Six of Crows
It is an absolute travesty that it took me this long to read Six of Crows and an even bigger travesty that it took me six months to make my way through this book. Frankly, no review will ever do this book justice. I am a lover of all things heist. I love the Ocean’s and Now You See Me franchises. There’s just something about a motley crew of misfits and undesirables that come together to show the big man up in the most stylish and convoluted way possible. And boy does Leigh Bardugo deliver.
Six of Crows is an example of how a YA novel can be written to appeal to an adult reader as well. I have always been a firm believer that children and young adults are equally deserving of complex, well-crafted stories as adults. Six of Crows is that story. If you haven’t read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the beginning third of the book might be hard to follow because it directly lifts terminology from the trilogy. Regardless, Bardugo is an expert of her craft and weaves an epic of an impossible heist.
The crew pulling off the job is composed of six wildly different characters, each with equally different backstories. In less talented hands, the book would have collapsed into itself trying to juggle that many POVs that weave in and out of each other, both through the past and present. But Bardugo nails it–every time I felt like it was time to switch POVs or timelines, the book indulged me. The pacing is propulsive and manages to introduce us to our crew, deliver their backstory, establish stakes, pull off a heist, and develop the characters’ relationships. It’s as magical as the magic system.
The world is also so moody and alive. Bardugo paints vivid pictures of the glittering merchant city of Ketterdam and its seedy underworld in the Barrel. The Ice Court feels overwhelmingly oppressive and intimidating. The world of the Crows’ becomes a character unto itself. Many of the settings are caricatures of their modern incarnations, but much like the Hunger Games, I think Bardugo uses these extremes to explore the more complex effects of religious extremism, unfettered capitalism, and post-war displacement. Many of our characters are victims of the places they call home, and as a result can only call each other home. It’s the cornerstone of the found family trope, but also highlights how we can have complex feelings of love and hate for “home.”
Ketterdam took everything from Kaz, but also made him into the infamous thief he is. The Ice Court gave Matthias purpose, but also transformed him into a devout dogmatist. The Barrel fulfills Jesper’s vices, but also fuels it. Yet all of them rise above their station and find themselves in each other. Much like the Hunger Games, Six of Crows is a fabulous novel for tweens coming of age because it is a story of teens who dare to dream bigger, question the institutions of which they were made in, and to bring forth change. I can go on and on, but all of this is just such wonderful master stroke of writing that is endlessly accessible for all ages.
And the heist? 10/10 no notes–who can even dream of something so creative and stylish? I will be forever mad that I didn’t discover Six of Crows when I was younger. It would have definitely altered my brain chemistry.