Reviews tagging 'Death'

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

759 reviews

angelo_vossen's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: Classism, Slavery, Drug abuse, Murder, Gun violence, and Drug use

Minor: Blood, Genocide, Grief, and Death of parent

una_klavina's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring sad 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Torture, Child death, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

paigeannelayne's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death, and Violence

mckiheather's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Torture, Cultural appropriation, Death, Slavery, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Gore, Blood, Cursing, Mental illness, Murder, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

vzarlb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

as good as i remember

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Murder, Gun violence, Child death, Trafficking, and Hate crime

Minor: Cursing, Torture, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic

megbook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

10/10 One of the most amzing books❤️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

rubberrosebooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Death, Child death, Addiction, Confinement, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, and Violence

a_islandcriptid's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Grief, Violence, Trafficking, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Classism, Drug use, and Confinement

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Blood, Classism, Gaslighting, and Self harm

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

melincholyssa's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Ableism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Deportation, Child death, Grief, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Violence, Drug abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Sexism, Gun violence, Classism, Trafficking, Torture, Murder, Gore, Cursing, Child abuse, and Body horror

eemi42's review

adventurous 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

Reading Six of Crows is a somewhat similar experience to reading Dune in that there is a lot of vocab and world building to get used to, but it's worth it to stick with it.

The characters are loveable

and I like rooting for the couples that formed—Kaz and Inej, Jesper and Wylan, and especially Nina and Jesper.

Also, I found the Grisha vs. Fjerdan conflict very compelling and relevant.

It took me quite some time to get used to the world,

but things really pick up in the final 25%. Things would appear to go wrong and I'd get very stressed, only for it to be revealed that it was part of the plan all along. (Inej getting detained at the gate). There are many loose ends that make me want to acquire and read the second book immediately

I thought the constant switching of perspective would get annoying, but it was masterfully done and didn't detract from the story—only added to it.

Can't wait to read Crooked Kingdom!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Murder, Ableism, Addiction, Blood, Death, Genocide, Racism, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual assault, War, Sexual harassment, and Trafficking