Reviews

Wahrscheinlich wurde genau das schon tausendmal über dieses Buch geschrieben, aber hier kommt es eben nochmal: "Das Lied der Krähen" ist eines der besten Young Adult Fantasy-Bücher, die ich je gelesen habe.
Dass Bardugos Schreibstil hervorragend ist, hat sie bereits in ihrer Shadow and Bone-Trilogie bewiesen. Dennoch hat sie sich meiner Meinung nach in "Das Lied der Krähen" noch einmal verbessert. Vielleicht ist es aber auch der generelle Flair der Bücher: Düsterer, härter als die Vorgänger, mit einem Fokus abseits der klassischen Fantasy-Geschichte. Stattdessen geht es um Gangs, Kriminelle, Raubüberfälle, geheimnisvolle Magie - und vor allem um die Charaktere. Wer Fan des Found Family-Tropes ist, wird sich hier gleich zuhause fühlen.

Dieses Buch, die gesamte Duologie wirklich, lebt von den Charakteren. Aus unterschiedlichen und in ihrem Ton distinkten Perspektiven erzählt Bardugo die Geschichte von Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jasper und Weylan (wobei letzterer in diesem Buch noch keine eigene Erzählperspektive bekommt). Jeder Charakter hat eine eigene, komplexe Geschichte, hat Stärken, Schwächen, Vorlieben, Abneigungen. Sie fühlen sich an wie echte Personen. Der einzige Kritikpunkt meinerseits ist, dass sie sich viel älter lesen, als sie sind. Um ganz ehrlich zu sein, es macht für mich nicht wirklich Sinn, dass diese Charaktere gerade mal so um die 16 Jahre alt sind. Sie wurden für mich während des Lesens einfach immer älter, und es fällt nich schwer, ihr "Canon"-Alter einfach zu ignorieren.

Die Geschichte ist komplex, spannend und in vielerlei Hinsicht erwachsener, als die Vorgängertrilogie. Wer also charakterfokussierte Fantasy mag, die einem hier und da auch mal das Herz bricht und deren Charaktere einem in Erinnerung bleiben werden, für den ist "Das Lied der Krähen" die perfekte Lektüre.

vixette's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Six of Crows is a book recommended to me by my sister. As you can imagine, I am ignorant to any books before this novel though I have since been informed that this book is a continuation of a previous series. So, for fans of this series, I am sorry to say my review may frustrate you as I am ignorant of any significant themes or plots established in the previous series. However, if you don’t mind my confusion and ignorance of the previous plot set-ups, perhaps you may enjoy the review of a new reader of the series.

So, to begin, I was incredibly ignorant and confused about the concept of the Grisha and their power. The first chapter revolves around a woman on display in some sort of reinforced room where everyone can observe her as if she were a caged bird. There is talk of some sort of medicine/drug that is effective on her people and on her, that somehow enhances her powers but makes her dependent on the drug. She then proceeds to prove that this chemical does exactly that. The woman is blatantly on a power trip, caused by this drug. It has seemingly corrupted any sense of morality and compassion, driving the woman to get her ‘fix’. And it results in a devastating display of her control and power, a power that shouldn’t be given to someone without a sense of wrong-doing and morality.

And then we meet the true characters of this book, involved in a confrontation, gang leader to want-to-be gang leader. After all, Kaz is leader in all but name. I immediately took a dislike to Inej, mainly because if there is one thing, I dislike in stories is Mary Sue’s and Inej was surely a Mary-Sue. Very skilled, very powerful and yet very young. That is not to dispute that young people can be very talented and skilled, but Inej just seems too talented and skilled at such a young age. Kaz is perhaps the same, too cunning and too smart for his age, but I didn’t dislike him as much because he had a blatant disadvantage, proof maybe, that he had gone through trials. He’d seemingly worked for his skills and talents, whereas Inej’s talents were described as almost innate and second nature (we later find out she was trained as an acrobat by her parents but this early on, she just seemed too good to be true).

Now, it has taken me a while to get through this book. Mostly because I’ve gone through at least a year where none of the books I’ve read have really been that interesting. Too many generic ‘boy meets girl’, ‘boy wants girl to be submissive and obey him because men know better and should be protectors and women should want to be controlled, submissive and want many babies’ but I digress. The point I am trying to make here is that I am half expecting this book to be the same drivel. I am expecting Inej to be this perfect but lonely protagonist, someone who suffered and needs ‘saving’ by the male lead, Kaz. So, imagine my pleasant surprise as the story unveils and a team of people, all of who have dark and painful pasts, work together to complete a mission for money. Love is not the centre of the story at all, it is instead more subtle and not as blatant or as misogynist or forced as it is in other popular novels that are over-hyped and practically generic.

And boy, did I love the variation in relationships. Nina and Matthias’s love hate relationship, Wylan and Jesper’s teasing banter and how Kaz and Inej’s difficult pasts bring them together.

This is where I am now going to reveal major spoilers, look away now if you want to be surprised!

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Matthias and Nina were perhaps the couple I hated and yet loved the most. Why? Because their story was honestly one of the darkest one’s in this book. Matthias comes from a people who are perhaps the scum of this planet. And that is saying something, as the whole world seems a mess (I can’t really judge though considering the state of our own planet in 2024!). His people believe anyone who has power is cursed and therefore killing them is okay as they are less than dogs and therefore don’t deserve compassion or respect. Executing people just because they are different, basically. If only this was a thing that only happens in fantasy and not in real life. Unfortunately, there are people who react savagely to others who believe differently or who are different. And yes, I know Nina and Matthia’s people are at war, or were at war, but war is not an excuse to treat innocent civilians as cannon-fodder or monsters just because you don’t like who they are. And the fact that Matthias believes he is justified in his beliefs? That the Grisha should be enslaved or killed just because of their power is infuriating. Yes, that power in human hands is dangerous, but killing people, enslaving them because you are afraid, jealous and angry is not the answer.

And yet beneath that hateful exterior is clearly a man who is in love with Nina and is divided by his indoctrination that all Grisha are evil and basic morality that tells him Nina is a living being who deserves respect. What results from this is an interesting interaction between the pair in every scene. They range from blatant hatred, to tolerance, to suppressed desire and the want for more, to see each other as equal and perhaps acknowledge and accept the love they have for one another. It is a toxic relationship, which is the reason I dislike this couple, but I also like this couple because there is so much passion and hate between them. It is not an ideal relationship and it is not one I would celebrate or recommend as a great relationship to other readers. It is toxic and dangerous, but the difference between culture, their morality and views make this couple an interesting if occasionally difficult read.

Kaz and Inej are different in the fact that they share so much pain. There is a subtle acknowledgement that it is them against the world. That they have suffered but instead of letting it break them, they have used their painful past to make themselves stronger. Kaz is driven by what is later to be revealed as a desire for revenge and Inej is driven by the need to survive and to avenge victims of the slave-trade. I would say revenge drives her but it is not until she is climbing the incinerator in chapter 26 that the concept of revenge seems to cross her mind. Instead, she seems to have a will of live that Kaz lacks and Kaz reluctantly takes comfort in her Suli sayings and her quiet confidence and presence. She is the quiet of his storm, the one he seeks for assurance and company. He doesn’t want to admit to the comfort she gives him, but at the same time, he recognises it as his anchor. She too recognises Kaz as important, the one who helped free her from her indenture at a brothel and who gave her the training that now makes her the wraith, his most integral tool. She knows he sees her as a means to an end, she sees him as a means to an end, but over time their dependency upon one another has made them important to each other beyond the significance of business. It is becoming personal, but neither has recognised this or wants to admit it.

My favourite couple, however, has to be Jesper and Wylan. The sweet rich boy who knows how to make bombs and knows the ins and outs of trading, and the sharp-shooter who is secretly a weak Grisha. The most he does is make a couple of lockpicks for Kaz when they are in prison, though, his talents lie in sharpshooting. Their teasing and banter are by far the more innocent and gentler. Jesper is confused by Wylan’s presence in the gang, wondering why a kid of a rich trader would associate with the likes of them and I think Wylan finds comfort in the fact that Jesper is so capable and ready to defend the group with his skills. I, personally, found this a more ‘natural’ relationship, where they were drawn together by personality and banter rather than their dark pasts.

But I cannot downplay the dark pasts of Inej or Kaz. Inej, as I mentioned before, was kidnapped from her family’s camp by slavers, sold to a brothel, made to sign an illegal contract that indentured her to the brothel and then saved from the brothel by Kaz’s boss, but that in turn made her in debt to the gang, hence why she becomes Kaz’s wraith. It is a past that speaks of suffering and endurance, but in all honesty, I have to say Kaz’s past hurt my heart.

The boy loses his parents and only has his brother to protect him. His brother works hard, begging for work and doing everything he can to protect and support his little brother, Kaz. Unfortunately, when his brother does become successful, greed starts to seep in to a teen boy who only wanted to support his brother. And it was so difficult to read how the brother’s story ends. How they caught the sickness or a plague and they were presumed dead and dumped out at sea. Kaz, who is only a little boy at this time, has to use his dead brother as a raft, to keep himself afloat. And when he reaches safety, he sees his brothers open but dead eyes staring back as the older boy floats back out to sea. He is too weak to climb back down to the water and close his brother’s eyes before the older boy floats away. And with that image, how can we not sympathise with Kaz’s need for revenge. How can we not sympathise with Kaz when he is overcome with emotion in difficult situations, even fainting in one scenario when he is forced to be within a crowded cage with people chained to the ceiling with collars around their neck.

Jarl Brum is blatantly the evillest character within this book. This is revealed spectacularly on pages 380-381 where he refers to the Grisha as weapons. His wording makes it clear he does not view the Grisha as people. He says things such as “…they attempt to masquerade as men. They aren’t capable of the right thinking, of human morality. They are meant to be controlled.’ And ‘A gun is not evil. Nor is a blade. Jurda Parem (The medicine/drug I mentioned before) ensures obedience. It makes the Grisha what they are always meant to be.’ Worse still, ‘An army is made of soldiers. These creatures were born to be weapons. They were born to serve the soldiers of Djel.’ Such a man who believes such immorality and evil is justified, such a man who believes a human should be denied their rights just because they are more different or more powerful than him is an evil being who should not be allowed any power or authority. And it is during this evil man’s reveal that Matthias makes the choice to be a human-being, to have compassion. He tells his unconscious mentor that ‘…the hate you fell- it’s poison. I can drink it no longer.’

Bravo, Matthias, Bravo!

 “They fear you as I once feared you,” he said. “As you once feared men. We are all someone’s monster, Nina.” This had more impact than it probably should, but at the same time, more people should listen to this. Being different doesn’t make us a monster, our fear shouldn’t allow us to paint another group of people as monsters. Are there genuinely monstrous people out there? Absolutely, we only have to look at history and the likes of Hitler to see this. But Hitler took advantage of people’s fear and helped turn fear into hatred against a group of people who didn’t deserve what they got. The world would be a better place if we all just stopped and thought. If we all thought to ourselves that ‘we are all someone’s monster.’

The book ends on a cliffhanger. Nina is high on the drug and Matthias has gone from loathing her to supporting her. Kaz and Inej are dancing around the truth of things. And Jesper is starting to realise how much he enjoys Wylan’s company. So of course, that tentative peace must be broken. How? Wylan is hidden away to assume another identity, Kaz won’t admit his feelings and Nina may never be the same due to the drug. When they go to retrieve the promised money for the deadly mission they just completed, it turns out the whole mission was a farce, it wasn’t assigned by some big council but rather by a greedy man who sought the drug to raise his own army of braindead Grisha and make money. And Inej is taken. Now Kaz must find a way to save her. Wylan’s father is this greedy man and his father has already made plans to replace Wylan as heir because, shock and horror, Wylan can’t write and this is just shameful. So shameful, how dare a child be super smart in maths and reading but not know how to write…

Jesper, it is revealed, is the reason the plan fell to pieces. He is a chronic gambler and he made comments referring to a big deal that he and his friends were making. That reveal is why a couple of enemy gangs got involved and made the whole mission more difficult from the get go. And now Kaz is mad, because Jesper ‘betrayed’ them and his girl was taken.

Another more subtle reveal is that one of the gang bosses, Pekka Rollins, is the reason Kaz’s brother died. Rollins shows up a couple of times and mentioned many times throughout this book, but Rollins only recognises who Kaz is at the end. He makes it clear to a gang-member/assistant that Kaz is a formidable enemy and acknowledges that if the greedy man who made the deal with Kaz fails to kill Kaz, then he will have to kill Kaz himself. This, obviously, implies a confrontation that has been a long time coming for Kaz. Both men are clearly smart and cunning individuals, so any confrontation will be sneaky, wily and most definitely deadly.

But is this enough to make me want to read the next book in the series or to even read the one’s before?

Surprisingly, my answer is a tentative yes. If the other books contain as much lore and adventure as this book then I believe the rest of the series, prior and future, are worth a read. I personally liked the subtle romance, how it wasn’t the centre of the story. I liked the steampunk theme, the mix of ‘futuristic/modern’ technology with more old-school methodology. The relationships between all the characters had a decent amount of realism to them and there is a genuine slow development of friendships, love and hate that some other stories lack in their rush to get to more mature content. I am, however, divided on whether I want to rank this book as 4 or 5 stars. It was a really interesting book, one worth a 5 star, but it took me a while to really get into an enjoy the story, perhaps because I had a lack of knowledge about the people and themes within this book due to not reading the prior series. In the end, I think I will give it a 4 star because I liked the developments of the characters and plot, but it does have a toxic relationship (Matthias and Nina). Overall, it was a good book, a surprisingly good read and currently one of the few books that doesn’t focus around sex, intimacy and drama but rather deals with adventure and world-building. I may just end up recommending this to likeminded authors to have a read!

sorapast's review against another edition

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4.0

Some descriptions... certain scenes... holy shit, made me cringe (not in an awkward way, but in a gruesome one). By the end the behavior of a couple of characters made more sense, but some backstories were still extreme. I will probably re-read it because the first time is a bit confusing at the beginning (it took me weeks to get through the first parts, but then I devoured it in a few days). Still, highly recommended.

Fav quote: "The easiest way to steal a man's wallet is to tell him you're going to steal his watch."

weebna's review against another edition

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4.0

Writing this after rereading… I’m in love with this book. This story, these characters… just amazing.

theglossreview's review against another edition

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4.0

The audiobook is so good! I rushed through it in just 4 days. Amazing narration. Great story, perfect fit in the fantasy genre and heist plot. Of all the point of views, Kaz and Inej’s were the best. Unfortunately, Jesper did not get to shine enough.
Perhaps my expectations were shaped by having watched the Netflix show first – it made me hope for a lot more regarding Jesper and it had lots of spoilers for Nina & Matthias’ backstory.
It’s not a 5 star read for me because of excessive gore and because it didn’t have something unique that could only be found here.
Still, Six of Crows deserves four stars as a fast-paced, thrilling adventure with (amazingly narrated) characters in a frosty, wintry setting that made this a great book for December!

milliei's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved the heist, loved the characters, was invested in both story and characters... great read! Kaz and Inej managed to sneak into my heart and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. The relationship between Nina and Matthias was original and I appreciated it a lot. Jesper was a breath of fresh air and Wylan intrigues me to know more.

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