult fantasy novel, one filled with the gritty elements that are never explored in full in young adult novels. When Six of Crows wasn’t to the same level of corruption and depravity I found myself somewhat disappointed. However, after a wee while my brain kicked into order – this was a young adult novel, I needed to expect something different.

Thus, it took me a wee while to get into this one. It has a different feel to it than the original Grisha trilogy, and although it is set in the same world it tells a very different kind of tale. If you go into this one expecting the same kind of story as you were given in Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising, you’re going to be disappointed. Six of Crows builds wonderfully on the world, but it does so in a way that is almost entirely separate to the original story of this world.

With a new cast of characters and a new part of the world to explore, the start of this book is rather slow going. We’re introduced to all that is going on, we get to know everyone and everything, and it is a while before things start to move at a pace that truly sucks you in. The slower beginning is a necessity, though, one you will appreciate as you work deeper through the book. It may feel a bit of a chore to work through so much detail at the start of the book, but the way everything comes together in the end makes this one worth it.

This is one of those books with so many layers in it, one of those stories that is intricately tied together. Watching how all the details come together, how things play into each other, and how new elements come to light is amazing. Each time you think you have everything worked out, something more will be added in, a new twist will appear. It’s one of those stories where you sit back at the end of the book and let out a little sigh of contentment laced with envy. Content with how everything worked together, envious of how Leigh Bardugo managed to create something so gripping.

Without a doubt, as soon as you’re done with Six of Crows you’ll be grabbing Crooked Kingdom. The ending leaves you wanting more, and you’ll be desperate to see how everything plays out in the second part of the duology.

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