Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

✨🗡 "We are all someone's monster."🗡✨

Set in the fictional city of Kettledrum, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo follows Kaz Brekker, a thief, a murder and widely known as Dirty-hands as he will finish the job no matter how gruesome it may be.

When given the impossible job to free a prisoner from the most secured prison, Kaz puts a team of remarkable people- Inej, the spy, Jesper, the sharpshooter, Nina, the Grisha, Wylan, the runaway and Matthias, the soldier. This team is hired because they will not shy away from the job when it gets bloody. Because of this reason, the actions and decisions that these characters take make the book interesting to read. Although they care about the consequences, they still stay focused on the job and their mantra of “No mourners. No Funerals” asserts them to complete the take assigned to them.

A book driven by both the characters and the plot, it has a great plot, thrilling action with a well-planned heist set in a world which Bardugo has built brilliantly.

Each chapter is shown from the perspective of the character but written entirely in the third person narrative- this writing style makes the book unique and stands out from the rest of the books in this genre. These characters are 3 dimensional- their pasts, which is shown through flashbacks, and their motives definitely influence their actions and decisions. Although they are cutthroat and dangerous, the readers can sympathise with them because of their history and the unfortunate environment they grew up in. These characters seem real- they are humanised with nightmares, dreams, faith, hope and emotions.

Inej was sold into sex slavery, who was freed by Kaz and now in return, she is his spy and is a respected member of her gang. Nina, due to her heritage of being a Grisha who are often hunted or fetishised, also helps Kaz and works with Matthias, a Fjerdan soldier who are born to hunt Grisha. Although they are to be enemies, they share a mutual attraction. Wylan, a runway rich boy who is an expert in demolition objects, has dyslexia. Jesper, the sharpshooter, has a gambling addiction.

Bardugo also checks boxes in terms of diversity- Wylan is shown to be attracted to Jesper, a boy of colour, who reflects the feelings and Inej is a girl of colour.

The plot may seem simple but it is like a rollercoaster which makes the book exhilarating. It’s full of unexpected plot twists which just adds to its brilliance.

Bardugo’s Six of Crows is a must-read for anyone who loves fantasy with diverse and well-crafted characters and action so solid that engrosses the readers.🧡