Title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Age: YA
Rating: 5.0
FULL REVIEW :
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, is about 6 misfits who are hired by Jan Van Eck to to the impossible; invade the Ice Castle and extract the creator of a dangerous drug called Jurda Parem. Kaz Brekker, the main man himself and the self proclaimed leader of the gang called the Dregs, Inej Ghafa, the Wraith who's also a skilled fighter, but has a tough past and is in debt to Kaz, Jesper Fahey, the sharpshooter gambler who is heavily in debt to Kaz, Wylan Van Eck, the demolitionist and disgraced son of Jan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, the Heartrender who's trying to survive for someone, and Matthias Helvar, the convict who was previously a Ferjdan witch hunter.
This incredibly diverse cast of characters really struck me as unique. How Bardugo combined the aspects of a heist with magic and such really struck me. I also loved how the main cast we're mainly normal, just skilled. It wasn't just about the magic. Each character had deeper emotions, you ended up feeling a lot of empathy for them. They all had issues that some people deal with everyday, like Jesper's gambling addiction, Wylan's relationship with his dad and his dyslexia, and even Inej's past.
The books is YA, so I'd say middle school and up. It involves quite a lot of violence, so likely for the more mature.
My favorite character who'd be all of them. Yes, I know that's not how it works, but with the way Leigh Bardugo sets them up really gets to feel empathy for even the greedy. Kaz, the greedy one, has a heartbreaking past that got him into the position he is now. The ghost of his past haunts him, and the tragic history gets you to feel for him. Wylan was abandoned by his father when he learned Wylan couldn't read. Inej was abused and taken from her family. Jesper has an addiction to gambling. Nina holds guilt over Matthias. Matthias was in prison and had to kill his brethen to get food from the guards. Every character had their own hardships that many people deal with in the actually world.
I highly recommend this to those in middle school and above, I personally became obsessed with it after reading it. I'd give this a solid 5.0 stars, and I almost wish I could give it more.
Also this book will be turned into a Netflix series, and I will write a review on that when it releases! I'm super pumped, this book will be entwined with the story line of Shadow and Bone, a book in the Grishaverse also by Leigh Bardugo!
