Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

116 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

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

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Slavery, War, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Body horror, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Death of parent, Genocide, Misogyny, Blood, Deportation, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Child abuse, Vomit, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Cursing

kelsokake's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.5

surprisingly not overhyped, Six of Crows is an incredibly tense, funny, emotional, and well-written story about found family committing an insanely impossible heist.

the relationships between all of the characters felt so real and while i wish the cast was aged up (in their twenties instead of their teens) i throughly the way they spoke to each other. all of their relationships felt real (even with the contention) and the successes and happy moments felt incredibly well-deserved. 

i can’t wait until i can get my hands on the sequel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Abandonment, Blood, Racism, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Genocide, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders

litliz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Child death, Cursing, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Violence, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Ableism, Murder, and Torture

vanleeuwenjulie22's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Death of parent, War, and Genocide

renewed_reader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, Body horror, Classism, Blood, Death, Genocide, Torture, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

gaycatsand_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? No

5.0

SOOO GOOD! FAV BOOK EVER

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Murder, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Grief, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

kiryomi's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

“No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose.”

A dark, twisty, beautifully haunting tale of six teenagers with miserable pasts who are bound together by an impossible heist that should get them killed. In their universe, there is a species called Grisha, who have the power to manipulate natural elements. They are being hunted down, deemed “witches” who shouldn’t exist. In a hustling and bustling city called Ketterdam, two workers and a ruthless boss are attempting their next mission, joined by a Grisha Heartrender, a former prisoner, and a runaway with a rich past.

Leigh Bardugo brilliantly diversified this book. Two of the six are people of color (Zemeni and Suli, using their world’s cultural terms) and disability is shown without being something freakish or unnatural. A non-working leg, dyslexia, ADD (though that one is unconfirmed). The main focus of the book isn’t romance, but the author wrote it so enticingly and I ate up every delectable scrap.

Overall, you will become invested in these six people. Everyone should read this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Trafficking, Murder, Slavery, and Sexual harassment

snow0's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Slavery

Minor: Genocide and Addiction