Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Goodreads Summary

*NO SPOILERS*

Leigh Bardugo is an auto buy author for me, so I knew I would love this book right when it came out. Then I finally got around to reading it and it didn’t not disappoint! I loved all of the characters within the first few chapters. I also loved how it was set in the same Grishaverse as her other series that starts with Shadow and Bone. You don’t need to read her other series first, but it would help you understand the world better and get the references to other characters and places from those books. It was so nice to see some of my babies cross over to this book every now and then. I really liked the idea of a heist for this book and I loved to see the characters play it out, because it just seemed to suit them. I haven’t read a book solely about a heist before in the YA category, so the concept was pretty new to me. I also really liked how unpredictable this book was, in the sense I was confused most of the time because I couldn’t figure out the puzzle of their schemes. It intrigued me and made me want to find out what was next, so I ended up not wanting to put this book down. These characters were so diverse and each had their own voice and backstory that made them so unique and relatable. I really enjoyed reading their journey and hardships throughout this book. This book made me want to fight alongside these characters and really inspired my sneaky side because of all the spying and trouble they got into. I like how this book is centered around thieves and thugs because it gives the book a gritty feel that I’m not quite used to in YA. I also am awarding bonus points for the cover, and extra bonus points for the colored pages! Please give this book a try and if you want pick-up her other series too while you’re at it!

*SPOILER ALERT*

I want to start off with telling you guys just how cool it was to see the amplifiers twisted. I really liked the amplifier idea in the Shadow and Bone series, and it was cool to see how she took that idea and changed it a little to create the juda parem. I also liked how she chose to reveal each of the characters backstories in little chunks. I usually don’t like flashbacks in the middle of all the action, but she did it in a way that made sense and was easy to read. With those flashbacks, I think it was really endearing to see Kaz’s vulnerability. He is such a tough character that it makes him seem almost human when you read what happened to him. I for one, had no idea it was Pekka Rollins that posed as Hertzoon. When I found out I was so mad and then it clicked that, that was the reason Kaz hates him so much. I still think he should have killed him in the prison in the ice court. While they were there in the court I was totally caught off guard by Matthias’ supposed betrayal, but I had a suspicion that it was all an act. And I’m so glad I was right. It was also unfortunate that Nina took the juda parem but I liked her bad side, because dang was she powerful! I think that one of the reasons she didn’t go crazy faster was because she was surrounded by friends that brought her back to a grounded state. I almost cried when Inej rejected Kaz. They deserve each other!! Although, I do understand why she did it, she was feeling used and underappreciated. But I also understand why Kaz wouldn’t change. It’s not that he wouldn’t, I think he wanted to, but he couldn’t. He has been raised on mistrust and a horrible childhood, so I know why he couldn’t accept her offer. I didn’t know that the trade-off was a trap but I wasn’t surprised at all that it was. I also liked how we got a chapter of Pekka’s point of view at the end because it gave us perspective of what is to come in the next book. I hated how Inej got taken it seemed so demoralizing for the wraith to be carried off so easily. I will be picking up the next book very soon but I will not post a review because it is not the first book and I don’t want to accidentally spoil anyone. So, if you have read the second book and want to know my thoughts on it, contact me later and we can discuss what happens!