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lindseysquire's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, Murder, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Child abuse, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing
Moderate: Animal death, Xenophobia, War, Child death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault
Minor: Alcohol
A lot of the content warnings occur in flashbacks to the characters’ childhoods, so most of the violence and abuse is happening to children under the age of 15. Please keep that in mind before reading it. It’s an amazing book, but it could be very triggering.mallorypen's review against another edition
- 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
I love the universe Leigh Bardugo has created with these novels, and I think I enjoyed this even more now as a reread, and now that I’ve seen the show. The backstory of the different countries, the Grisha, the socioeconomic makeup of the Barrel all feel very lived-in and familiar, without the author having to do tons of exposition and history. Even the character backstories are delivered in a bit-by-bit way that feels like how you may learn more about friends and coworkers, simply by spending more time with them through the course of your relationship.
I also appreciate that the character motivations for every person feel 100% believable - it’s tough to write morally-gray heroes in a way that still makes me root for them, but learning their histories made their actions feel rooted in twisted logic/emotion.
The only thing that kind of gives me pause is the different countries are definitely based off of real-world countries and real-world cultures. That said, though, even these potential caricatures feel deep and three dimensional, rather than using stereotypes to populate a fantasy world. It does walk the line, though, and it did sometimes take me out of the story.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual violence
hillbilly_heroine's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
But I’m a sucker for good character development and Bardugo delivers with the character of Inej. It was hard not to fall in love with Inej as she digs deep to find her dreams and aspirations, achieving this complete clarity of purpose, all while scaling an incinerator shaft. The way she knows her worth and won’t settle for Kaz’s sad, broken version of love is something I hope young readers take to heart.
I’m not sure if I’ll feel compelled to read the whole series, but I’m glad I read this one.
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking, Drug use, War, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Blood, and Slavery
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Six of Crows" is the ultimate story of friendship, adventure, and a heist that will change everyone's lives. Kaz, the leader of the Dregs gang, is kidnapped by a wealthy merchant who offers Kaz a hefty sum if he is willing to steal a drug, jurda parem. Kaz rounds up his gang and proceeds on an adventure that turns out to be much more than they originally bargained for.
I listened to this book as an audiobook, and I highly recommend listening to this story. The audiobook is a full cast, and all of the narrators are invested in their respective characters and fully bring them to life. The story follows the points of view of five different characters, which definitely helped for me to feel more invested in this story. I love when stories have multiple points of view, especially in fantasy novels, because it paints a more vivid picture of everything going on. I really enjoyed the political commentary as well as the ethics of control a government should have over its people. This particular drug is highly addictive, and when ingested, it allows the user to control other people around them. There is a fear that the government will utilize this drug to control the citizens, while also having them wage war.
This is only the second book I have read by Leigh Bardugo (the first being "Ninth House"), but I am so thoroughly impressed with her skills with world building and character development.
I was so invested in this story, and I cannot wait to continue with the gang in "Crooked Kingdom".
Graphic: Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Addiction
Minor: War
seren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Classism, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Racism, Drug abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Ableism, Torture, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Drug use, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual violence
biab00's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
And when you arrive with your repeating rifles and your tanks, when you set upon children and helpless villages, should we not use the weapons we possess?
I want to start out by saying that I don't usually read fantasy but I actually liked this one??
This book grabbed me until the end, the plot was pretty interesting, the characters were relatable (even though sometimes they didn't sound like they were in their teens), also I love love love the found family trope.
Obviously I liked some characters more than others, but all have of the crew holds a special place in my heart. Can you tell that I got emotional attached to them? 😌
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Child death, Violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, and Genocide
Moderate: Body horror, War, and Confinement
nefie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, and Slavery
Minor: War, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
glen3's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Xenophobia, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Genocide, Gore, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: War, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, and Slavery
softanimal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Trafficking, Child death, Death, Slavery, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Ableism, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Racism, Torture, Violence, War, Drug use, and Religious bigotry
ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Trafficking, War, Mental illness, and Genocide