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A review by lolsous
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
dark
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
Very fun book! It's a great heist story, with twists and turns that balance well on believable and unexpected. I found the story gripping from the beginning and very hard to put down when the action of the heist unfolded.
Even though there are many pov characters they all feel developed, with agency and a distinct personality. It's refreshing to see not one but two angsty love stories between a more optimistic girl and morally ambiguous/troubled boy, let the girl chose herself first and not extinct herself for the boy.
The world building is overall great, and what drew me to the book to begin with. The world feels somehow cosy, even though most we see of the world is harsh. It's very atmospheric and has vibes. The magic system is lovely and fits perfectly into the world. The world is heavily influenced by European and Asian culture and history, so much that the significant deviations really confused me for a long while. I could not understand how Pekka (clearly Finnish) is not from Fjerda, that Fjedans don't drink coffee but tea, and that it's a very sexist society. It took a while to understand that Fjerda is not the Nordic countries fearing magic but a what-if on Scandinavia turned Nazis. It makes Fjerda absurdly evil, but obviously it's not extremely unrealistic. It could easily have gone wrong, but Matthias and his relationship with Nina are beautifully written. I was sceptical in the beginning but I ended up loving Nina and Matthias together.
Even though there are many pov characters they all feel developed, with agency and a distinct personality. It's refreshing to see not one but two angsty love stories between a more optimistic girl and morally ambiguous/troubled boy, let the girl chose herself first and not extinct herself for the boy.
The world building is overall great, and what drew me to the book to begin with. The world feels somehow cosy, even though most we see of the world is harsh. It's very atmospheric and has vibes. The magic system is lovely and fits perfectly into the world. The world is heavily influenced by European and Asian culture and history, so much that the significant deviations really confused me for a long while. I could not understand how Pekka (clearly Finnish) is not from Fjerda, that Fjedans don't drink coffee but tea, and that it's a very sexist society. It took a while to understand that Fjerda is not the Nordic countries fearing magic but a what-if on Scandinavia turned Nazis. It makes Fjerda absurdly evil, but obviously it's not extremely unrealistic. It could easily have gone wrong, but Matthias and his relationship with Nina are beautifully written. I was sceptical in the beginning but I ended up loving Nina and Matthias together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Death