Reviews with content warning for Violence - Banda celor șase ciori

Easily five (six) stars. Though, I considered being petty and put a 4 just because it ended on a cliffhanger but thankfully, I had picked up the Crooked Kingdom as well. Leigh make them canon, you amazing author 🫵

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iseefirede's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Fantastic read. Little slow at the beginning but I loved seeing the way their relationships grew.

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voypel's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Summary:

All in all, „Six of Crows“ tells an adventurous, compelling story about an impossible, dangerous heist. While the book is quite good in some aspects such as storytelling, diversity of characters and a compelling plot, there are some issues.

Worldbuilding:
As I don’t have any experience with the Grisha universe outside of „Six of Crows“, I can’t really say much about the worldbuilding in general. I think it’s sufficient and fitting for this story and much mystery remains to be explored in the second part. However, the introduction into the topics and concepts in the beginning is a bit lacking for new readers.

Characters:
This might be the biggest issue I have with the book. While I especially like Kaz, Inej and Jesper as characters, their backstories, motivations and their appearances, some characters strongly irk me.

Honestly, Matthias and Nina’s romance and character arc is unsatisfying and patchy at best and very problematic at worst. Honestly, it’s not even adressed, that he was literally part of a genocidal zealot group that tried to exterminate Nina’s entire people.

Plot:
I like the plot, it’s easy to follow most times and wraps up nicely in the end and leaves room for the sequel.

I have a bit of personal issues with the end as I find it unsatisfying. Abducting Inej and making Nina into a parem addict and then leaving this for the sequel is a bit meh for me, but the rest about it is great sooo…

Sometimes the pacing is a bit funky, especially in the middle part where many suspenseful arcs are interrupted by an annoying flashback.

Especially Nina or Matthias lol.

Tldr:
It’s a good story, not showstoppingly great. Points get docked for characters and pacing.

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hpruett's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is now one of my very favorite books of all time. Each character is so lovable and the pace is perfect. Many things I didn’t see coming which is perfect 👌

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itsnotzuzu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my top favorites! The characters are well written and so is the plot. Amazing world building. I love the storyline and the characters so much. Had alot of fun reading it.

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angelo_vossen's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo is a greatly crafted heist novel that seamlessly blends elements of fantasy, adventure, and mystery into an enthralling narrative which reminded me of an interesting blend of the plot of the show „Money Heist“ set in a „Game of Thrones“-esque environment with a bit of „Harry Potter“ magic sparkled in. Set in the bustling city of Ketterdam, the story follows a diverse group of outcasts and criminals as they embark on an impossible mission to infiltrate the impenetrable Ice Court and rescue a valuable hostage.

Bardugo's world-building is immersive and richly detailed, painting a vivid picture of the bustling streets, dark alleyways, and seedy underbelly of Ketterdam. The city itself feels like a character, with its complex social hierarchy, intricate politics, and simmering tensions between rival factions. As the name implies, the names of Ketterdam‘s locations and places seem to be strongly influenced by the language Dutch - finally my three years of Dutch classes came in handy!

At the heart of the story are the six main characters, each with their own distinct personalities, motivations, and secrets. From Kaz Brekker, the cunning and ruthless leader of the crew, to Inej Ghafa, the skilled and enigmatic spy known as the Wraith, each member brings something unique to the table, and their interactions are filled with wit, tension, and unexpected moments of vulnerability.

The heist plot is intricately constructed, with layers of deception, betrayal, and several unexpected twists that keep readers guessing until the very end. Bardugo masterfully ratchets up the tension as the stakes grow higher and the obstacles more daunting, leading to a thrilling climax that will leave readers breathless - and kind of overwhelmed at times, to be frank.

But "Six of Crows" is more than just a gripping adventure story. It's also a character-driven narrative that delves deep into themes of loyalty, friendship, redemption, and the search for identity and belonging. Each character is grappling with their own demons and struggles, and watching them grow and evolve over the course of the story is both moving and satisfying. Additionally, I‘m always here for an enemies-to-lovers trope - and this book series appears to give me two at once (and even more love stories)!

I adore how Bardugo chose to write from the different perspectives of the main characters alternating in each chapter. Since the protagonists are not always huddled together, this caused me as reader to be highly excited and wanting to rush to the next chapter to see what everyone is up to. That being said, I would have loved to read some chapters from Wylan‘s perspective. That perspective kind of was missing for me and I wonder how Bardugo decided to use everyone‘s perspectives (even an additional surprising one at the end) except Wylan‘s - but I‘m keeping my hopes up for the second book in this duology.

Overall, "Six of Crows" is a brilliantly executed novel that will appeal to fans of fantasy, heist stories, and character-driven narratives alike. With its richly imagined world, complex characters, and pulse-pounding plot, it's a book that will keep readers glued to the page from beginning to end.

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paigeannelayne's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is so well written. Jumping between characters is fun because they are so unique and loveable.

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