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A review by _forestofpages
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.25
The first half of this book drags for awhile. I do appreciate the character building, building up and gathering the crew was exciting, but the first few chapters felt removed from the main plot in some regards, and the actual first chapter could have been completely cut and I don't think it would change the plot at all.
I absolutely adored the crew. Yes, even emo boy Kaz Brekker.
One thing I cannot excuse are the ages. I had to age up all of these characters while reading because I'm sorry, but these people are not teenagers. It's not believable in any context. I have never been the greatest fan of Leigh Bardugo's prose or melodrama, but in a heist novel with wildly different characters and the banter (which I loved), I think it fits quite well. I do wish for a world that feels well built and rich, that the writing/prose would have reflected that with more immersive descriptions of the locations. I admit sometimes, I was a little lost on what was happening or where we were because of the lack of description of locations. Then other times, she did a great job setting a scene. It felt inconsistent.
Again, the biggest issue with this book is the pacing. It's slow to start, so slow that it takes 100 pages to really get into the plot. After that however, it's quite good. Great characters, especially when they are together. I laughed, and even teared up there near the end. I felt pretty meh about the original Shadow and Bone trilogy, but this one is much more my taste. I can't wait to pick up Crooked Kingdom.
I absolutely adored the crew. Yes, even emo boy Kaz Brekker.
One thing I cannot excuse are the ages. I had to age up all of these characters while reading because I'm sorry, but these people are not teenagers. It's not believable in any context. I have never been the greatest fan of Leigh Bardugo's prose or melodrama, but in a heist novel with wildly different characters and the banter (which I loved), I think it fits quite well. I do wish for a world that feels well built and rich, that the writing/prose would have reflected that with more immersive descriptions of the locations. I admit sometimes, I was a little lost on what was happening or where we were because of the lack of description of locations. Then other times, she did a great job setting a scene. It felt inconsistent.
Again, the biggest issue with this book is the pacing. It's slow to start, so slow that it takes 100 pages to really get into the plot. After that however, it's quite good. Great characters, especially when they are together. I laughed, and even teared up there near the end. I felt pretty meh about the original Shadow and Bone trilogy, but this one is much more my taste. I can't wait to pick up Crooked Kingdom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Trafficking, Blood, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
This is a young adult book, however it does have a handful of scenes with graphic violence and injuries. It does detail the blood and injuries in at least two of these scenes. There are several mentions of sex-trafficking as well, though thankfully there are no sexually violent scenes.