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A review by lizziepurpleserenity
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
2nd read March 2021
I am so relieved: I still love this book and the characters SO MUCH. I was worried I would be disappointed on reread (I think it was the first ever YA fantasy I read, in 2018). But, the writing is far superior to Shadow & Bone, the characters much better fleshed out, the dialogue much cleverer, the world darker and 'bigger', the story more exciting.
It's a character-driven story, and going in knowing that, remembering that the present day plot is peppered regularly with flashbacks (some short, others a few pages), really helps, because the character work, including the conflicts and interactions between them, is awesome imo. Each of the main characters has a dark, traumatic history different to the others', and all the flashbacks are interesting and make sense of why the person is the way they are today. As for romance, I am very hard to please and so the fact that there is nothing instalovey or smushy in what little romance there is in this book is a major plus point for me.
As for the heist itself, suspend disbelief (especially given our protagonists' ages...) and it's a fun, exciting and twisty sequence of events. I know that many people are bothered by the young ages of these impossibly skilled people, and I get that, but by the end of the book I actually decided their youth made it even more fun in a way.
1st read July 2018
Oh man what I can say. This duology blew me away and has to be my favourite read ever of my life! Characters have never felt so damn REAL, I loved them all to bits. It's hard to choose a favourite character, but mine is Inej.
In this book, Leigh Bardugo does everything that normally switches me off - peppered with backstories, multiple POVs, lots to learn about a world new to me (I hadn't read the Grisha trilogy beforehand), teeny bit of romance (I don't generally enjoy romance), begins with a character who is not in the rest of the book.... but somehow all of that stuff actually contributed to what makes this book great! The dialogue and banter is great, the characters and their relationships are flawed and well-rounded, the story itself is a page-turner, the world is gritty, complex and interesting.
I am so relieved: I still love this book and the characters SO MUCH. I was worried I would be disappointed on reread (I think it was the first ever YA fantasy I read, in 2018). But, the writing is far superior to Shadow & Bone, the characters much better fleshed out, the dialogue much cleverer, the world darker and 'bigger', the story more exciting.
It's a character-driven story, and going in knowing that, remembering that the present day plot is peppered regularly with flashbacks (some short, others a few pages), really helps, because the character work, including the conflicts and interactions between them, is awesome imo. Each of the main characters has a dark, traumatic history different to the others', and all the flashbacks are interesting and make sense of why the person is the way they are today. As for romance, I am very hard to please and so the fact that there is nothing instalovey or smushy in what little romance there is in this book is a major plus point for me.
As for the heist itself, suspend disbelief (especially given our protagonists' ages...) and it's a fun, exciting and twisty sequence of events. I know that many people are bothered by the young ages of these impossibly skilled people, and I get that, but by the end of the book I actually decided their youth made it even more fun in a way.
1st read July 2018
Oh man what I can say. This duology blew me away and has to be my favourite read ever of my life! Characters have never felt so damn REAL, I loved them all to bits. It's hard to choose a favourite character, but mine is Inej.
In this book, Leigh Bardugo does everything that normally switches me off - peppered with backstories, multiple POVs, lots to learn about a world new to me (I hadn't read the Grisha trilogy beforehand), teeny bit of romance (I don't generally enjoy romance), begins with a character who is not in the rest of the book.... but somehow all of that stuff actually contributed to what makes this book great! The dialogue and banter is great, the characters and their relationships are flawed and well-rounded, the story itself is a page-turner, the world is gritty, complex and interesting.